An American citizen, who has reportedly sought asylum in North Korea, has appeared in the reclusive country's National television to condemn the 'hypocrisy' of American government and to denounce his home country as a "mafia enterprise". He is said to be suffering from bipolar disorder.
The man recognised as Arturo Pierre Martinez of El Paso, seems to have willingly entered the country. He has said that he was not detained by the hermit kingdom ruled by young dictator Kim Jong-un.
Just days after the CIA Torture report created frenzy inside the country with the officials slamming Washington for being hypocritical in their human rights claim, Arturo appeared to hold a news conference on Sunday in Pyongyang, strongly criticising the United States for its human rights violations and calling the American democracy "an illusion."
"The illegal war carried out against the nation of Iraq serves as a perfect example of how the U.S. government acts much like a mafia enterprise by criminally plundering entire nations of their resources, strategic reserves and economies instead of smaller-scale business and individuals, and does so without a code of ethics," he said in a video released by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Watch the video below:
However, soon after the video was released, the man's mother Patricia Eugenia Martinez told CNN that the 29-year-old is suffering from bipolar disorder and had once tried to enter North Korea by swimming across a river. He was apprehended and sent back to the United States.
His mother said that after his release from the psychiatric hospital, he took a payday loan online and bought a plane ticket to China. From there, he reportedly made it across the Yalu River border to enter into North Korea.
The statement made by Arturo comes in an opportune time for North Korea, which is rattled by the UN security council's decision to refer the country to the International court and also days after the CIA Torture report tended to reflect human rights violations within the United States allowing Pyongyang to quickly throw the ball of blame towards Washington.
Immediately after the Senate released the report last week, North Korea issued its condemnation against the "inhuman torture" methods of the US as highlighted by the report. Pyongyang said the revelations posed a major test to the credibility of Security Council, which it accused of "shutting its eyes" to rights violations by one of its permanent members while discussing North Korea's rights record.
