A 24-year old American accused of espionage was sentenced to six years of hard labor in a North Korean prison camp by the country’s supreme court Sunday.
California native Matthew Miller was accused by the court of ripping up his visa upon arrival in the country and allegedly admitting he had the “wild ambition” to experience life in one of North Korea’s notoriously brutal prison camps for investigative purposes.
His trial lasted only 90 minutes before the court reached a verdict.
According to the Associated Press, Miller waived his right to an attorney, and the claim he came to North Korea seeking asylum was declared a “ruse” by prosecutors.
Miller is one of three Americans currently held by the communist regime of Kim Jong-un. One of the two was arrested for leaving a Bible behind at a sailor’s club, and the other was a missionary convicted of attempting “hostile acts” against the government.
The U.S. State Department has called upon North Korea to release all three Americans the country has detained.
“Now that Mr. Miller has gone through a legal process, we urge the DPRK [acronym for North Korea’s official name] to grant him amnesty and immediate release,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a press statement.