Posted on 04/20/2017 9:11:31 PM PDT by pboyington
University of Virginia student, Otto Warmbier, is a prisoner somewhere in the Orwellian hell hole known as North Korea. Otto Warmbier may be suffering a fate tantamount to an inmate of Dachau. At this very moment, Otto Warmbier may be starving, performing slave labor, being beaten or in fact, he may very well be dead.
The tragic fate of Otto Warmbier, is the tragic fate of the millions of North Koreans living in the Gulag Archipelago of Kim Jong-un’s totalitarian nightmare world.
Warmbier, 23, was convicted of conducting “hostile acts against the DPRK”.
Mr. Warmbier was not an intelligence officer working for the CIA and his ‘hostile act’ was not sabotage or espionage.
The so-called hostile act against North Korea committed by college student Warmbier, (who was travelling with a tour group called Young Pioneer Tours), was purloining a propaganda poster off the wall of the Yanggakdo Hotel in Pyongyang with the inscription, “Let’s arm ourselves strongly with Kim Jong-il’s patriotism!”
Stealing or harming a poster or other items with the name or image of one of North Korea’s past or present lunatic asylum leaders is considered a serious crime against the state.
On January 2, Warmbier was arrested while in the process of departing North Korea from the Pyongyang airport. The other guests in his tour group all left the country without incident. On February 29, 2016, he “confessed” to stealing a piece of North Korean propaganda to take back to the United States as a “trophy” for someone from his home-town church who offered to pay him for it with the gift of a car worth $10,000.
On March 16, 2016, Otto Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for committing what Warmbier thought was a harmless college prank that could provide him with a new car.
Warmbier was allowed to speak to the kangaroo court that sentenced him. He stated, obviously under emotional and perhaps physical duress:
“I never, never should have allowed myself to be lured by the United States administration to commit a crime in this country, I wish that the United States administration never manipulate people like myself in the future to commit crimes against foreign countries. I entirely beg you, the people and government of the DPRK, for your forgiveness. Please! I made the worst mistake of my life.”
As tensions with North Korea rise and the war drums beat, the State Department continues to make efforts to one, find out Warmbier’s current location in North Korea, two, meet with him and three, to secure his release with the assistance of the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang.
The State Department released the following statement today:
The welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the State Department. The Embassy of Sweden continues to request information on the exact location of Mr. Warmbier, and to request access for consular visits with him. However, representatives from the Swedish Embassy have not been granted consular access to Mr. Warmbier since the visit on March 2, 2016. The Department believes Mr. Warmbier’s sentence of 15 years hard labor is unduly harsh for the actions Mr. Warmbier allegedly took. Despite official claims that U.S. citizens arrested in the DPRK are not used for political purposes, it is increasingly clear from its very public treatment of these cases that the DPRK does just that. Mr. Warmbier has gone through the criminal process and has been detained for more than a year. We continue to urge the DPRK to pardon him and grant him special amnesty and immediate release on humanitarian grounds.
The question remains: where is Otto Warmbier? Most distressingly, it is likely Warmbier is being incarcerated in one of North Korea’s penal labor camps for political prisoners known as the Kwalliso.
The internment camps are located in central and northeastern North Korea. They comprise many prison labor colonies in secluded mountain valleys, completely isolated from the outside world. The total number of prisoners is estimated to be 150,000 to 200,000. Yodok camp and Bukchang camp are separated into two sections: One section for political prisoners in lifelong detention, another part similar to re-education camps with prisoners sentenced to long-term imprisonment with the vague hope of eventual release.
The prisoners are forced to perform hard and dangerous slave work with primitive means in mining and agriculture. The food rations are very small, so that the prisoners are constantly on the brink of starvation. In combination with the hard work this leads to huge numbers of prisoners dying. An estimated 40% of prisoners die from malnutrition.
Moreover, many prisoners are crippled from work accidents, frostbite or torture. There is a rigid punishment in the camp. Prisoners who work too slowly or do not obey an order are beaten or tortured. In cases of stealing food or attempting to escape, the prisoners are publicly executed.
As inprisonment in North Korea’s gulag archipelago is life threatening, it is imperative that the State Department continues to lobby for Warmbier’s release, even as tensions continue to rise on the Korean Peninsula.
If you are a religious person, you might want to say a prayer for Otto Warmbier, who at this very moment may be suffering a fate worse than most can imagine.
Well if you knew what a wise a*ss this guy is you might sing another tune..and he isn’t in the gulags...he’s in a private prison because he’s an American and people have been at this trying to get him out for some time... He was whining in the video (photo) because he knows (and was told) that Koreans like to see a theatrical performance of contrition...especially since it’s being filmed for US consumption.
