American doctors reported “extensive loss of brain tissue” in a student returned from the DPRK

American student Otto Warmbier, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in North Korea and released in June and returned to the United States, has recorded the death of a significant part of his brain cells. This was announced at a press conference by the doctors of the medical center of the University of Cincinnati.

"Extensive tissue death in all parts of the brain" was found as a result of MRI. The doctors did not determine the cause of this, but noted that such damage usually occurs when the heart stops, as a result of which oxygen does not reach the brain.

Cardiac arrest, in turn, could be caused by respiratory arrest as a result of an overdose of drugs, doctors said.

Warmbier showed no signs of active botulism (the DPRK claimed to have been diagnosed with this disease) and signs of injury. Doctors said that Warmbier periodically opens his eyes and blinks, but does not respond to speech and does not show understanding of what is happening around.

Earlier, Otto Warmbier's father stated that his son had been abused while in custody.

• American Otto Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years in prison in March 2016 for attempting to steal a propaganda poster from a hotel. He was in the country on a tourist visit. In June 2017, the DPRK handed it over to the United States; the young man is in a vegetative state.