The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities expressed on Wednesday that there are credible reports indicating that North Korea is conducting medical experiments on people with disabilities, particularly enforcing forced sterilizations on women and killing disabled infants.
According to Agence France-Presse, the committee revealed that these experiments are reportedly taking place in pediatric institutions and detention facilities in North Korea, without the knowledge or consent of the individuals involved.
This report by the UN committee is based on information compiled from a 2017 visit to North Korea by the UN Special Rapporteur, defectors, and other confidential documents.
The committee expressed shock over the reports of disabled women being subjected to forced sterilizations and forced abortions.
The report stated: “The Committee expresses deep concern over credible reports of children with disabilities being killed, including infanticide officially authorized in medical facilities.”
Committee member Mara Gabrilli told the media that the committee has urged Pyongyang to immediately classify such experiments as criminal acts, ensure independent oversight of relevant institutions, and establish a compensation mechanism. She emphasized, “The core of this issue lies in the fact that persons with disabilities are not objects of treatment or experimentation but equal human beings entitled to bodily integrity, autonomy, and respect.”
Gabrilli regretfully stated that North Korea did not provide official data to the committee and dismissed the concerns raised by the committee as “pure lies.”
【Editor’s Note: Please credit “The Epoch Times” for the original report.]