Journalist
Lisa Ling’s sister has just been sentenced to twelve years in a Korean labor camp. Laura Ling and her friend Euna Lee were arrested on the Chinese border on March 17th by the North Korean army for alleged “hostile acts.” The women are both reporters for
Current TV, and had been in the country on assignment.
According to
CNN, the Central Court of North Korea sentenced Laura and Euna to 12 years of reform through a labor camp for the "grave crime they committed against the Korean nation and their illegal border crossing.”
US State Department spokesman Ian Kelley said in a statement, "We are deeply concerned by the reported sentencing of the two American citizen journalists by North Korean authorities, and we are engaged through all possible channels to secure their release. We once again urge North Korea to grant the immediate release of the two American citizen journalists on humanitarian grounds."
President Obama has been notified of the women’s sentencing. An investigation is expected to begin immediately, in hopes of coming to an agreement to release Laura and Euna.
Another statement from the women’s families was released saying, "We aren't certain of the details of what happened on March 17, but we can say with absolute certainty that when the girls left U.S. soil, they never intended to set foot onto North Korean territory. If at any point a transgression occurred, we sincerely apologize on their behalf."
So scary! Those poor women were just trying to do their job! We hope they can come to an agreement to get them back on US soil!
