US court orders N’Korea to cough out $500m as damages over student Otto Wambier’s death

A court in the US has ordered North Korea to cough out the sum of $500 million as punitive damages over the death of Otto Warmbier, 22, who was a student of the University of Virginia.

The court order which also covers payments covering medical expenses, economic loss and pain to Otto’s parents was delivered by US District Judge Beryl Howell.

He harshly condemned North Korea for “barbaric mistreatment” of Warmbier in agreeing with his family that the country should be held liable for his death in June 2017.

Read also: Khashoggi’s murderers are ‘well known’, Turkish President Erdogan says

Warmbier was a student who was visiting North Korea with a tour group when he was arrested and sentenced to 15 years of hard labour in March 2016 on suspicion of stealing a propaganda poster.

He died in June 2017, shortly after he returned to the US in a coma and showing apparent signs of torture while in custody.

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