Lutheran pastor released from Laos prison

CHICAGO — A pastor from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and two European journalists were released from a Laos prison July 9, less than two weeks after receiving a 15-year sentence in a trial that was labeled a “mockery of justice.” Naw-Karl Mua, pastor of Light of Life Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minn., was convicted along with two European journalists June 30 of “use of warfare items or ordinance” and “obstructing an official in the performance of his duty” in connection with the death of a security guard. Mua and the journalists were sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined $1,000 each.

Mua and Belgian photojournalist Thierry Falise and French cameraman Vincent Reynaud were freed after a month of intense pressure from the U.S. State Department, human rights groups and the governments of France and Belgium. Sue Mua, Mua’s wife, wired $2,500 to the Laos government to pay fines and other costs associated with his release.

While the exact purpose of Mua’s trip to Laos is unclear, he had reportedly accompanied the two journalists to Laos to act as an interpreter while they researched a story on human rights violations by the Communist government.