UN Committee Raises Alarm Over Medical Abuse of Disabled in North Korea

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities expressed serious concern on September 3, 2023, over credible reports indicating that medical experiments are being conducted on disabled individuals in North Korea. Allegations include forced sterilizations and the killing of infants with disabilities, taking place in pediatric institutions and detention facilities without consent.

The committee’s findings highlight a troubling pattern of abuses directed at individuals with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities. It specifically urged the North Korean government to criminalize these practices and implement oversight mechanisms to prevent further violations.

Mara Gabrilli, a member of the committee, emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating that some individuals with disabilities are being used as subjects in clinical trials without their consent. “At the heart of this issue is a reminder that persons with disabilities are not objects of treatment or experimentation but equal human beings,” she said, underscoring their right to bodily integrity, autonomy, and respect.

The report, which focuses on one of the world’s most isolated nations, is based on information gathered from defectors, the UN’s special rapporteur on disability rights who visited North Korea in 2017, and confidential sources. According to Gabrilli, the North Korean government has dismissed these claims as fabrications and failed to provide any data when requested.

Systemic Discrimination and Abuse

The committee noted that North Korea’s constitution lacks explicit prohibitions against discrimination based on disability. Furthermore, it does not recognize the denial of accommodation as a form of discrimination. The report reveals a societal stigma against individuals with disabilities, exacerbated by a two-tier system that privileges veterans with physical impairments while denying services to others with disabilities.

Detainees with disabilities reportedly face degrading treatment, including solitary confinement for perceived “disobedience” or “non-productivity.” The committee urged North Korea to prohibit all medical and scientific experiments on people with disabilities and to ensure protections against torture or cruel and inhuman punishment.

The alarming findings shine a light on the dire conditions faced by disabled individuals in North Korea, calling for urgent international attention and action to protect their rights and dignity.