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[wanderingprostheyltite]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/...can-15-years-hard-labour-160316040031923.html

North Korea's highest court sentenced an American tourist who allegedly attempted to steal a propaganda banner from a restricted area of his hotel to 15 years of hard labour in prison.

Otto Warmbier, a 21-year-old University of Virginia undergraduate student, was convicted and sentenced in a one-hour trial Wednesday morning at the North's Supreme Court. He was charged with subversion.

No further details were immediately available.

Warmbier was arrested in early January as he tried to leave the country after visiting as a tourist with a New Year's tour group.

In a statement made before his trial, he told a gathering of reporters in Pyongyang he wanted the banner "as a trophy" for the mother of a friend.

Not a total shock but still, brutal. Can the US do anything for this guy or is he boned?

 

[Wag]

They can do lots of stuff, it depends on if they want to.

 

[Currygan]

you have to be immeasurably dumb to even think about doing such a thing. 15 years is harsh, ouch

 

[LostMyNarbles]

I don't know what is worst, committing a crime in North Korea or admitting to it.

 

[Starviper]

15 years at the age of 21 for trying to grab a banner.. Pretty dumb move on the person's part, but why didn't they just boot him out of the country? Seems like a political move.

 

[Kibbles]

I don't know what is worst, committing a crime in North Korea or admitting to it.

Could've been a forced confession to something he didn't do

 

[Brazil]

Poor kid. That's one hell of a situation to be stuck in.

 

[BreezyLimbo]

His life is over.

..

Unless the US cuts a deal with NK, thus playing into NK's hands.

 

[zeemumu]

Could've just taken a picture or bought a postcard but okay.

15 years is harsh.

 

[DrForester]

Are these people North Korea holds hostage really sent to labor camps? Given the political leverage hostages bring, I would think they would be treated like royalty until whatever ransom (or visit from dignitary) is paid.

 

[Wag]

15 years at the age of 21 for trying to grab a banner.. Pretty dumb move on the person's part, but why didn't they just boot him out of the country? Seems like a political move.

He is a "political" prisoner after all. Of course they are making an example out of him. They want to use his at the negotiating table.

 

[jchap]

"Hard Labor" = death

 

[Sub_Level]

Could've just taken a picture or bought a postcard but okay.

North Korea could just stop being a piece of shit worthless country but okay.

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

They're seriously gonna wreck the kid's life over a fucking banner? I seriously hope our government here in America intervenes.

 

[CertifiedFP]

I think it's time to give our enemies a due reminder of whom they are fucking with.

We have sat idly by for too long.

 

[DarkKyo]

I feel like you have to be pretty dumb to even visit NK as a tourist, nevermind try to steal or vandalize anything. Can't help but feel bad for him even so.

 

[kaiju]

R.I.P. Otto

 

[NexusCell]

Seems like a political move.

That's because it is. The US Government will have to look into negotiating release terms, and this is pretty much a bargaining chip for NK.

 

[GoldenEye 007]

Not a total shock but still, brutal. Can the US do anything for this guy or is he boned?

US is clear that in most circumstances they generally can't bail you out if you violate laws in foreign countries. Of course political pressure could always change things, but I would be shocked to see any sort of major intervention.

 

[AnAnole]

Are we already victim blaming in this thread?

 

[zeemumu]

North Korea could just stop being a piece of shit worthless country but okay.

I don't think that's happening any time soon. Gotta fight to remain relevant.

 

[steveovig]

I think it's time to give our enemies a due reminder of whom they are fucking with.

We have sat idly by for too long.

Donald Trump, is that you?

Seriously though, my heart goes out to him. His life is screwed for a dumb mistake. He'll probably be in hell until his release, if he makes it that long.

 

[Walpurgis]

"Hard Labor" = death

A dead American is a worthless American.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

US is clear that in most circumstances they generally can't bail you out if you violate laws in foreign countries. Of course political pressure could always change things, but I would be shocked to see any sort of major intervention.

Yeah, I wouldn't expect much. It'd just create an incentive for North Korea to keep arresting American tourists.

 

[Frozenprince]

Yep, this kid is gonna serve all 15 or die beforehand. The US won't cut a deal when he very clearly violated their laws.

Still, outrageous laws.

 

[Wag]

I think it's time to give our enemies a due reminder of whom they are fucking with.

We have sat idly by for too long.

Like what? Bomb them? It's too late for that, they probably have nukes at this point. We are imposing pretty harsh sanctions on them, not much more we can do.

 

[ElBoxyBrown]

Whatever happened to the last American tourist?

 

[CertifiedFP]

Donald Trump, is that you?

Seriously though, my heart goes out to him. His life is screwed for a dumb mistake. He'll probably be in hell until his release, if he makes it that long.

Did he make a dumb mistake, or was he kidnapped and assigned a made up "crime"?

Obama must do something to repay this insult while he still has time in office.

 

[zeemumu]

Do they still have that other guy who went over there to renounce his citizenship or something?

 

[BigDug13]

Too bad he's a dude or Bill Clinton would be over there fighting to get him back.

 

[ponpo]

Are we already victim blaming in this thread?

