For immediate release
August 5, 2009
For more information, contact:
Lindsey Wray
(202) 496-1992
LWray@iwmf.org
IWMF Welcomes Journalists Lee and Ling Home from North Korea
Washington, D.C. – The International Women’s Media Foundation is happy to celebrate the pardon and release of American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling by the North Korean government.
“We are very grateful for the release of these two American journalists,” said IWMF interim director Liza Gross. “As a worldwide network dedicated to press freedom, we spoke out on their behalf and our supporters advocated for their release by signing petitions that were then forwarded to the North Korean government. We are grateful for former President Clinton for his involvement and we welcome them home.”
The two journalists were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in June for allegedly entering the country illegally. They work for Current TV, based in San Francisco, which was co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore. The IWMF will now close down its petition campaign on behalf of Lee and Ling. We are still advocating on behalf of Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho, journalists arrested in Iran following recent elections and Zambian journalist Chansa Kabwela.
To sign petitions supporting other journalists in danger around the world, click here.
Founded in 1990, the International Women’s Media Foundation is a vibrant global network dedicated to strengthening the role of women in the news media worldwide as a means to further freedom of the press. The IWMF network includes women and men in the media in more than 130 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.iwmf.org.
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