The Korea of the North detained 200 000 political prisoners: Amnesty (Reuters)

London (Reuters) - the Korea of North organizes approximately 200,000 people in the camps of enormous political prisoners where inmates are forced to work in conditions approaching slavery and are often tortured, Amnesty International said Tuesday.

The rights group published these past satellite images showing four of the six camps in the vast wilderness sites in the provinces of South Pyongan, South and North Hamkyung Hamkyung.

Comparison with 2001 satellite images shows a significant increase in the scale of the camps, which are supposed to have been exploited since the 1950s, he said.

Amnesty International spoke to a number of people, including former inmates since political prisoners camp in Yodok, as well as guards in other camps, reveal what it said were atrocious conditions.

The former detainees to beatings said prisoners were forced to work in conditions of slavery and were frequently subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, Amnesty International said. All Yodok inmates had attended public executions, he said.

Food is scarce in the camps. He had said several accounts of people eating rats or corn kernels of animal waste collection to survive, said Amnesty International.

Amnesty called on the North Korea one of the most secret States of the world, to close all camps for political prisoners and to release all prisoners of conscience.

"The Korea of the North can no longer deny the undeniable.". For decades, that the authorities have refused to admit the existence of camps for political prisoners of mass, "Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Director, said in a news release.

"As the Korea of the North appears headed for a new leader Kim Jong-UN and a period of instability policy, great concern is that the camps of prisoners appear to be growing in size," he said, referring to the son and presumed successor Kim Jong-il.

Thousands of people are would be held as "guilt by association" or sent to the camps simply because one of their parents has been placed in detention, Amnesty said.

According to a former inmate beatings, about 40% inmates have died from malnutrition between 1999 and 2001.

Jeong Kyoungil, who was detained in Yodok from 2000 to 2003, said prisoners worked from 4 o'clock in the morning to 8 h with two breaks meals of corn grits. "From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., it is time for the education of ideology." If we remember 10 codes of ethics, that we would not be allowed to sleep, "he says.

"Disruptive" inmates are put at least a week in a cube "torture cell", where it is impossible to stand or lie on the ground, said Amnesty International.