An international human rights organization has released a report, casting light on rampant human rights violations during North Korea's pretrial detention and investigation processes.

The Human Rights Watch's 88-page report released on Monday is based on testimonies by eight former North Korean officials who fled the country and 22 North Koreans held at the North's detention and interrogation facilities since 2011.

Brad Adams, the organization's Asia director, said the North's pretrial detention and investigation system is "arbitrary, violent, cruel, and degrading," while official procedures are irrelevant, guilt is presumed, and the only way out is through bribes and connections.

Former detainees said they had no way of knowing what would happen once they were arrested, had no access to an independent lawyer, and no way of appealing to authorities about torture or violations of the criminal procedure law.

The testimonies included systematic torture, dangerous and unhygienic conditions, unpaid forced labor and sexual violence.

Urging the North to end "endemic torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment in pretrial detention and interrogation facilities," Human Rights Watch also called on the international community to push the North to accept its recommendations.