WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after Otto Warmbier’s family confirmed his death, days after he returned from North Korean imprisonment in grave health:
“I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Otto Warmbier at this difficult time. A full autopsy may provide some technical answers in this very tragic case, but I want to be clear: Otto is dead because of Kim Jong-un’s repressive, murderous regime. North Korea’s human rights record is atrocious, and whatever Pyongyang did to Otto during his detention clearly led to the grave deterioration of his health and ultimately his death. Yet again, North Korea has proved to the world that they are a pariah and willing to play one of the least constructive, most dangerous roles on the international stage. They must be held accountable for their continued barbaric behavior.”
Background:
Senator Cardin, along with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), is the author of the North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act, legislation that would update and reauthorize the 2004 law promoting human rights and freedom in North Korea.
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