North Korea Detains Crew Of Russian Fishing Vessel - "Harsh" Interrogations Alleged

Swordsmyth

Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2016
Messages
74,737
Russian officials confirmed Wednesday that 15 of its nationals as well as two South Koreans have been detained for the past week after their fishing vessel drifted into North Korean waters.
The Russian embassy in the DPRK cited the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to say the vessel and crew were seized for “violating the rules of entry and stay in the territory of (North Korea).”


Following their July 17 arrest by border guards, the crew has since been detained at a hotel in the city of Wonsan, with the ship, identified as a Russian fishery company owned vessel, has been impounded in the same city.
According to Reuters:
South Korea’s Unification Ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs said on Wednesday that the two South Korean sailors are safe and it has been striving to secure their freedom through consultations with their families, North Korea and Russia.
The ministry further said North Korea hasn’t responded to South Korea’s repeated calls for the repatriation of its two citizens, described as two men in their 50's and 60's.
Russian embassy officials have described the detained crew as "in good health" and are seeking to secure their release through "constant contact" with the government in Pyongyang.
Reports say the embassy is further seeking "clarification" on what happened following an official from the company that owns the seized vessel saying border guards handled the crew in "a very harsh manner".
As Al Jazeera reports, "The deputy director of Northeast, Sergei Sedler, said the vessel was fishing for crab and travelled from South Korea to the Sea of Japan when it was detained some 55 nautical miles (100 kilometres) from the North Korean border. "
The company official described to Russia's Kommersant newspaper: "Twice a day they are questioning and searching them in a very harsh manner" in reference to the crew.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019...n-fishing-vessel-harsh-interrogations-alleged
 
North Korea has released a Russian fishing boat with a crew of 15 Russians and two South Koreans after it was detained for violating entry regulations, the Russian embassy in Pyongyang said Sunday.
The release comes nearly two weeks after North Korean border guards took control of the ship belonging to the Russian North-Eastern Fishing Company on July 17.
The vessel, named Xiang Hai Lin 8, left the North Korean port of Wonsan late Saturday, the embassy said in a Facebook post.
"At 19:30, the vessel left the Wonsan port's pier and headed to Sokcho (South Korea), where two South Korean crewmembers will come ashore," it said.
The embassy added it will continue to investigate the "circumstances" of the ship's detention.
South Korea's unification ministry, which handles inter-Korean relations, welcomed the boat's "safe return", calling the release "positive from a humanitarian perspective".

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-releases-russian-fishing-boat-moscow-055115506.html
 
Back
Top