State Representatives Kimberly Fiorello (R-149), the granddaughter of a North Korean refugee and the great-niece of an advocate for North Korean defectors, is urging Connecticut’s Congressional Delegation and President Biden to act swiftly to save U.S. veteran Christopher Ahn, who is facing possible extradition for aiding North Korean escapees.
Mr. Ahn, a veteran of the United States Marines, is wanted in connection with a 2019 operation to rescue a North Korean defector from the authoritarian regime’s embassy in Spain.
Rep. Fiorello, who believes that Mr. Ahn will be targeted for abduction and assassination by the North Korean regime, sent letters to Connecticut U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Christopher Murphy, U.S. Representative Jim Himes of the Fourth Connecticut Congressional District, and U.S. President Joe Biden.
“People need to know that Mr. Ahn is not only an American war hero, but also a champion of the suppressed, and yet now, he is facing extradition from his own country and likely assassination for coming to the defense of the defenseless,” said Rep. Fiorello. “As an American of Korean descent and the granddaughter of a woman who escaped this totalitarian state, I am deeply concerned by attempts to turn Mr. Ahn over to Spain. This is wrong. To extradite one of our own into harm’s way is not a show of strength, but a sign of weakness. I call upon our leaders in Washington to do the right thing, like Mr. Ahn, and come to his defense.”
