A US college Student Otto Warmbier jailed in North Korea has regained his freedom after being held in detention for more than 17 months. He has safely landed back in the United States, CNN reported. A statement from the parents said Warmbier has been in a coma for more than a year, and will immediately be admitted at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, a spokesperson for the hospital said. The 22-year-old student was said to have contracted botulism early last year and is now in a deplorable state, a family source told CNN.
Warmbier's health condition
His return comes amid concerns about his worsening State Of Health His return comes amid concerns about his worsening state of health and what happened to him while in the North Korean detention on frivolous charges. North Korea informed State Department officials that Warmbier had contracted botulism and slipped into a coma after taking an overdose of a sleeping pill, a Senior US official told CNN.
Otto’s parents, Fred and Cindy Warmbier, were emotional when they said they were told that their son was in a coma which they were only informed of his condition just last week, for a condition he has suffered since March 2016. They further said that they want the whole world to know how their son have been maltreated and dehumanized by the reclusive North Korean regime.
They added that they are mostly grateful Otto will finally unite with his family and with people who love him.
The charges against him
Warmbier was arrested at the Pyongyang airport in January 2016 while returning to the US. The student of the University of Virginia was on a tour of the pariah country, the parent said. North Korean government accused of attempting to steal a banner that contains a political slogan that was hanging on a wall on his hotel in Pyongyang.
The authorities said they have footage of him trying to commit the crime. The footage was used as evidence in his trial that lasted for about an hour. The North Korean authorities accused him of committing “hostile act” against the state by urging an alleged member of his church in Ohio, his home state, the CIA and a secretive university outfit.
Warmbier's jail term in North Korea
Otto Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years hard labor in March 2015 after he was found guilty. That was the last time he was seen in public. Warmbier was among the four Americans in North Korean detention. Since March last year, the US government had been mounting pressure on North Korea to allow Swedish officials have access to the four Americans.
