South Korea: Appeal for the release of Kim Chin-ju

AI is calling for the relase of Kim Chin-ju, a 38-year-old pharmacist and editor who is serving a four-year sentence under the National Security Law for belonging to an "anti-state" organization. She was arrested in February 1991 and interrogated for 20 days, during which time she was reportedly ill-treated. She was accused of belonging to Sanomaeng, an organization which the authorities define as "anti-state". However, AI believes that there is no evidence that she and other Sanomaeng members planned to overthrow the state using violence, as the authorities claim. Her husband, Park No-hae, a well known poet and leader of Sanomaeng, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.