China’s forced repatriations of North Korean defectors could amount to crimes against humanity under international law, according to a new report that documented cases of abuse, including forced abortions and physical beatings.

In its report released Thursday, the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB) states that Chinese security officials’ actions targeting a group for forced repatriation could amount to crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The findings are based on interviews with 96 survivorsrepatriated from the late 1990s to 2019, an analysis of bilateral treaties between Beijing and Pyongyang, Chinese