I feel for his family but this smartas* is there because he needs to see the world does not bend to him. HE was prowling around the place with absolutely no regard for rules....and he certainly was well briefed before he went there and then some of how critical to comply with their rules.
The careless and stupid guy was videoing himself prowling around in areas he knew he shouldn’t be in..let alone steal..I’d use some stronger words regarding this 23 yr; old because hes not just a kid anymore.
On February 29, 2016, he “confessed” to stealing a piece of North Korean propaganda to take back to the United States as a “trophy” for someone from his home-town church who offered to pay him for it with the gift of a car worth $10,000.
...
I wonder how that person feels now.
How do you know where he is imprisoned? What makes you believe that North Korea treats American prisoners with reference? K. What basis do you.saybthat this private tour group, which sells adventure tours, briefed him on all of the rules to follow in North Korea? To the contrary, I recall their marketing materials were posted when Warmbier was imprisoned and they made North Korea look campy rather than dangerous.
It’s hard to believe that this young man was thoroughly briefed on what his conduct should be while in North Korea. Perhaps those in charge of the tour didn’t think it necessary. It was.
I don’t get it, either.
There are very dangerous places to play games - Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Chicago south side, etc.
He was a thief for swiping a Totalitarian Government Propaganda poster?
He deserved a Sentenced of 15 years hard labor?
Shame on you, troll...
[I visited Czechoslovakia before the fall of communism]
It’s Czechoslovakia! It’s like Wisconsin!
(old movie)
Troll?! How so? Did you read my comments or just see someone disagreeing and you decide to throw out a dismissive comment instead of meaningful discussion. Do you defend vandalism and theft because it is North Korea? Okay to vandalize and steal from your neighbors because, well they are unlikeable and your neighbors, not you. Seriously?
“Young Pioneer Tours” can also get you into Chernobyl!
Their motto: “Budget travel to destinations your mother would rather you stayed away from”.
http://www.youngpioneertours.com/chernobyl-independent-tours/
http://www.youngpioneertours.com
Otto was coached by other prisoners there that this would be the show of his life and to dramatize as much as he could...to wail and cry and beg...because that's how Koreans show their true contrition. He was also coached that if he didn't he could loose his life.
When it is a US prisoner of course Kim is going to use it for propaganda....and the family and US will also use it to garner sympathy for his plight.
Starving North Korean citizens with no electric power would probably like to "steal" these posters and use them as starter for fuel for their fireplaces.
Such regimes should be resisted, period.
You'd have to agree that the penalty for such a "crime" ("vandalism") is rather excessive, no?
An example of taking Arbitrary Law to totalitarian extremes.
At some point, the crime of Tyranny that the Totalitarian State is perpetrating becomes far worse than the "crime" some civilian is committing..
You really need to look closer at the customs in N.Korea before shaming someone who has it right. .and Otto isn’t doing hard labor in the gulags..
I watched video last year of the supposed theft. Given the facts that North Korea kidnaps foreigners, commits terror, threatens various countries with nuclear attack, starves and tortures many people, at the least, I doubt their judicial system. Even if Otto W. did what he was convicted for, it is not even close to justice to receive 15 years for it. This is evil.
I’m sure folks will say bad things about me for this but...
Snowflake got melted. Snowflake goes to commiescum country in a commiescum organized tour (Young Pioneers? Really?), pulls a special snowflake act and gets melted for it.
He learns that there is such a thing as cause and effect.
Rules do apply to him.
Commiescumism is for idiots only.
He played a stupid game and won the stupid prize.
Sucks to be him, but he earned it.
Like it or not N.Korea has the right to set their own standards of punishment.....we do not have the right to dictate what is or not deserving of any punishment another nations chooses to inflict.
In some European countries you can be a killer and the most you get is 25 yrs and off earlier for good behavior. Which of course seems like a light sentence.
It doesn’t matter if you like or not the “Tyranny” of another nation state...it is not ours to judge.
Yep....and now he’s paying the piper for his dance.
...”Even if Otto W. did what he was convicted for, it is not even close to justice to receive 15 years for it. This is evil”....
Well he chose to visit a nation ruled by an ‘evil’ dictator who utilizes an “evil” system of rule.......who is known for how he treats his own people for crimes.....why would any expect special treatment for an American who has robbed them with less?...The man is lucky he’s not dead!
That kid was stupid to set foot in NK to begin with. Now I doubt if he comes out alive as long as Fat boy Kim is in power.
If there is a war the Norks will use him as a hostage and that would be ignored by us.
The guy is in a bad spot.
Otto is an idiot.
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