US: North Korea Releases Jailed American Student Otto Warmbier

HOLD FOR SUNDAY, JAN. 22 – FILE – In this Feb. 29, 2016, file photo, American student Otto Warmbier speaks as Warmbier is presented to reporters in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea announced Warmbier’s detention Jan. 22, 2016, and the University of Virginia student from suburban Cincinnati was sentenced in March 2016 to 15 years in prison at hard labor after a televised confession that he tried to steal a propaganda banner. As President Donald Trump’s administration takes office one year later, there’s been little public word about what has happened to Warmbier. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon, File)
FILE – In this Feb. 29, 2016, file photo, American student Otto Warmbier speaks as Warmbier is presented to reporters in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea announced Warmbier's detention Jan. 22, 2016, and the Uni... FILE – In this Feb. 29, 2016, file photo, American student Otto Warmbier speaks as Warmbier is presented to reporters in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea announced Warmbier's detention Jan. 22, 2016, and the University of Virginia student from suburban Cincinnati was sentenced in March 2016 to 15 years in prison at hard labor after a televised confession that he tried to steal a propaganda banner. As President Donald Trump's administration takes office one year later, there's been little public word about what has happened to Warmbier. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon, File) MORE LESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says that North Korea has released Otto Warmbier, an American serving a 15-year prison term with hard labor for alleged anti-state acts.

Tillerson says that Warmbier is on his way back to the U.S. to be re-united with his family. He says in a statement that the State Department secured Warmbier’s release at the direction of President Donald Trump. Tillerson says the State Department continues discussing three other detained Americans with North Korea.

The announcement comes as former NBA player Dennis Rodman is paying a return visit to North Korea.

Warmbier is a University of Virginia student from suburban Cincinnati. He was sentenced in March 2016 after a televised tearful public confession to trying to steal a propaganda banner.

8
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. Does he get to keep the banner? Sorry. I guess the State Dept. isn’t quite dead yet. I hope we don’t find out we’re selling them missiles to finance Russian Hookers.

  2. Don’t know how this stuff goes down behind closed doors, but at this point Rodman has a stronger accidental human rights record than Tillerson.

  3. Tillerson is a joke, he should have resigned when Donald stabbed him in the back this weekend re. Qatar…

  4. at some point Rodman just needs to be appointed in an official capacity.

    In other news, I’m beginning to think that governments actively seek out people with ridiculous names like Reality Winner and Otto Warmbier just so the stories will be more interesting to read in the media.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

2 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for ghost Avatar for mondfledermaus Avatar for squirreltown Avatar for clauscph Avatar for origamitrain Avatar for causeforconcern

Continue Discussion