Below, for your reference, is an
update on the Yantai boat people's trial. This was sent out by
our organization, LFNKR, to other NGOs and human rights groups
working on behalf of North Korean refugees.
Mr. Jiang Zemin
President,
People's Republic of China
Beijing, China
Subject:
No open trial for Choi Yong-hun and other aid workers?
Your Excellency,
A plea by the wife and daughters of Choi Yong-hun,
a South Korean citizen arrested while helping North Korean refugees
trying to flee China back in January, is turning world attention
to the plight of Choi, who is still being detained by Chinese
authorities.
In our last email to you, we wrote that "The
defendants' lawyers, who filed appeals on June 2, said the appeal
hearing is usually held about a month after the appeal is filed."
And today, August 11, we finally received information
that the final trial of Choi Yong-hun and other aid workers will
likely be concluded by a "written verdict" rather than
another open trial. This may take place around the middle of this
month, possibly as early as tomorrow.
Despite repeated petitions from the international
community, including South Korea and a number of Japanese Diet
members, China has issued no public response.
Those following this case closely have tried
to gain some sense of which way the court is leaning, or what
verdict may be handed down, but all requests for information have
been rejected.
Is China waiting for us to forget this case?
Suggestions from NGOs and other interested parties regarding possible
next moves are more than welcome.
Kenkichi Nakadaira
Representative
Life Funds for North Korean Refugees
http://www.northkoreanrefugees.com
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