Two American journalists who work for Current TV were sentenced to 12 years in labor prison camps by North Korean authorities on Monday (June 8). Laura Ling, 32, and Euna Lee, 36, were sentenced for the "grave crime they committed against the Korean nation and their illegal border crossing," the state-run Korean Central News Agency said, according to CNN.

Though the specific allegations were not released, the secretive trial and sentence by the North Korean government were the latest provocative moves from the Communist nation, which has recently angered the U.S. and its NATO allies with a series of nuclear and long-range missile tests that were seen as threats to the West. The women were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in one of the country's notoriously brutal prison camps, where detainees are reportedly subject to beatings, meager food rations and harsh workloads. They were detained by North Korean soldiers patrolling the border between China and North Korea on March 17, and among the allegations is that they were spying.

"We are deeply concerned by the reported sentencing of the two American citizen journalists by North Korean authorities, and we are engaged through all possible channels to secure their release," said Ian Kelly, a U.S. State Department spokesperson, in a statement. "We once again urge North Korea to grant the immediate release of the two American citizen journalists on humanitarian grounds."

Ling, the sister of journalist and former "View" co-host Lisa Ling, and Lee were reportedly working on reports concerning North Korean refugees when they were detained by North Korean troops and charged with illegally entering North Korean territory. Little information was released during the course of the trail, which began on Thursday, and no observers were allowed in the courtroom. According to The New York Times, the ruling cannot be appealed.

The U.S. administration has considered sending either former Vice President Al Gore — one of the founders of Current TV — or New Mexico governor Bill Richardson — who helped negotiate the release of some American citizens held in the country in 1996 — to North Korea to advocate for the pair's release. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the charges against the women "baseless."

A specialist at the University of North Korea Studies in Seoul told the Times that it's possible the mercurial North Korean government would eventually free the women — as Iran recently freed American journalist Roxana Saberi — when Washington sends a prominent envoy such as Gore to the state capital of Pyongyang to discuss larger political issues. North Korea has a history of provocative actions intended to capture the attention of the Western world in an attempt to reopen a dialogue with America and its allies.

"When the girls left the United States, they never intended to cross into North Korean soil. And if they did at any point, we apologize," Lisa Ling told CNN last week. Though contact with the women has been sparse since their detention, the news channel reported that their families said they were "terrified" and "extremely scared."

Head to Think.MTV.com to find a community where you, your friends and your favorite celebrities can get informed, get heard and take action on the issues that matter to you most.