Otto Warmbier Dies After Being Freed From North Korean Detention: 'He Was Terrorized'
June 19 2017, Published 9:21 p.m. ET
US college student Otto Warmbier died on Monday, after being arrested and held in prison in North Korea, his parents announced in a statement from the hospital.
“It is our sad duty to report that our son, Otto Warmbier, has completed his journey home. Surrounded by his loving family, Otto died today at 2:20 p.m,” the University of Cincinnati Medical Center announced.
Warmbier, 22, a University of Virginia student, was arrested in March 2016 in North Korea after officials accused him of stealing a propaganda sign in his hotel. He was dragged off of an airplane and given a “trial” which lasted one hour and had him giving a tearful confession.
His father, Fred Warmbier said his son had been “terrorized and brutalized” during his captivity.
“The day after he was sentenced, he went into a coma,” he revealed.
Warmbier’s parents' statement contained heartbreaking details of his condition upon his return.
“Unfortunately, the awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today." The statement continued, "When Otto returned to Cincinnati late on June 13th he was unable to speak, unable to see and unable to react to verbal commands. He looked very uncomfortable – almost anguished. Although we would never hear his voice again, with in a day the countenance of his face changed – he was at peace. He was home and we believe he could sense that. We thank everyone around the world who has kept him and our family in their thoughts and prayers. We are at peace and at home too.”
Kim Jong-Un’s North Korean officials claimed he had contracted botulism so they gave him a pill and he slipped into the coma.
Doctors at the University of Cincinnati hospital who treated him upon his return said that he had no signs of botulism.
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