The American student who was released from imprisonment in North Korea last week has died, his family says.
Otto Warmbier, 22, was medically evacuated from the reclusive country to Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 13 after more than 17 months in detention. He was immediately transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in a state of unresponsive wakefulness.
“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.,” a statement from the family read.
“It would be easy at a moment like this to focus on all that we lost — future time that won’t be spent with a warm, engaging, brilliant young man whose curiosity and enthusiasm for life knew no bounds,” the statement continued. “But we choose to focus on the time we were given to be with this remarkable person. You can tell from the outpouring of emotion from the communities that he touched — Wyoming, Ohio, and the University of Virginia — that the love for Otto went well beyond his immediate family.”
“We would like to thank the wonderful professionals at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center who did everything they could for Otto.”
Otto Warmbier was arrested for trying to steal a propaganda poster.
The Warmbier family has blamed his death on what they called the “torturous mistreatment” he had received at the hands of the North Koreans.
“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 received today,” they said.
“When Otto returned to Cincinnati late on June 13 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 a day the countenance of his face changed — he was at peace. He was home and we believe he could sense that.”
The statement concluded: “We are at peace and at home too.”
Warmbier’s parents have blamed his death on the “torturous mistreatment” he had received at the hands of the North Koreans.
North Korea told a US official that Warmbier contracted botulism and slipped into the coma after taking a sleeping pill, however a team of US doctors who assessed him dispute this account.
Additionally, a senior American official told New York Times they obtained intelligence reports in recent weeks indicating the student had been repeatedly beaten while in North Korea and they had feared he was dead.
The student’s family only discovered his medical situation in the days leading up to his release.
“Otto has left North Korea. He is on a Medivac flight on his way home,” his parents said in a previous statement.
“Sadly, he is in a coma and we have been told he has been in that condition since March 2016. We learned of this only one week ago.”
Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour last year for trying to steal a propaganda poster from a hotel in North Korea.
