The parents of Otto Warmbier, the American tourist who died last year after being tortured in North Korea, sued the brutal regime Thursday for the wrongful death of their son.
The complaint, filed in federal court in the District of Columbia, said North Korea “committed acts of torture, hostage taking, and extrajudicial killing.”
“North Korea, which is a rogue regime, took Otto hostage for its own wrongful ends and brutally tortured and murdered him,” the 22-page complaint read.
Warmbier’s parents are seeking economic damages.
Their son, a college student at University of Virginia, was imprisoned for nearly two years after North Korean officials accused him of attempting to steal a political poster.
North Korea released Warmbier in a comatose state, and he arrived back in the U.S. blind and deaf.
“North Korea caused Otto’s severe and unrecoverable brain damage, and placed Otto in a condition where he could not survive on his own,” the complaint said.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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