Fred Warmbier, the father of Otto Warmbier, who North Korea freed the other day, and Kelly Martin, an official from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center spoke to the press today about Otto’s condition.
North Korea freed Otto Warmbier on Tuesday after spending 16 months in prison in the communist country. A court sentenced Otto Warmbier to 15 years of hard labor after he allegedly stole a propaganda sign.
However, Otto Warmbier has returned to the states in a coma. Martin stated that he suffered from a “severe neurological injury” and remains in stable condition. Warmbier claimed the “pariah regime in North Korea” “terrorized sand brutalized” his son for 18 months.
After Martin spoke, Warmbier stepped up to the podium. He wore the same blazer Otto Warmbier wore when he confessed his crimes in North Korea.
Warmbier explained that during his son’s imprisonment, the family had “to choose their words carefully” so they wouldn’t offend the North Koreans. From NBC News:
“North Korea has proven they are not nature’s noble men,” said Fred Warmbier, acknowledging that he can now speak freely. “We are not burdened by what North Korea says or does any longer. We’ve been forced to act quiet and act different because we didn’t want to offend them.”He added that President Donald Trump called him Wednesday night to ask about his son’s condition and they shared a “really nice conversation.”
Warmbier praised the Trump administration, thanking Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Joseph Yun, the State Department’s top official on North Korea.
But when asked of President Barack Obama and his officials could have done more, Warmbier snapped that “the results speak for themselves.”
With the freedom to speak, Warmbier did not mince his words. NBC continued:
Fred Warmbier, however, said Thursday that he does not believe the North Korean’s explanation that his son’s unknown medical condition was the result of botulism and a sleeping pill.There’s “no excuse for any civilized nation to keep this a secret and deny top-notch medical care for so long,” he added.—No official reason was given to him for why the North Koreans decided to let Otto Warmbier go and whether a deal was struck between Washington and the regime of Kim Jong Un.”North Korea doesn’t do anything out of the kindness of their hearts,” Fred Warmbier added.
North Korea claimed it gave back Otto Warmbier on “humanitarian grounds.”
But overall, the family is beyond the moon to have Otto Warmbier back with them:
“I’m not confessing, I’m speaking,” Fred Warmbier said. “But Otto, I love you, and I’m so crazy about you and I’m so glad you’re home.”
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