A North Korean court has sentenced the US citizen Kenneth Bae to 15 years’ hard labour after finding him guilty of unspecified “hostile acts” against the state, in a move possibly intended to force concessions from Washington.
Bae was arrested in November 2012 in Rason, a special economic zone in North Korea’s far north-eastern region bordering China and Russia. His trial at the country’s supreme court began on Tuesday, according to the official KCNA news agency, which referred to Bae as Pae Jun-ho, the North Korean rendering of his name. The sentence was announced on Thursday.
Bae, a tour operator who lives in the Seattle suburb of Lynnwood, was accused of attempting to overthrow the government, a crime that carries a possible death penalty. In its latest dispatch KCNA did not state the exact nature of his alleged crimes.
Though he was born in South Korea, Bae is a naturalized U.S. citizen who has apparently made several trips to North Korea in the past via his travel agency Nation Tours. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time.
Two members of the anti-Kremlin punk band Pussy Riot have been sent to remote prison camps to serve their sentences, the group has said.
Maria Alyokhina, 24, will serve the rest of her two-year term at a women’s prison camp in Perm, a Siberian region notorious for hosting some of the Soviet Union’s harshest camps. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, has been sent to Mordovia, a region that also hosts a high number of prisons.
“These are the harshest camps of all the possible choices,” the band said via its Twitter account on Monday.
An unfortunate development for the two members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot that remain incarcerated, and its hard to see this as anything but an attempt at sending a message to those who oppose Russian President Vladimir Putin. Our thoughts are with Maria, Nadezhda and their families.
» Backstory: Shibin was arrested last year after he, and three other Somali pirates, seized a German merchant ship and an American-owned yacht. All four U.S. citizens onboard the yacht were killed, and crew members from the German ship were tortured in an effort to increase the demanded ransom. While Shibin did not kill the Americans himself, and did not face murder/manslaughter charges, he was found guilty of 15 charges including piracy and kidnapping.
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Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs can’t call his followers anymore: Bro just had his privileges taken away for three months after prison officials realized his phone calls were getting put on speakerphone — essentially allowing him to lead his flock from prison. source
Jeffs fasted for three days, became unstable: Polygamist sect leader and convicted child rapist Warren Jeffs is being treated for fasting-related complications. “He did indicate to staff that he was fasting, but he is currently being treated for other medical ailments and conditions,” said a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. She also said that she ”cannot confirm that he is in a coma.” (An AP source says that he in fact is in one.) Jeffs is to face a second trial — this time for first-degree bigamy — in October. source
Receiving bail for any reason is a rarity in China, so he’s lucky. In Weiwei’s case, he confessed to committing tax evasion, which many activists claim is untrue. The world-famous artist, noted for his criticism of the country’s Communist Party, is out of jail as a result, but on a form of probation that doesn’t allow him to leave or talk to anyone. “I’m sorry I can’t (talk), I am on probation, please understand,” Ai told the Associated Press. Experts have said that international pressure is the only reason authorities released him (well, along with some health problems). Meanwhile, Weiwei, who says officials treated him well in prison, isn’t the only dissident forced to keep quiet after coming out of jail — hundreds of other outspoken opponents of the Chinese government have kept quiet after their arrests. source
Out on my patio having my last free moment I love all my fans Pain is love!!!Ja Rule • A tweet by the rapper/actor (real name Jeffrey Atkins) about ninety minutes prior to his being sentenced to two years in prison. In 2007, police found a hidden semi-automatic handgun in his car following a traffic stop, which landed him the charge. Incidentally, the line “Pain is love” is the title of one of his albums, with “Pain is Love 2” slated for release this summer — and that, friends, is commitment to marketing. He reportedly spent his last day of freedom watching the new X-Men movie with his family, and is expected to serve 18-20 months, pending good behavior. source (via • follow)
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» Remind us not to bring the camcorder to Indonesia: Most everybody enjoys an amorous pleasure now and again, it’s only natural. What most of us don’t face, though, is having our private sexual pleasures made public, and then being thrown into prison for it. Such is the fate of Indonesian pop star Nazril “Ariel” Irham, who was jailed for three and a half years starting Monday, thanks to a sex-tape (made with his girlfriend) that found its way onto the internet. Irham denies he’s the man on the tape, while police say that his friend took the video off Irham’s computer and uploaded it without his knowledge. In any event, thanks to a 2008 anti-porn law, this dangerous deviant will be off the streets and pop charts of Indonesia. THANK. GOD.
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