Former North Korea detainee Kenneth Bae describes Otto Warmbier's death an 'outrage'

Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American missionary who was imprisoned in North Korea for two years, has described the death of American student Otto Warmbier an "outrage."

Warmbier, who was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea after he was caught trying to steal a propaganda poster, died on Monday, just days after he was released in a comatose state.

In a statement issued on Monday night, Bae expressed his grief over the death of the 22-year-old student.

"I grieve for the family of Otto Warmbier. This is a young man who had so much promise. He was a college student on a journey to see the world," Bae said, according to Christian Today.

"For North Korea to detain him and sentence him to 15 years in prison was an injustice. But for Otto to be returned to the US in the state he was in – and then for him to die because of it – is not only an outrage, but it is a tragedy for his entire family," he continued.

Bae, who was accused of plotting to bring down to overthrow the North Korean government through religious activities, also drew attention to other foreigners who are detained in North Korea, namely the American citizens, Kim Dong Chul, Tony Kim and Kim Hak-Song, as well as Canadian pastor Hyeon Soo Lim.

"But there are certainly many other people living without freedom in the country of 24 million people - enduring horrible circumstances and forced labor - and we do not even know their names," he added.

He called on the U.S. government, the international community as well as North Korean leaders to "value human lives," and he also urged people to join him in praying for Warmbier's family.

The student's parents, Fred and Cindy Warmbier, blamed his death on the treatment he received at the hands of North Korean authorities.

Doctors said that Warmbier had suffered an extensive loss of brain tissue that was most likely caused by most likely caused by cardiopulmonary arrest that cut off the blood supply to his brain.

The North Korean government claimed that the student's condition was caused by botulism and said that he was released on "humanitarian" grounds.

Warmbier, who had spent the last 17 months in prison, was arrested on Jan. 2, 2016 for trying to remove a propaganda poster from his hotel. He reportedly stated that he stole the banner because a church deaconess promised to give him a used car if he brought back the sign.