College cuts ties with professor who said ‘Otto Warmbier got what he deserved’

An anthropology professor at the University of Delaware has been fired after saying that Otto Warmbier, the American student who died after being held captive in North Korea for 17 months, “got exactly what he deserved.”

“The University of Delaware has announced that Katherine Dettwyler, who last taught in the spring as an adjunct faculty member, will not be rehired to teach at the University in the future,” the university said in a statement posted on their website.

Dettwyler, who has since deleted the Facebook post, said “Otto Warmbier got exactly what he deserved.”

{mosads}“He went to North Korea, for f—‘s sake, and then acted like a spoiled, naive, arrogant, US college student who had never had to face the consequences of his actions,” Dettwyler wrote, according to reports. “I see him crying at his sentencing hearing and think ‘What did you expect?’”

Dettwyler also reportedly asked for “a few moments of thought” for all the other people who suffer at the hands of the North Korean regime — and are “not U.S. citizens.”

The school first condemned Dettwyler’s comments on Friday.

“The comments of Katherine Dettwyler do not reflect the values or position of the University of Delaware,” the statement read. “We condemn any and all messages that endorse hatred and convey insensitivity toward a tragic event such as the one that Otto Warmbier and his family suffered.”

Warmbier died last week after suffering from a “severe neurological injury,” although doctors did not determine the cause.

North Korea arrested the University of Virginia student for allegedly trying to steal a propaganda banner. He was convicted of subversion and sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor. 

Warmbier was in a coma for most of his time in North Korea, which has been blamed for his death.

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