New York, NY — Former Congressman, U.N. Ambassador, Energy Secretary, and Governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson issued the following statement after the news that Otto Warmbier, the 22-year-old American released from a North Korean prison last week, passed away this afternoon.

“All of us at The Richardson Center for Global Engagement send our thoughts and prayers to the family of Otto Warmbier tonight as they mourn this unimaginably painful loss. They have shown singular grace and strength during this difficult time.

We stand with the nation in expressing our deep sadness and outrage at the circumstances of Otto’s death and call on the U.S. government to continue to press for the release of the three Americans who remain imprisoned in North Korea, so that we might prevent further tragedy at the hands of this brutal regime.”