For this week’s topic I chose an
article about Jason Puracul, a U.S. citizen who was wrongfully jailed in a
Nicaraguan prison two years ago and has just been released. The Nicaraguan authorities
charged him with money laundering and drug trafficking and a trial judge convicted
another 10 co-defendants of his. They suspected him because of his job as a
real estate agent, which granted Jason access to large amounts of money. What’s
concerning though, is that Jason recalls seeing other prisoners, some of which
are U.S. citizens, that are in similar situations. While imprisoned, Jason was
told that there could be hundreds of these innocent people who have been
convicted. His sentence ended when a campaign led by human rights activists
overturned his conviction. Jason’s sister Janis spared no expense to see to it
that he was released. Her efforts cost her and their family over $500,000.
There are cases of wrongful imprisonment
all over the world. However, there was something particularly concerning about
Jason’s case that rallied the attention of various organizations that specialize
in determining wrongful imprisonment. Jason’s story also sparked the interest
of international human rights activists, U.S. lawmakers and even a human rights
lawyer. The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention recommended Jason’s
freedom since he was convicted and imprisoned under an arbitrary system. This
case not only inspired people to tackle cases of wrongful imprisonment in the
future, but clearly demonstrated the subjects’ relevance in today’s global
society. This could be the first of many cases of human rights activists and international organizations banding together to right the wrongs. A case like Jasons’ would have likely been looked over. Now because of
him, wrongful imprisonment may have just moved up in human rights organizations’
priority issues.
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