Otto Warmbier Funeral: Open Service To Be Held on June 22
Otto Warmbier, the U.S. student who recently returned home after spending over a year in detainment in North Korea, has died. He passed away nearly a week after he arrived.
Warmbier's funeral will be held at Wyoming High School, 106 Pendery Ave. It will commence at 9 a.m. local time on Thursday, June 22.
The general public are invited to attend since it will be an open service, a statement from Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum revealed.
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"All those that wish to join his family in celebrating his life are cordially invited," the release read (via Cincinnati Enquirer).
Warmbier was a student at the University of Virginia. He traveled to Pyongyang, North Korea, in December 2015 as part of a stopover on his way to Hong Kong. However, Warmbier never reached his destination. He was put under arrest after reportedly attempting to steal a propaganda poster and was thereafter sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor. He subsequently fell into a coma.
Last week, Warmbier arrived in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was greeted by his parents, medical personnel and a warm welcome from the public who came to show their support. Results from an "external examination" conducted by the coroner's office were inconclusive. Warmbier's family requested that no autopsy be performed.
"Unfortunately, the awful, torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today," Warmbier's parents said (via Associated Press). Fred Warmbier, Otto's father, commended the Trump administration for its role in his son's return and panned the Obama administration for failing to make a difference.
Former President Barack Obama responded to the criticism through spokesman Ned Price.
"During the course of the Obama Administration, we had no higher priority than securing the release of Americans detained overseas," Price said in the statement (via Deadline). "Their tireless efforts resulted in the release of at least 10 Americans from North Korean custody during the course of the Obama administration."
