Lisa Ling’s sister sentenced to 12 years hard labor
Lisa Ling – whose sister, Laura Ling, and friend, Euna Lee – had been arrested by North Korean military on the Chinese border March 17 and faced trial on June 4 for alleged “hostile acts.” As Lisa tweeted on Friday, “Trying to believe that Laura and Euna have won some hearts over, hence the silence.”
But on Sunday, June 7, CNN reported that the Korean Central News Agency said the women had been sentenced to 12 years in labor camps “for the grave crime they committed against the Korean nation and their illegal border crossing.”
U.S. 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.”
The statement also read: “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.”
On Wednesday, June 3, Euna Lee’s husband Michael Saldate, Laura Ling’s husband Iain Clayton, Lisa Ling and their families attended a grassroots vigil in Santa Monica for the women, one of many around the country. An emotional Lisa told PEOPLE, “It is very surreal to be part of a story, especially when it is your little sister and your best friend. For me, my sister is an incredible journalist. She is a wife and an adult but she’s still my little sister and to feel this helpless has been the most debilitating experience of my life.”
Sad and terribly scary. Let’s hope she gets out safely and quickly.
Photo: the scandalist
