Former President Jimmy Carter is expected to arrive in the United States Friday with a U.S. citizen who was imprisoned in North Korea after entering the isolated communist nation illegally in January, the Carter Center said here.
North Korea sentenced the American, Aijalon Mahli Gomes, to eight years of hard labor and a fine of about $600,000 for illegally crossing its border with China and for an unspecified "hostile act."
"At the request of President Carter, and for humanitarian purposes, Mr. Gomes was granted amnesty by the chairman of the National Defense Commission, Kim Jong-Il," the Carter Center said in a statement. "It is expected that Mr. Gomes will be returned to Boston, Mass., early Friday afternoon, to be reunited with his mother and other members of his family."
The Gomes family plans to issue a statement about the release late Friday morning, said spokeswoman Thaleia Schlesinger.
they felt so bad for carter because he is so stupid they let the guy go
No, just you.
Nice, you must be a republican! He may have not been that effective of a president but have you done as much good in your life as he has?
I'll bet part of the arrangement was that the fine was paid. Getting the hard currency might have been North Korea's objective all along.
Never forget that Carter was the only president in the last 60 years to fight dependence on imported oil. The country was not ready for him, and if we had followed his recommendations on weaning ourselves off mid-east oil and building a solar infrastructure, we might have avoided the deaths of thousands of our people, and hundreds of thousands of others.
Thank you Rational1 I guess they would have rather keep hearing about T. Woods affairs. This is the first I have heard of this Gomes imprisonment. Thank you President Carter for all the good work you tried to do in office and all the wonderful things you have accomplished since. From a Grateful public.
Great job Mr president.
Carter will be remembered fondly as a great humanitarian.
The future history will judge him better.
Well said Trin
Thank's Mr Carter for a job well done, We need more of our world leaders to act and give there time to helping those in trouble, may be our people, our nation or our nabors
A statesman who realizes that its usually better to be a Diplomat than a Blowhard.
Carter should have remained in North Korea.......Both countries IQ's would have improved.
I think it's humanitarian right thing. so I'm glad to take him to his family