An American man has been sentenced to six years of hard labor by a court in North Korea, where authorities had accused him of trying to investigate human rights issues.
Matthew Miller, 24, of Bakersfield, Calif., whom prosecutors said had committed “hostile acts,” was on trial for all of 90 minutes before being found guilty and being led from the room in handcuffs, the Associated Press reported.
At the same time, North Korean officials had also claimed Miller tore up his visa and sought asylum as soon as he arrived in the isolated, totalitarian Asian nation in April.
Notes cited as evidence at trial also “suggested” Miller was on the run after being involved with the group Wikileaks, the BBC reported. However, the BBC also said its Seoul correspondent could not determine “how those notes were written — whether under duress or not,” and it was not clear whether the allegations were true.
“We have requested” the North Korean government “immediately release him and the other detained Americans so they can return home,” State Department Deputy Spokeswoman Marie Harf said Friday.
The U.S. government was aware that Miller was slated to be tried on Sunday, she said, and she reiterated the government’s offer still stood to send special envoy Robert King to North Korea to discuss Miller’s case.
“As we’ve said, we don’t always publicly outline all of the ways we are working to return our citizens home, but we are very focused on this and have called on the DPRK to release him,” Harf said, using the abbreviation for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
North Korea is also holding two other Americans, missionary Kenneth Bae and Ohio local government employee Jeffrey Fowle.
