A/HRC/13/47 action and abusive discretion in the name of the State. For instance, torture is prohibited by the Criminal Code. Yet, there is a myriad of reports on instances of torture.15 31. While the authorities claimed at the universal periodic review session that human rights are respected in the country, different sources indicate a conglomeration of huge camps for political prisoners and their families, who are often held there in perpetuity. Kaechon, Yodok, Hwasong, Bukchang, Hoeryong, Chonjin are some of the camps of infamy.16 The lives of inmates are lost only too easily to hunger and slave labour, brutality and atrocity. 32. Intriguingly, even the country’s statement to the universal periodic review admitted openly that public executions take place in the country. One non-governmental publication includes an account of people being forced to watch them.17 33. The justice system is subservient to the State, and judges, prosecutors, lawyers and juries are part of the State machinery, far removed from the international rule of law, thus lacking in independence of the judiciary and safeguards for the accused.18 Capital punishment ensues from a broad range of crimes against the State as listed and extended periodically by the Criminal Code. At times, there are also public trials to teach the general population a lesson. 34. Participation in government, freedom of expression, access to information, freedom of association, and freedom of religion are all constrained by the nature of the State, despite their nominal recognition in the Constitution and related laws. Despite the semblance of an electoral process, the system is built to support a one-party State. People are pressured to vote for the ruling elite, and it is reported that community leaders visit households to pressure them to vote; failure to vote is unacceptable and voting against those in power is regarded as reactionary and subject to punishment.19 Trade unions and mass movements (associations) are controlled by the Government as part of the State machinery. 35. While cell phones are now allowed in the capital city, use near the border is prohibited. Radio sets are pre-tuned to government programmes and it is forbidden to view videos from other countries. Reading books from the Republic of Korea is regarded as espionage, and there are sanctions against reading books from China. It is forbidden to own computers without permission. There are special squads which raid homes to see whether there are illegal materials from other countries, and neighbours/communities are encouraged to inform on each other. Bribery may attenuate arrests and sanctions. 36. There are four types of punishment: death; unlimited term of correctional labour; limited term of correctional labour; and labour training, the latter two being introduced in 2004.20 They also correspond to four different types of detention, ranging from political camps and camps for other crimes to collection points and labour training for lesser crimes such as border crossing without permission. A recent study suggests that bribery may 15 16 17 18 19 20 10 Amnesty International, “North Korea: torture, death penalty and abductions”, information sheet, August 2009, ASA 24/003/2009; The Reality of Human Rights in North Korea (see footnote 3 above); see also North Korea Today, No. 301, October 2009; Citizen’s Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR), “Survival under torture”, NKHR Briefing Report No. 2, Seoul, 2009. The Reality of Human Rights in North Korea (see footnote 3 above), p. 4; Citizen’s Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR), “The last outposts of slavery of the past XX century”, NKHR Briefing Report No. 1, Seoul, 2009. The Reality of Human Rights in North Korea (see footnote 3 above), p. 7. “White paper on human rights in North Korea 2009” (see footnote 1 above), pp. 144–178. Ibid., p. 287. Ibid., p. 84. GE.10-10793