Arrested North Koreans often have no choice but to pay bribes in order to lessen harsh criminal sentences or avoid torture while in pre-trial detention, according to a new Human Rights Watch report published on Monday.

The report, which is largely based on interviews with 22 former North Korean detainees and 8 former North Korean officials, details the horrific human rights abuses North Koreans face while in pre-trial detention — the point in which detainees are presumed innocent in most countries, but is arguably the most ruthless stage of the DPRK criminal justice system.

According to the report, detainees