US urges North Korea to pardon and release American prisoner
Otto Warmbier's was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour for attempting to steal an item with a propaganda slogan
The United States (US) on Wednesday urged North Korea to pardon and release on humanitarian grounds an American student serving a sentence of 15 years of hard labour.
State Department spokesman John Kirby called for Otto Warmbier's pardon and release during a daily news briefing. Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour in March for trying to steal an item with a propaganda slogan, according to North Korean media.
Criticised over its human rights record for years, North Korea has made use of detained Americans in the past to extract high-profile visits from the United States, with which it has no formal diplomatic relations.