North Korea’s high court on Wednesday sentenced an American student to 15 years of imprisonment and hard labor following his conviction for subversion. The University of Virginia student, Otto Warmbier, confessed in a press conference held last month by North Korean authorities that he had attempted to steal a propaganda sign from a Pyongyang hotel, calling his crime “very severe and pre-planned.” The North Korean government announced [AP report] his arrest for an anti-state crime committed with “the tacit connivance of the US government and under its manipulation” in January. He was accused of attempting to impair the unity of North Korea’s people, and was charged with subversion under Article 60 of the country’s criminal code. Warmbier was reportedly convicted this week after a trial at the North Korean Supreme Court in Pyongyang which lasted only one hour. The sentence has been condemned [Reuters report] by Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website], with the deputy director of its Asia division calling it “outrageous and shocking.”

International concern has been expressed over North Korea’s instability and poor human rights record. Earlier this month UN human rights investigator Marzuki Darusman urged [JURIST report] the UN Human Rights Council to push for the prosecution of top North Korean government officials for crimes against humanity. Also this month Kim Jong-un watched [JURIST report] a ballistic missile launch test and ordered more tests in order to improve the country’s nuclear attack capabilities. In February UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called on [JURIST report] North Korea’s government to stop violating international obligations after another missile launch was conducted. In January the US House of Representatives approved [JURIST report] legislation that would increase sanctions against North Korea for its continuation of nuclear testing. In November Japan and the EU circulated [JURIST report] a draft UN resolution condemning North Korea’s human rights abuses and encouraging the UN Security Council to refer the country to the ICC, noting reports of torture, limits on freedom of mobility, restrictions on freedom of speech, restrictions on freedom of religion, privacy infringement, arbitrary imprisonment, prison camps and more. Darusman expressed deep concerns [JURIST report] regarding human rights violations in the country just a month earlier.