The father of the student released by North Korea spoke to the press on June 15.
The press conference opened with Kelly Martin from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center saying that Otto Warmbier was in “stable condition, but has suffered a severe neurological injury.”
Fred Warmbier then came to the podium, wearing the jacket his son had been wearing at his show trial, which lead to a 15-year sentence for taking a sign off a wall.
Warmbier said his son Otto was getting the best possible medical care.
He expressed his joy at having his son home but explained that his joy was mixed with anger about how his son had been mistreated.
Otto was in a coma when the North Koreans returned him after 18 months in custody.
The North Koreans claim the coma was caused by a sleeping pill and botulism. They claimed Otto had been in a coma for the whole of his captivity.
“Even if you believe their explanation of botulism and a sleeping pill causing the coma—and we don’t—there is no excuse for any civilized nation to have kept his conditions secret and denied him top-notch medical care for so long,” Warmbier told the press.
Fred Warmbier thanked all the people who supported his family during his son’s captivity.
He also thanks the Trump administration for working hard to get his son released.
