US student gets 15 years of hard labor in North Korea in case over political banner
An American college student has been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea in a case over a political banner.
In a televised news conference last month, University of Virginia student Otto Frederick Warmbier, 21, admitted he had tried to steal a banner with a political slogan from the Pyongyang hotel at which he had been staying and tearfully apologized. However, he was convicted of subversion, a crime that is viewed as a hostile act against the government, according to the BBC News and CNN.
He was convicted and sentenced Wednesday, in a one-hour trial, by North Korea’s supreme court, reports the Associated Press.
The country’s highest court said Warmbier’s crime was committed “pursuant to the U.S. government’s hostile policy toward (the North), in a bid to impair the unity of its people after entering it as a tourist.” Perceived attempts by South Korea to take over North Korea, backed by the U.S., are a source of continuing tension between the countries, the AP article notes.
Warmbier was arrested in early January, as he was about to fly out of the country.
Although the U.S. does not have diplomatic relations with North Korea, efforts have been made by others to meet with Warmbier and speak with officials there on his behalf, according to the New York Times (reg. req.) and Reuters.
The U.S. permits travel to North Korea but does not recommend it. Warmbier traveled to Pyongyang on a trip organized by a Chinese travel agency.
Additional details are provided by the Sydney Morning Herald.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Travelers beware: Tourist excesses are sparking new laws and stricter enforcement”
