An entire family, including a two-year-old child, has been sentenced to life imprisonment due to the discovery of a Bible in their possession. This information was disclosed in the International Religious Freedom Report 2022 by the US State Department, which documents the regime’s crackdown on individuals with religious beliefs.
A non-governmental organization document estimates that between 50,000 and 70,000 North Korean citizens have been imprisoned for ‘being Christians’. Among those imprisoned was a two-year-old child whose parents were found with a Bible. The entire family was arrested for their religious practices and possession of the Bible, and subsequently sentenced to life in a political prison camp in 2009.
Individuals who have been imprisoned in these camps have reported dire conditions and various forms of physical mistreatment. The Ministry of State Security was found to be responsible for 90% of documented human rights abuses against Shamanic adherents and Christians.
According to the State Department, the North Korean government persecutes individuals who engage in religious practices, possess religious items, have contact with religious persons, or share religious beliefs. Those persecuted may face arrest, detention, forced labor, torture, denied a fair trial, deportation, denial of the right to life, or sexual violence.
Additionally, in December 2021, a report by Korea Future documented the abuse of religious freedom against women in North Korea. This report was based on interviews with 151 Christian women who had experienced abuse, revealing forms of abuse such as arbitrary detention, torture, deportation, forced labor, and sexual violence.
