UVA Student Otto Warmbier Sentenced To 15 Years Of Hard Labor In North Korea
Otto Warmbier, the 21-year-old fuchsia pant-wearing UVA student and member of the Theta Chi fraternity who was mysteriously detained by North Korean officials in January, and who later confessed — possibly coerced — to stealing a politically propagandic poster from his hotel has now been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea.
That’s 15 YEARS imprisonment and “hard labor” inside the most backwards nation on the planet for allegedly stealing a banner from a hotel. A BANNER.
From The New York Times:
An American student who tearfully apologized for trying to steal a political propaganda poster in his hotel in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for subversion on Wednesday, news agencies reported.
The student, Otto F. Warmbier, 21, a University of Virginia undergraduate from Cincinnati, was convicted after a one-hour trial Wednesday morning at the country’s Supreme Court, according to The Associated Press, which has a bureau in Pyongyang.
Don’t try to wrap your head around the North Korean justice system because this story really is as ridiculous as it sounds. A trivial “crime” that gets you a stern talking-to by a guy in a cheap blazer and walkie-talkie in hand here in the U.S. gets you 15 years in shackles in North Korea. Just a really sad outcome and display of inhumanity.
I’m not too adept at the ins and out of international diplomacy so I don’t know what approach the United States government can and will take here, but we’re not just going to let Kim Jong-un and his goons pluck one of our college students out of line at the Pyongyang airport and imprison him for 15 years for taking a two-dollar poster from a hotel, are we?
And his gut-wrenching plea for forgiveness:
[via The New York Times]
Image via Facebook
Next time you make a joke about someones nationality id appreciate if you put trigger warning in your title
9 years ago at 10:14 amPussy.
9 years ago at 10:26 amBarry O won’t do shit
9 years ago at 10:20 amDon’t worry it’s cool, he just nominated a Supreme Court Justice to stick it to the Republicans. Now he’s shown everyone he’s a big boy and isn’t scared.
9 years ago at 10:35 amThe only issue I have with garland is that he’s a little liberal when it comes to gun rights. Could’ve done much much worse
9 years ago at 10:51 amWe will do better because he won’t be confirmed
9 years ago at 11:07 amGarland was a disciple of Justice Brennan. He was about as liberal as they get.
9 years ago at 11:41 amIt was a very pragmatic pick that Obama assumes will be denied a vote. The GOP needs to call his bluff and at least put it to a vote, if not confirm him. Like Johnnie said, it could’ve been much worse, and I guarantee it would be if Hillary gets elected. This isn’t Obama’s first pick and it’s gotta be killing him that he can’t nominate a young liberal nut job to sit on the Bench for the next 40 years, which is exactly who Hillary would nominate if the GOP holds out and Garland’s nomination gets pulled after November.
This tit for tat bullshit is getting out of hand. I’m sick of the GOP doing dumb shit like this because they’re too prideful and don’t know when to cut their nose off to spite their face.
“Wisdom is knowing when to let go even though you want to hang on.”
9 years ago at 11:20 amClearly I was being sarcastic. It was a very easy play for Obama to nominate a more center aligned judge to put the ball in the Republican’s court.
In regards to the GOP I read an article somewhere that put it best: the GOP has no one to blame for its own demise but themselves. It’s sad but true, and with the way this election cycle is looking it might be the last nail in the coffin.
9 years ago at 11:26 amAgreed. I’m all for preservation and tradition but I think these “old washed up politicians” are really taking a toll on the party. We do need the youth to energize the party and revitalize it in a transformed entity. That doesn’t mean stray away from the Constitution or principals, but pragmatism needs to be restored in both parties and the GOP are just being a bunch of stubborn old guys that are only interested in securing their jobs until they die.
I do believe there will be a large-scale political revolution eventually but we just need to make sure it’s on the right side of the aisle. There are many young politicians working their way up the ranks that will make great 2020 suitors but they need slowly start drawing away from the “old guard” and somehow make it to the top by doing so. Rubio will come back in 2020 as well, and I believe he will have a much stronger showing. Would’ve this year if it weren’t for Trump honestly.
9 years ago at 11:38 amTo paraphrase the late Justice Scalia, what’s a “more center aligned” judge? A judge who thinks the Constitution means something halfway between what it says and what he wants it to say?
9 years ago at 4:06 pmHowever we can. Instead of ranting about the bull shit we can make a whitehouse.gov petition demanding our government attempt to free him. If it succeeds the government has to respond. If there is already a petition link out there someone please provide the link. We cant let a brother suffer like this
9 years ago at 12:36 pmReading this poor excuse of a article felt like 15 years of hard labor
9 years ago at 10:21 amMaybe we can trade him for you and negotiate for life in prison.
9 years ago at 10:28 amYou’re equally unfunny as me
9 years ago at 10:45 amThis was important news. Recycling jokes. NF.
9 years ago at 11:09 amPoor kid. But at the same time it still amazes me that the State Department allows travel to North Korea. We don’t have any diplomatic relations and I feel like we hear a story like this every year. And the 15 years is probably courtesy of the war games we have going on with South Korea, which North Korea hates.
9 years ago at 10:26 amFor the record fuck North Korea, and I hope an American drone one day overnights a delivery of pure democracy to Kim’s shit-eating head.
9 years ago at 10:28 amCan’t hang a US citizen out to dry like this. Something has to be done.
9 years ago at 10:33 amI agree share this story with everyone so more Americans are aware and demand out government do something
9 years ago at 12:32 pmThat’s what the dumb mother fucker gets for going to North Korea. And if you go, don’t get blackout. What a dumb fuck.
9 years ago at 10:44 amThis is what we have to look forward to if Hillary becomes president.
9 years ago at 10:49 amWhy the fuck did you go to North Korea without Dennis Rodman?
9 years ago at 11:00 amI have no sympathy for the kid. He claimed the US government lured him into stealing it. What a baby back move. Playing right into their “noble” leaders hands. Just more propaganda for the DPRK.
9 years ago at 11:14 amIf you were in his situation you would probably do the exact same thing. Any sensible person watching that, from any country, can sense the bullshit in the “apology”.
9 years ago at 11:17 amFor all of you assclowns who have not watched his disposition, do, then come at me. Kid is following orders over there. Accusing our government of forcing him to be a spy. Give me a break.
9 years ago at 4:55 pmIf Obama wasn’t a pussy we’d already have him back. #MakeAmericaGreatAgain
9 years ago at 11:16 am