Student who stole propaganda poster from North Korea hotel dies after brutal treatment
Do you remember the story of American student Otto Warmbier who travelled to North Korea and casually stole a propaganda poster from a hotel? You'd think nicking a poster would get you a slap on the wrist but you know the North Koreans are a harsh bunch and the poor dude was sentenced to 15 years hard labour.
Otto only served 15 months of his 15 year sentence as somewhere in that time he fell into a coma and never regained consciousness. He was sent home after being in a coma for a year with the Korean government saying it was acting on humanitarian grounds. Sounds like a fucking cruel joke. His parents don't know how he slipped into a coma but there has been rumour that it was down to the "awful torturous mistreatment" he received in prison.
After Otto was medically evacuated from North Korea, it looked like there was a chance for him to recover and rebuild his life. However, Otto sadly passed away yesterday afternoon. The 22-year-old’s death was confirmed in a family statement via the hospital he was staying in. It says:
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 2.20pm. 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.
This photo shows Otto being brought home whilst in a comatosed state.
Doctors said he had suffered severe brain damage, although it wasn’t quite clear what caused it. But we all bloody know what happened - A student was battered so fucking badly that he fell into a coma and died. Someone needs to pay for this. U.S Senator Rob Portman has said that North Korea should be “universally condemned for its abhorrent behaviour” and I wholeheartedly agree. All people can do now is wait an autopsy to be performed which should shed some light into what happened. I really feel for this poor guys family.
