Death of American Student After Release from North Korea

Otto Warmbier, an American student who was released last week after 17 months of detention in North Korea, passed away on Monday in a hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. According to Reuters, Otto Warmbier's family stated in a statement that he died at 2:20 PM surrounded by his family. The 22-year-old University of Virginia student was arrested last year while on a tourist trip to North Korea. He was released last week in a comatose state. After being transferred to the U.S., he was hospitalized at a Cincinnati medical center. Doctors treating the American student stated last Thursday that he had suffered brain damage and showed no signs of consciousness, responding to no stimuli. Reuters reports that it is unclear what condition Otto Warmbier was in while in prison and how much medical care he had access to during that time. However, the family of this American student accuses North Korean authorities of having 'tortured' their son. Otto Warmbier's family stated in their statement that unfortunately, the North Korean regime was certain that the torture and mistreatment they inflicted on our child would result in the tragic outcome we experienced today. The parents of this American student say that Otto Warmbier fell into a coma shortly after his trial. The North Korean government claimed that Otto Warmbier fell into a coma due to botulism, a type of food poisoning, and also from taking sleeping pills. However, the family of this American student rejects the North Korean government's narrative. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, expressed condolences to Otto Warmbier's family in a statement. The statement reads: Melania and I extend our condolences to Otto Warmbier's family. There is no tragedy more devastating for parents than the loss of a young child. The President of the United States emphasized: Otto's fate strengthens my government's resolve to prevent such tragedies and the entrapment of innocent people by regimes that do not respect law and human dignity. The United States, while mourning the latest victim of the North Korean regime, condemns the brutality of this regime once again. In this context, Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, also stated: We hold the North Korean government responsible for the unjust detention of Otto Warmbier and demand the release of three other Americans who are illegally imprisoned in North Korean prisons. The highest judicial authority in North Korea sentenced Otto Warmbier to 15 years of hard labor in March 2016 on charges of sabotage. This University of Virginia student had confessed to attempting to steal a propaganda poster. At that time, the U.S. government condemned the sentence and accused the North Korean government of using American prisoners as political pawns.