US reporters jailed in North Korea
Güncelleme Tarihi:
The Associated Press
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 09, 2009 00:00
SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea convicted two American journalists and sentenced them yesterday to 12 years of hard labor, intensifying the reclusive nation's confrontation with the United States. Washington said it would "engage in all possible channels" to win the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters for former Vice President Al Gore's San Francisco-based Current TV media venture.
There are fears Pyongyang is using the women as bargaining chips as the U.N. debates a new resolution to punish the country for its defiant May 25 atomic test and as North Korea seeks to draw Washington into direct negotiations.
The journalists were found guilty of committing a "grave crime" against North Korea and of illegally entering the country, state-run media said.
The Central Court in Pyongyang sentenced each to 12 years of "reform through labor" in a North Korean prison after a five-day trial, the Korean Central News Agency said in a terse, two-line report that provided no further details. A Korean-language version said they were convicted of "hostility toward the Korean people."
The United States, which does not have diplomatic ties with Pyongyang, was "deeply concerned" about the verdict, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in Washington. He said officials would "engage in all possible channels" to win the reporters' release.
The journalists were found guilty of committing a "grave crime" against North Korea and of illegally entering the country, state-run media said.
The Central Court in Pyongyang sentenced each to 12 years of "reform through labor" in a North Korean prison after a five-day trial, the Korean Central News Agency said in a terse, two-line report that provided no further details. A Korean-language version said they were convicted of "hostility toward the Korean people."
The United States, which does not have diplomatic ties with Pyongyang, was "deeply concerned" about the verdict, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in Washington. He said officials would "engage in all possible channels" to win the reporters' release.