North Korea to Try U.S. Journalists

[Coventina]

Source: New York Times

SEOUL — Two American journalists who have been detained in North Korea for two months on charges of illegal entry and “hostile acts” will be put on trial June 4, the Communist North announced on Thursday.

The reporters, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, were arrested by the North Korean military on March 17 on the border between China and North Korea. They had been in China reporting on North Korean refugees for Current TV, a San Francisco-based media company founded by Al Gore, the former vice president.

In announcing the trial date, the North’s state-run news agency, KCNA, gave no details on what charges they faced. But Pyongyang had earlier said that it found evidence of illegal entry and unspecified hostile acts.

The news agency said the country’s highest court, the Central Court, decided to try the case, indicating that the journalists will have no chance to appeal. The court usually hands down its verdict at the end of a one-day hearing.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/world/asia/15korea.html?ref=world

[Akoto]

1. I hope China can be persuaded to intervene ...

I have a really hard time imagining a fair trial in North Korea. It's also hard to believe that we'll simply abandon them to the cult state's decisions.