A student released from North Korean prison Otto After 17 months behind bars, University of Virginia student, Otto Warmbier was medically evacuated, according to the Washington times.
What exactly was Warmbier sentenced for?
Warmbier was serving a 15-year sentence for "Acts against the state" according to North Korean officials. North Korea has a history of unjustly imprisoning Americans who vacation in North Korea. According to the North Koreans, who sentenced Warmbier in 2016, Warmbier fell into a coma after taking a sleeping pill given to him by North Korean doctors.
He has remained in a coma ever since.
The United States has not confirmed Warmbier's condition. According to the Trump administration, Warmbier's condition was transmitted to Joseph Yun, who serves as an ambassador of North Korea. The transmission took place on June 6th. Yun immediately informed the US secretary of state Rex Tillerson of Warmbier's condition. Yun has insisted on the release of Warmbier on humanitarian grounds, the North Koreans surprisingly agreed.
Tillerson consulted with President Trump, who instructed Yun to prepare to travel to Pyongyang, with the purpose of bringing Warmbier back to his family, and back to the United States. after a medical team and an aircraft were organized, a message was sent to North Korea, informing that delegates would travel to Pyongyang Tillerson called President Trump on Tuesday morning and explained that an airplane was in route, the last instruction the president gave Tillerson was "Take care of Otto." The state Department spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, held a press conference and stated "we look forward to bringing him back in the loving arms of his family in Ohio.
North Korea still has three American tourists imprisoned for "acts against the state." The trump administration is working tirelessly to return the victims of North Korean justice to their families.With North Korean officials imprisoning practically every American tourist that crosses the border, one has to wonder if vacationing in North Korea is really worth the risk.
North Korea has a history of violating many human rights of those in the prison system. Between the imprisonment of tourists and the constant testing of nuclear weapons, it's only a matter of time before North Korea does something especially troubling. Our hearts go out to the three tourists still imprisoned.
