A human&nbsp;rights group on Monday said that&nbsp;North Korean justice system treats people ''less than an animal''.

US-based Human Rights Watch called&nbsp;out the country's&nbsp;pretrial detention system and legal processes for the torture, humiliation and coerced confessions on&nbsp;detainees and officials.

North Korea has been&nbsp;accused of widespread rights abuses by the United Nations and other critics, is a "closed" country and little is known about its criminal justice system.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kim-jong-uns-top-aide-executed-by-north-korean-death-squad-reports-26770">Kim Jong-un's top aide executed by North Korean death squad: Reports</a>

The rights group&nbsp;drew on interviews with dozens of former North Korean detainees and officials to highlight what it called inhuman conditions at detention facilities that often amount to torture.

Mistreatment of detainees,&nbsp;beating with a stick or kicking,&nbsp;was "especially harsh" in the early stages of pretrial detention, interviewees said.

"The regulations say there shouldn't be any beatings, but we need confessions during the investigation and early stages of the preliminary examination," a former police officer said. "So you have to hit them in order to get the confession."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-officials-to-be-punished-after-typhoon-causes-dozens-of-casualties-325465">North Korea officials to be punished after typhoon causes 'dozens of casualties'</a>

Former detainees said they were forced to sit still on the floor, kneeling or with their legs crossed, for as long as 16 hours a day, with even a flicker of movement leading to punishment.

The punishments ranged from hitting,&nbsp;using hands, sticks, or leather belts,&nbsp;to forcing them to run in circles around a yard up to 1,000 times.

"If I or others moved (in the cell), the guards would order me or all the cellmates to extend our hands through the cell bars and would step on them repeatedly with their boots," said former detainee Park Ji Cheol.

Yoon Young Cheol, another former detainee, added: "There, you are just treated like you are worth less than an animal, and that's what you end up becoming."

Some female interviewees testified to rampant sexual violence at the facilities.

Kim Sun Young, a former trader in her 50s who fled North Korea in 2015 said she had been raped by her interrogator at a detention centre.

Another police officer sexually assaulted her by touching her underneath her clothes while interrogating her, Kim added, but said she had been "powerless to resist".

The report called on Pyongyang to "end endemic torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in detention" and urged South Korea, the United States and other UN member states to "publicly and privately pressure the North Korean government".

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is the third generation of his family to rule the country, where state surveillance is widespread and dissent not tolerated.

The country already stands accused by the UN of "systematic, widespread and gross" human rights violations that range from torture, extrajudicial killings to running prison camps.

Pyongyang maintains that it protects and promotes "genuine human rights", and says there is no justification for the West to try to set human rights standards for the rest of the world.

It condemns international criticism on the issue as a smear campaign to undermine its "sacred socialist system".

A human rights group on Monday said that North Korean justice system treats people ''less than an animal''. US-based Human Rights Watch called out the country's pretrial detention system and legal processes for the torture, humiliation and coerced confessions on detainees and officials.

A human rights group on Monday said that North Korean justice system treats people ''less than an animal''. US-based Human Rights Watch called out the country's pretrial detention system and legal processes for the torture, humiliation and coerced confessions on detainees and officials. North Korea has been accused of widespread rights abuses by the United Nations and other critics, is a "closed" country and little is known about its criminal justice system. Also read: Kim Jong-un's top aide executed by North Korean death squad: Reports The rights group drew on interviews with dozens of former North Korean detainees and officials to highlight what it called inhuman conditions at detention facilities that often amount to torture. Mistreatment of detainees, beating with a stick or kicking, was "especially harsh" in the early stages of pretrial detention, interviewees said. "The regulations say there shouldn't be any beatings, but we need confessions during the investigation and early stages of the preliminary examination," a former police officer said. "So you have to hit them in order to get the confession." Also read: North Korea officials to be punished after typhoon causes 'dozens of casualties' Former detainees said they were forced to sit still on the floor, kneeling or with their legs crossed, for as long as 16 hours a day, with even a flicker of movement leading to punishment. The punishments ranged from hitting, using hands, sticks, or leather belts, to forcing them to run in circles around a yard up to 1,000 times. "If I or others moved (in the cell), the guards would order me or all the cellmates to extend our hands through the cell bars and would step on them repeatedly with their boots," said former detainee Park Ji Cheol. Yoon Young Cheol, another former detainee, added: "There, you are just treated like you are worth less than an animal, and that's what you end up becoming." Some female interviewees testified to rampant sexual violence at the facilities. Kim Sun Young, a former trader in her 50s who fled North Korea in 2015 said she had been raped by her interrogator at a detention centre. Another police officer sexually assaulted her by touching her underneath her clothes while interrogating her, Kim added, but said she had been "powerless to resist". The report called on Pyongyang to "end endemic torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in detention" and urged South Korea, the United States and other UN member states to "publicly and privately pressure the North Korean government". North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is the third generation of his family to rule the country, where state surveillance is widespread and dissent not tolerated. The country already stands accused by the UN of "systematic, widespread and gross" human rights violations that range from torture, extrajudicial killings to running prison camps. Pyongyang maintains that it protects and promotes "genuine human rights", and says there is no justification for the West to try to set human rights standards for the rest of the world. It condemns international criticism on the issue as a smear campaign to undermine its "sacred socialist system".

