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Hugo Swire statement following sentencing of Otto Warmbier

Minister for Asia Hugo Swire has issued a statement following the sentencing of US citizen Otto Warmbier in North Korea.

• From: British Embassy Pyongyang
• Published: 18 March 2016

This was published under the 2015 to 2016 Cameron Conservative government

Foreign and Commonwealth Office minister Hugo Swire said:

The British Government is concerned about the sentence of 15 years hard labour for US citizen Otto Warmbier. This is another demonstration of the clear lack of an independent judicial process in North Korea and of the government arresting foreign nationals for political purposes. The UK has consistently raised concerns with the regime about systematic human rights abuses in North Korea. More broadly, we remain deeply concerned about the impact of this unpredictable regime on stability in the region. We are monitoring the situation closely and are reviewing our travel advice.

Further information

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Published 18 March 2016