SEOUL: One of three Americans detained in North Korea has made a fresh plea for his government’s help ahead of a trial that will likely end with a lengthy prison term and hard labour.
In an interview published yesterday by the pro-North Korean Japanese newspaper Chosun Sinbo, Jeffrey Fowle said he was extremely “anxious” that he would share the fate of his already tried and jailed fellow detainees -- Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller.
Fowle, 56, entered the North in April and was detained after apparently leaving a Bible in the bathroom of a nightclub in the northern port of Chongjin.
Although religious freedom is enshrined in the North Korean constitution, it does not exist in practice and religious activity is severely restricted to officially-recognised groups linked to the government.
The authorities have said Fowle will be tried for “perpetrating hostile acts” but no date has yet been set.
In his interview on Tuesday with the Tokyo-based newspaper, Fowle did not detail his alleged offence but acknowledged it had been “thoroughly prepared.”
“I feel so anxious that I will be punished for my offence once the trial opens,” he was quoted as saying. “I hope that the US government will make constructive efforts to secure our release.
“As an American citizen, I am left with no choice but to plea for help from the US government,” he said.
His plea came two weeks after Miller was sentenced to six years’ hard labour by the North Korean Supreme Court. AFP
