Kenneth Bae is free

North Korea has released U.S. citizen, Kenneth Bae, who was imprisoned in the country for his Christian faith. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) confirmed that Bae, along with another U.S. citizen who was released,  Matthew Todd Miller, are on their way back to the United States. Bae was arrested in November 2012 and was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. "We welcome North Korea's decision to release both Mr. Bae and Mr. Miller," the DNI's office said in a statement. "We want to thank our international partners, especially ... the government of Sweden, for their tireless efforts to help secure their release." "The United States has long called on DPRK authorities to release these individuals on humanitarian grounds," U.S. Department of State spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement Saturday. "We join their families and friends in welcoming them home." November 3, 2014 marked two years that Bae had been imprisoned in North Korea. Matthew Todd Miller had been held for seven months. At more than 730 days, Bae's imprisonment was the longest on record for an American citizen in North Korea, a country widely recognized to be among the world's most repressive places for Christians.  Bae's family and supporters had mounted a social media campaign calling for his release using#BringBaeBack --- ICC will continue to follow this breaking story. Visit www.persecution.org for updates.  For interviews, contact Corey Bailey, Regional Manager for Central Asia:  RM-Asia@persecution.org # # #

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