Jul 9, 2009 9:49 pm US/Eastern
Sister: Pardon Only Hope For Laura Ling, Euna Lee
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CBS) ―
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South Korean students hold the photos of the detained US journalists during a rally denouncing North Korea's trial of the U.S. journalists in Seoul on June 9, 2009.
Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images
The sister of an American journalist sentenced with a co-worker to 12 years in a North Korean labor camp says a government pardon is their only hope for freedom.
Lisa Ling told The Associated Press on Thursday that her sister, Laura, made the statement during a 20-minute telephone call to her on Tuesday.
Lisa Ling says her sister called to say that she and fellow journalist Euna Lee had broken the law in North Korea when they were captured in March.
Last month, the journalists for San Francisco-based Current TV were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for entering the country illegally and "hostile acts."
Vigils for the women were planned Thursday in several cities, including Sacramento, where the Lings grew up.
Gotham Chopra, a friend to Michael Jackson and to the imprisoned journalists, said Jackson called him asking how he could help, the Web site TMZ.com reported. Jackson said he thought Kim Jong II release the women, provided the North Korean leader was a fan of his.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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