North Korea sentences US college student to 15 years' hard labour

USstudentOttoWarmbierwasdetainedinNorthKoreainJanuary.Photograph:TASS/BarcroftMedia

(THE GUARDIAN)

NorthKoreahassentencedanAmericancollegestudentto15years’hardlabourafterfindinghimguiltyof“crimesagainstthestate”,inarulingthatiscertaintoincreasetensionswithWashington.

OttoWarmbier,a21-year-oldeconomicsstudentattheUniversityofVirginia,wasfoundguiltyofcommitting“severecrimes”againsttheNorthKoreanstateafterhewasheldforallegedlyattemptingtostealapoliticalbannerfromarestrictedareaofthehotelwherehewasstayinginthecapitalPyongyang.

Warmbier’sconvictionbytheNorth’ssupremecourt,announcedonWednesdaybyChina’sXinhuanewsagency,comessoonaftertheUNsecuritycouncilagreedanewroundofsanctionsinresponsetotheregime’srecentnucleartestandrocketlaunch.

Therewasnoimmediateconfirmationofthetrial,whichreportedlylastedlessthananhour,bytheNorthKoreanstatemedia.

TensionsontheKoreanpeninsulahaveriseninrecentweeksfollowingthestartofthelargest-everjointmilitaryexercisesinvolvingSouthKoreaandtheUS.Inresponse,PyongyanghaskeptupadailybarrageofthreatstocarryoutnuclearstrikesagainstSeoulandWashingtonoverthedrills,whichtheNorthregardsasarehearsalforaninvasion.

EarlierthisweektheNorthKoreanleader,KimJong-un,warnedthatthecountrywasabouttocarryouttestsofanothernuclearwarhead,aswellasballisticmissilescapableofcarryingnuclearbombstotheUSandothertargets.

WhilethereissomedisagreementoverhowadvancedNorthKorea’snuclearprogrammeis,USofficialsbelieveNorthKoreaissomewayoffbeingabletomountanuclearwarheadanddeliverittoatargetasfarawayasthemainlandUS.

“WehavenotseenNorthKoreademonstratecapabilitytominiaturiseanuclearweapon,andagain,putitonaballisticmissile,”PentagonspokesmanPeterCooktoldreporters.

Inthepast,theregimehasuseddetaineesasleveragetosecurevisitsbyhigh-profileUSpoliticians,includingformerpresidentsBillClintonandJimmyCarter.

TheUSaccusedNorthKoreaofusingWarmbierforpropagandapurposesafterhemadeastage-managedconfessioninlateFebruary.

InapreparedstatementreadoutbeforeTVcameras,WarmbiersaidamemberofFriendshipUnitedMethodistChurchinWyoming,Ohio,describedasthemotherofafriend,hadofferedhimausedcarworth$10,000ifhecouldreturnwiththebannerasa“trophy”fromNorthKorea.

ChurchofficialssaidtheydidnotknowthewomanidentifiedbyWarmbier,addingthathewasnotamemberofthecongregation.

Warmbier,fromOhio,brokedownintearsasheacknowledgedandapologisedforhisallegedcrime,whichhedescribedas“theworstmistakeofmylife”.

WarmbierwasarrestedinearlyJanuary,ashewasabouttoboardaflightfromPyongyangforBeijingattheendofavisitarrangedbyYoungPioneerTours,anagencyspecialisingintraveltoNorthKorea.

Onitswebsite,theUSstatedepartmentstronglydiscouragesalltraveltoNorthKorea,withwhichWashingtondoesnothavediplomaticrelations,andwarnsofthe“riskofarrestandlong-termdetention”.

Warmbier’sparentspleadedwiththeNorthtoshowleniency,citinghisyouthandthefactthathehadmadeafullconfessioninpublic.

BillRichardson,theformergovernorofofNewMexico,whohadpreviouslytravelledtoNorthKorea,metPyongyang’sambassadortotheUNonTuesdaytopressforWarmbier’sreleaseofWarmbier,theNewYorkTimesreported.

“IurgedthehumanitarianreleaseofOtto,andtheyagreedtoconveyourrequest,”Richardsontoldthenewspaper.

NorthKorealastyearsentencedCanadianpastorHyeonSooLimtolifeimprisonmentwithhardlabouronseditioncharges.