Tell me when a person is allowed to be judged for their actions and when doing so is considered victim blaming.

 

[thepotatoman]

I can't tell if the type of people that want to go on North Korea tours are also the type of people that would stupidly break the rules, or if North Korea makes it all up to justify their political hostage taking.

I would believe it either way.

 

[cityhunter]

Are we already victim blaming in this thread?

It's the neogaf way bby~

 

[Pineapple]

Are we already victim blaming in this thread?

Kind of unreal.

This is a government that can detain and imprison you for any reason - if they say you did a crime, you did a crime - it doesn't matter if you didn't.

I feel so sorry for this kid.

 

[CertifiedFP]

Tell me when a person is allowed to be judged for their actions and when doing so is considered victim blaming.

What actions? The crime was made up the devouts of the Juche false gods. The confession was made at gunpoint.

Now is the time.

 

[davepoobond]

Could've just taken a picture or bought a postcard but okay.

15 years is harsh.

yeah, it should have been 14.

 

[riotous]

Shouldn't have gone to North Korea dressed like that.

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

Tell me when a person is allowed to be judged for their actions and when doing so is considered victim blaming.

No sane government would punish someone like this for allegedly tearing down a poster. At worst, you would get some sort of fine. I'm not even convinced that he committed this "crime" in the first place.

 

[olympia]

15 years at the age of 21 for trying to grab a banner.. Pretty dumb move on the person's part, but why didn't they just boot him out of the country? Seems like a political move.

I agree. I think they're going to end up releasing him. The timing of this with the recent actions of the DPRK/increased sanctions would seem to indicate that they are using him as a bargaining chip.

No sane government would punish someone like this for allegedly tearing down a poster. At worst, you would get some sort of fine. I'm not even convinced that he committed this "crime" in the first place.

He didn't just try to tear down a poster, he also entered a off-limits floor of the tourist hotel.

My sister stayed in the same hotel with the same tour company. Extremely harsh penalty but also a pretty bad lapse of judgement from the tourist. There's no doubt he's been victimized.

 

[Chuck]

Aren't these people treated extremely well until the US negotiates a deal getting them home?

 

[siddx]

He is a stupid asshole for going to North Korea in the first place and supporting that regime with his money.
But that is irrelevant in this case, 15 years is not acceptable. Any prison time is unacceptable. Obviously he isn't really getting 15 years for grabbing a banner. Especially since he ended up changing his mind and leaving it on the floor instead of taking it. The 15 years is to say fuck you to the US government. So once NK have their fun crotch thrusting and screaming suck it, they will probably negotiate his release.

 

[Blablurn]

fuuuuuck

 

[Wag]

He is a stupid asshole for going to North Korea in the first place and supporting that regime with his money.
But that is irrelevant in this case, 15 years is not acceptable. Any prison time is unacceptable. Obviously he isn't really getting 15 years for grabbing a banner. Especially since he ended up changing his mind and leaving it on the floor instead of taking it. The 15 years is to say fuck you to the US government. So once NK have their fun crotch thrusting and screaming suck it, they will probably negotiate his release.

Sure they will negotiate for his release, but that will probably take some time, possibly years. I don't relish the time he will spend imprisoned.

 

[olympia]

Not a total shock but still, brutal. Can the US do anything for this guy or is he boned?

They could, but there's no embassy there because they are an enemy of the US. Getting a tourist visa to travel to DPRK is technically illegal IIRC. You can't have a US passport stamped there.

 

[ponpo]

No sane government would punish someone like this for allegedly tearing down a poster. At worst, you would get some sort of fine. I'm not even convinced that he committed this "crime" in the first place.

I don't think anyone here is saying he is deserving of 15 years, or any punishment for that matter. It's not victim blaming to question why a foreigner would willingly do that in North Korea, though.

 

[wildfire]

Could've been a forced confession to something he didn't do

Let's be real. It's not unrealistic. Sadly tourists can fuck up and those from my country are occasionally criticized for stealing stuff.

I wonder what political capitol we'll be paying to get him out of this dumb jam.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

They're seriously gonna wreck the kid's life over a fucking banner? I seriously hope our government here in America intervenes.

How much do you know about North Korea? This isn't even remotely surprising.

 

[mdubs]

I don't think anyone here is saying he is deserving of 15 years, or any punishment for that matter. It's not victim blaming to question why a foreigner would willingly do that in North Korea, though.

Curiosity I guess, there have been a number of gaffers who went there and got back fine (which is why I think he had to have done something in this case)

Shame for him because whatever outrageous concession they ask for his freedom won't be worth it and he'll have to serve this out. But then again, he went to North Korea and its not exactly a secret things like this happen there

 

[PaulloDEC]

To suggest the kid deserves 15 years hard labour for stealing a banner is obviously insane, but then so is choosing to commit a crime in North Korea of all places. Even visiting that place seems nuts to me, let alone trying to steal their shit.

Hopefully something can be done to get him out, and this whole thing ends up being a valuable lesson for him.

 

[olympia]

It's shocking news to me. It certainly seems like a strategic announcement considering the new round of sanctions and that American detainees have historically gotten released.