The story of American college student Otto Warmbier is a sad one, a story that should never have occurred to begin with.
A 21-year-old undergraduate student at the University of Virginia, Warmbier had traveled to Pyongyang, North Korea with a tour group through the China-based Young Pioneers Tours because, he allegedly stated, he "wanted to show my bravery and improve my reputation"; these words were spoken by Warmbier during a tearful 'confession' which was broadcast on State-run North Korean television. His alleged crime?
Trying to steal a wall-mounted propaganda poster from the hotel he was staying in.
For that alleged crime, Warmbier had been sentenced to fifteen years of hard labor in a prison camp. It is unclear why, or even if, Warmbier had actually committed the act for which he was accused. His roommate during the tour, United Kingdom resident Danny Gratton, said he hadn't seen anything to indicate that Warmbier would even commit such an act. "I got to know Otto really, really well. He was such a mature lad for his age", Gratton remarked.
Warmbier, who had been returned to the United States in a comatose state just days ago by the Communist nation, died in a Cincinnati-area hospital yesterday from 'significant loss of brain tissue.' It was reported that his body had no signs of physical abuse.
The question that immediately comes to mind is: WHY would an American citizen want to go to a Communist nation that is openly hostile to this country?
I, nor anyone else, put any stock in Warmbier's 'confession', which no doubt was scripted for him by his accusers.
However, had Otto Warmbier simply chosen NOT to visit a Communist nation dominated by a tyrannical, bloodthirsty despot with an intense hatred of freedom, he would still be alive this day.
He took a tremendous gamble and, ultimately, lost his life because of it.
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