In a press release, Rep. Tom Garrett (R-Va.) shared his condolences for the death of University student Otto Warmbier and denounced the North Korean regime that detained Warmbier for 17 months.
“The entire U.Va. community, Virginia and the United States offer our most heartfelt sympathies for those close to Otto,” Garrett said. “He was a tremendously talented young man with a very bright future and today, we mourn with you in his passing."
Warmbier, 22, died Monday afternoon, less than a week after being released from North Korea in a coma. At the time of his death, Warmbier was in a state of “unresponsive wakefulness,” and doctors said he had suffered extensive loss of brain tissue.
Warmbier was jailed in North Korea for allegedly attempting to steal a political banner from Yanggakdo International Hotel in Pyongyang. In his statement, Garrett demanded the United States take actions against the North Korean regime.
“Kim Jong-un and his ilk have repeatedly assassinated family members and dissenters, violated nuclear weapons agreements, and held an entire nation hostage for far too long,” Garrett said. “The detainment and subsequent treatment of Otto has forced our hand and we must take the appropriate measures to stop them dead in their tracks.”
Garrett said North Korea should join Sudan, Syria and Iran on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Sponsors of terrorism are subject to “restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance; a ban on defense exports and sales; certain controls over exports of dual use items; and miscellaneous financial and other restrictions,” according to the State Department website.
“I call for the immediate placement of North Korea on the designated list of state sponsors of terror while lawmakers and President Trump work towards a solution with China and other allies,” Garrett said.
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