Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, was critical of North Korea in a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday night, saying the "brutal" regime of Kim Jong Un bears responsibility for the death of American Otto Warmbier.
The 22-year-old's life was "tragically cut short" after he was imprisoned in the country in 2016 on charges he stole a propaganda poster. Warmbier was released last week when it was learned he had been in a vegetative state for 18 months. He died Monday.
Warmbier hailed from Portman's hometown of Wyoming, Ohio.
"At some point after being sentenced to 16 years of hard labor, from what we know, Otto suffered a severe brain injury," Portman said. "From what, we don't know. And we may never know.
"Who did the North Korean government tell about this? No one," Portman said. "For the next 15 months or so, they kept this a secret. They denied him access to the best medical care he deserved.
"Because of these actions by the North Koreans, Otto is dead," Portman said. "Let's ensure that this tragedy is a wake-up call about the true nature of this brutal regime."
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