North Korea Holds Annual Massive Executions in Prisoner Camps

According to a group of defectors, prison camps in North Korea include 300,000 people and each year authorities performmass executions of disobedient prisoners. In addition, An Myong-Chul, 40, who is a former prisoner camp guard, said thattorture and sexual violence often take place at the camps.

An Myong-Chul fled to South Korea ten years ago. He said that every year, North Korean authorities execute 20 inmates at each prisoner camp. His voice was heard by those who gathered at a ceremony to set a team, which would be called theCampaign for North Korean Freedom. An is the head of the campaign that is supported by 120 defectors and activists from South Korea, who hope to release political prisoners held in prison camps of the communist state.

According to the estimations of Freedom House, an American watchdog, in 2007 about 200,000 prisoners were registered in the camps. An stated that the report presented by Freedom House was based on old data. He outlined that the number of prisoners significantly increased over the last months and now there are over 300,000 inmates, which shows a "growing political instability" in North Korea. An mentioned that the information he currently possesses was obtained from other defectors.

"As a guard, I was trained to kill all the inmates in an emergency. (Apart from those executed) they are subjected to forced labor until their death," he said.

Read MORE