While the world celebrates the breakthrough that will bring peace in our time, there's another story that shouldn't be forgotten, which reminds us of the real face of North Korea. From the Times (£):
The parents of an American student who died days after being returned from North Korea in a coma have launched a lawsuit against the regime, alleging that it “brutally tortured and murdered” their son.
Otto Warmbier was detained during a tour of North Korea in January 2016 after he allegedly stole a propaganda poster. The 22-year-old died last June, shortly after being returned to the US with severe brain damage.
His parents are seeking compensation for his death. Fred Warmbier said that his son “was taken hostage, kept as a prisoner for political purposes, used as a pawn and singled out for exceptionally harsh and brutal treatment by Kim Jong-un”. He added: “Kim and his regime have portrayed themselves as innocent, while they intentionally destroyed our son’s life. This lawsuit is another step in holding North Korea accountable for its barbaric treatment of Otto and our family.”
Joshua Stanton has downloaded the suit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the North Korean government [pdf]. An excerpt:
38. Otto’s parents were at the airport in Cincinnati when the plane carrying Otto landed. When they arrived on the plane, they were stunned to see his condition. Otto was blind and deaf. He had a shaved head, a feeding tube coming out of his nose, was jerking violently and howling, and was completely unresponsive to any of their efforts to comfort him. They also noticed that his once straight teeth were now misaligned and had been forced into abnormal positions, particularly in the front of his mouth.
39. Otto was transported to the medical center at UC Health where physicians conducted a number of tests. Based on those tests and their observations, they concluded that he was severely brain damaged and that his condition was unrecoverable. They also concluded that his extensive loss of brain tissue was caused by an earlier hypoxic-ischemic brain injury caused by the cessation or severe reduction of blood flow to the brain. When Otto originally traveled to North Korea, he was a healthy and physically active young man and had no physical condition that would cause the cessation or severe reduction of blood flow to the brain that occurred while he was in North Korean custody.
What happened to Warmbier has happened to countless North Koreans. Their memories should not be forgotten in the rush to celebrate what appears to be not so much a concrete set of proposals to dismantle Pyongyang's nuclear capability, but rather a vindication of Kim Jong-un's belief that the possession of a nuclear arsenal would gain him international credibility as a statesman and great leader of his nation.
Small point. His name is Warmbier, “IER” at the end. It sounds like “warm beer”. You keep changing it to “LER”.
Hate to be pedantic, but I am.
Posted by: Dom | April 29, 2018 at 02:57 PM
No, fair enough. Thanks. I should get it right.
Posted by: Mick H | April 29, 2018 at 03:28 PM