“After a shameful trial, the dictatorship sentenced Otto to 15 years of hard labor, before returning him to America last June — horribly injured and on the verge of death,” the president said. “He passed away just days after his return.”
Warmbier was a student at the University of Virginia. He was arrested and accused of stealing a North Korean propaganda poster.
Credit: Kim Kwang Hyon
Credit: Kim Kwang Hyon
Here’s Trump’s full statement on Warmbier:
“Otto Warmbier was a hardworking student at the University of Virginia. On his way to study abroad in Asia, Otto joined a tour to North Korea. At its conclusion, this wonderful young man was arrested and charged with crimes against the state. After a shameful trial, the dictatorship sentenced Otto to 15 years of hard labor, before returning him to America last June — horribly injured and on the verge of death. He passed away just days after his return.
Otto’s Parents, Fred and Cindy Warmbier, are with us tonight — along with Otto’s brother and sister, Austin and Greta. You are powerful witnesses to a menace that threatens our world, and your strength inspires us all. Tonight, we pledge to honor Otto’s memory with American resolve.”
Credit: Alex Wong
Credit: Alex Wong
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