Washington, D.C.

June 20, 2017

Otto Warmbier, a 22 year old Ohio native and University of Virgina student, has passed away from injuries suffered while detained on fabricated charges in North Korea. This is a shocking and sad development. A beloved son was taken away from the Warmbier family. We will keep them in our thoughts and prayers.  The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) is saddened by this tragedy.

The Kim regime imprisoned and killed Otto Warmbier. Millions of unknown North Koreans are similarly subjected to the brutality of this regime. More than a hundred thousand men, women and children are being tortured, starved, and abused in North Korea’s political prison camps. This continuing outrage is what motivates HRNK to do what the Kim regime fears the most: discover and disclose the truth about the regime’s crimes. To honor Otto Warmbier’s life and memory, we will continue to strive to inform, persuade and inspire political leaders to confront this terrible challenge to global security and to human values. 

We urge our political leaders to reach across the aisle and foster bipartisan support for the millions of faceless, nameless North Korean victims, by elevating the importance of addressing the human rights situation in that country.

HRNK Board of Directors

Gordon Flake, Co-Chair
Katrina Lantos Swett, Co-Chair
John Despres, Co-Vice Chair
Suzanne Scholte, Co-Vice Chair
Helen-Louise Hunter, Secretary
Kevin C. McCann, Treasurer
Roberta Cohen, Co-Chair Emeritus
Andrew Natsios, Co-Chair Emeritus
Morton Abramowitz
Jerome Cohen
Lisa Colacurcio
Abraham Cooper
Jack David
Paula Dobriansky
Nicholas Eberstadt
Carl Gershman
Steve Kahng
Robert King
David Kim
Debra Liang-Fenton
Winston Lord
David Maxwell
Marcus Noland
Jacqueline Pak
 
Greg Scarlatoiu, Executive Director