Otto Warmbier

American college student who was imprisoned in North Korea

Otto Frederick Warmbier (December 12, 1994 – June 19, 2017) was an American college student. He was imprisoned in North Korea from March 2016 to June 2017 after being convicted of "hostile acts" against the country.


Otto Warmbier
Born
Otto Frederick Warmbier

(1994-12-12)December 12, 1994
DiedJune 19, 2017(2017-06-19) (aged 22)
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationWyoming High School (2013)
Alma materUniversity of Virginia
Known forArrest and detainment in North Korea, death after detainment in North Korea
Parents
  • Fred Warmbier (father)
  • Cindy Warmbier[1] (mother)

Imprisonment change

Warmbier, then 21 years old, confessed to stealing a political propaganda poster from a hotel and was sentenced to 15 years' hard labor. The United States made diplomatic efforts to seek Warmbier's release. A U.S. State Department spokesman said Warmbier's harsh sentence was a response to U.S. sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear activities. According to his father, Warmbier's confession was forced and he was abducted by the North Korean government for political purposes.

Release change

Warmbier fell into a coma in North Korea and was released in June 2017, after nearly 18 months in North Korea. According to North Korean authorities, Warmbier's coma was a result of botulism and a sleeping pill, but U.S. physicians cast doubt on that claim. Warmbier arrived in Cincinnati on June 13 and was taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center for immediate evaluation and treatment. He was diagnosed with "severe neurological injury."

His father believes that he was "terrorized and brutalized".[2]

Death change

Warmbier died on June 19, 2017, in Cincinnati, six days after his return to the United States from complications of cardiopulmonary arrest caused by botulism and sepsis.[1] He was also suffering from pneumonia and kidney failure.[1]

References change

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Svrluga, Susan (June 19, 2017). "Otto Warmbier dies days after release from North Korean detainment". Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  2. "Ex-N Korea detainee Otto Warmbier has severe brain damage, doctors say". news.com.au. AP, News Corp Australia Netwok. June 16, 2017.