Camp 14 recounts the dramatic life of Shin Dong-hyuk, a political prisoner born in a North Korean re-education camp, who managed to escape when he was 23. Shin Dong-hyuk recalls stories of forced labour, hunger, beatings and torture, which are supported by the testimonies of a former Commander of the Guards at Camp 22 and an ex-secret policeman. Strong revelations about North Korea’s political prison camp are uncovered. Through the use of interviews and animated sequences, the film portrays a world where violence and repression are performed with impunity by the State’s forces.

The brutal conditions in which prisoners are kept and treated in political prison camps are an important dimension of a broader discussion about human rights violations in the context of armed conflicts. Camp 14 is a perfect illustration of the problems that situations of political repression and violence pose to the protection of human rights.