Paul Salopek to be Freed

Great news fresh off the AP wire:

The president of Sudan agreed to release American journalist Paul Salopek on Saturday after meeting with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a spokesman for the governor said.

Paul Salopek via Nancy Stone, Chicago Tribune
Salopek, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, was put on trial for for espionage and related charges after entering southern Sudan with satellite maps and a duplicate passport (neither grounds for arrest) on assignment for National Geographic.

Here’s a link to the Chicago Tribune’s coverage. Salopek is to return to the Trib as a foreign correspondent after his NatGeo assignment.

High fives to Gov. Richardson for his persistence.