Laos on Wednesday released two European journalists and an American interpreter sentenced last week for the death of a village security guard, a Laotian official said. French cameraman Vincent Reynaud, Belgian photojournalist Thierry Falise and their Laotian-American interpreter, the Rev. Naw Karl Mua, were convicted June 30 and sentenced to 15 years in prison by a court in northern Laos. Press advocacy groups had condemned the sentences, saying the three men were being unjustly punished for reporting on an insurgency in Laos. European and U.S. diplomats negotiated with Laotian officials to secure their release. Sodom Phetrasy, deputy head of the Foreign Ministry’s press department, told The Associated Press that the men were escorted to the airport Wednesday afternoon and put on a flight to Bangkok. He said the men were released due to concerns expressed by the governments of France, Belgium and the United States. Full Story
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