It will probably come as small comfort to the families of American reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee that although the two have been sentenced to ‘twelve years of reform through labor,’ they are likely to go to one of two ‘special camps’ maintained for ‘the detention of Workers’ Party officials, senior cadres and important figures who must be well-treated.’
According to this article from today’s Daily North Korea, a publication staffed by a good number of North Korean defectors:
“Labor camp prisons are not run by the National Security Agency, but the People’s Safety Agency. In these labor camps, the People’s Safety Agency detains prisoners who aren’t classified as political prisoners. Relatives of these prisoners can visit the reeducation camps and are permitted to bring food for them and when their terms expire, they are generally released.
By Moon Sung-hwee
June 8, 2009
South Korea – Daily North Korea – Original Article (English)
The Chosun [Korea] Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Monday that the two American journalists held by the authorities since March 17 have been sentenced to 12 years in a labor reeducation camp.
“The KCNA announced, “The Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea Central Court put American journalists Laura Ling and Lee Seung-eun (Euna Lee) on trial from the June 4th to June 8th. The two were convicted of crimes against the state and illegal border crossing, and the Central Court sentenced them both to twelve years of reform through labor.”
READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, your most trusted translator and aggregator of foreign news and views about our nation.
Founder and Managing Editor of Worldmeets.US