Human Rights Watch says North Korean justice system treats people worse than animals

North Korea conducts public executions to incite fear among the public, a rights group said on Tuesday in a report pinpointing at least 323 sites used by the government for capital punishment.

The report by the Seoul-based Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG) is the result of four years of research and interviews with more than 600 North Korean defectors living outside the country.

"Public executions are to remind people of particular policy positions that the state has," said TJWG research director Sarah A. Son.

"But the second and more powerful reason is it instils a culture of fear among ordinary people."

Purged members of the elite have been among those executed in public, such as leader Kim Jong Un's uncle, Jang Song Thaek, in 2013.

But the most common charges levelled against the condemned ranged from "stealing copper and livestock" to, less commonly, "anti-state" activities and illegally crossing into China, the group said.

The survey of 610 North Korean defectors living in South Korea, included 19 reports of more than 10 people being executed at the same time.

Crowds, often of hundreds of people, and sometimes a 1,000 or more, would gather. The youngest person to witness a public execution was 7 years old, the group said.

The group found that 35 reports of public executions came from one particular river bank, with executions taking place at the unidentified location every decade since the 1960s.

Six of the executions were by hanging and 29 by firing squad, the group said.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm any of the accounts in the report.

The group said 83 per cent of a sample of 84 surveyed people had witnessed a public execution at some time, but it did not give specific data on how common such executions may be.

Nor did it say if they were getting more or less frequent.

The group warned that the survey sample based on the testimony of defectors was not necessarily representative.

For example, a disproportionate number of the respondents come from northern provinces with the greatest access to the Chinese border for people trying to defect.

Some reports of executions in North Korea have turned out to be untrue, with officials who had been reported as being executed later reappearing.

This month, there have been media reports about the execution of officials involved in nuclear talks with the United States, which collapsed in February at a summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump.

Trump last week appeared to cast doubt on the news reports about the executions.

"I don't know if the reports are correct," Trump said. "They like to blame Kim Jong Un immediately."

North Korean state media has made no comment.

North Korea conducts public executions to incite fear among the public, a rights group said on Tuesday in a report pinpointing at least 323 sites used by the government for capital punishment.

North Korea conducts public executions to incite fear among the public, a rights group said on Tuesday in a report pinpointing at least 323 sites used by the government for capital punishment. The report by the Seoul-based Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG) is the result of four years of research and interviews with more than 600 North Korean defectors living outside the country. "Public executions are to remind people of particular policy positions that the state has," said TJWG research director Sarah A. Son. "But the second and more powerful reason is it instils a culture of fear among ordinary people." Purged members of the elite have been among those executed in public, such as leader Kim Jong Un's uncle, Jang Song Thaek, in 2013. But the most common charges levelled against the condemned ranged from "stealing copper and livestock" to, less commonly, "anti-state" activities and illegally crossing into China, the group said. The survey of 610 North Korean defectors living in South Korea, included 19 reports of more than 10 people being executed at the same time. Crowds, often of hundreds of people, and sometimes a 1,000 or more, would gather. The youngest person to witness a public execution was 7 years old, the group said. The group found that 35 reports of public executions came from one particular river bank, with executions taking place at the unidentified location every decade since the 1960s. Six of the executions were by hanging and 29 by firing squad, the group said. Reuters was unable to independently confirm any of the accounts in the report. The group said 83 per cent of a sample of 84 surveyed people had witnessed a public execution at some time, but it did not give specific data on how common such executions may be. Nor did it say if they were getting more or less frequent. The group warned that the survey sample based on the testimony of defectors was not necessarily representative. For example, a disproportionate number of the respondents come from northern provinces with the greatest access to the Chinese border for people trying to defect. Some reports of executions in North Korea have turned out to be untrue, with officials who had been reported as being executed later reappearing. This month, there have been media reports about the execution of officials involved in nuclear talks with the United States, which collapsed in February at a summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump. Trump last week appeared to cast doubt on the news reports about the executions. "I don't know if the reports are correct," Trump said. "They like to blame Kim Jong Un immediately." North Korean state media has made no comment.

Hundreds of North Korean public execution sites identified: Report

north-korea-public-execution

North Korea Public Execution, News on North Korea Public Execution, stories on North Korea Public Execution, articles on North Korea Public Execution, North Korea Public Execution stories at Wion, North Korea Public Execution news, North Korea Public Execution latest news

north korea-public-execution

Human Rights Watch says North Korean justice system treats people worse than animals

Hundreds of North Korean public execution sites identified: Report