US Man Jailed in Bolivia for 580 Days

[Bacchus4.0]

http://news.yahoo.com/nightmare-continues-us-man-jailed-bolivia-580-days-141454304--abc-news-topstories.html


Jacob Ostreicher, an American small businessman, a father of five and grandfather of 11, was arrested in Bolivia and detained for 580 days in Santa Cruz's Palmasola Prision, one of the toughest and strangest prisons in the world.

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Ostreicher languished for a year and a half, among the murderers, rapists and pretty drug criminals locked up in the bizarre and dangerous place, where prisoners run the prison and guards rarely enter. He was never charged and no evidence was brought against him.

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Then last month, thanks in part to "Nightline's" investigation into his case, there came a stunning breakthrough. Ostreicher was released after 13 government officials, several of them involved in Ostreicher's case, were arrested and charged with corruption and extortion.

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Ostreicher and his defense team say his successful rice business was the reason he was targeted.

[ocpagu]

1. A great example of how a newstory can be written not to tell a story.

I'm pretty sure he was not arrested for being a rice businessman. The accusation is money laundering.

[Bacchus4.0]

2. think harder

He was part owner of a successful business. 13 Bolivian officials were subsequently arrested on extortion charges. See if you can put two and two together.

[ocpagu]

4. The fact that 13 officials were arrested on extortion charges...

...doesn't mean that the people they were blackmailing were saints...

The man is suspected of money laundering. Did they just made that up with no evidences to back? Or did they tried to extort him because they knew he was doing things illegally?

[Bacchus4.0]

5. the story says he has never been charged with anything and no evidence presented against him n/t

s

[naaman fletcher]

3. Thankfully Sean Penn has helped highlight his plight

A few days before Mr. Ostreicher’s release on Dec. 18, Mr. Penn held a news conference, with Mr. Ostreicher at his side, connected to an intravenous feeding tube. “There is a cancer attacking at Bolivia’s heart,” Mr. Penn declared, referring to official corruption.

“Jacob and his family are living a nightmare of human abuse,” he said. “And this is a moment for me to call on my Bolivian brothers and sisters to lend their courage and compassion on behalf of a man known by all parties — known by all parties — to be totally innocent of any criminal activity.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/nyregion/from-brooklyn-to-bolivian-rice-venture-prison-and-sean-penns-help.html?_r=0

[joshcryer]

6. Wow, that's quite a little known story.

Wonder why I didn't see it posted around these parts.