Contact Government Officials
On this page you will find contact information for various government organizations, as well as a form letter that you can use if you are unsure what to write.
If you haven't, take a moment to sign our Change.org Petition.
If you want to go about it on your own, here are tips on contacting: The best way to contact government officials is by email. We suggest a short note with subject header of "Please support Jason Puracal." You must contact your specific congressional representative for the area of the country you live. Click here for a list of US Senators with contact information for each of them.
For the email form on the White House website, we suggest you choose "I have a policy comment" and mention your support for Jason Puracal in the first sentence of your message.
Form Letter - The following form letter should help you if you are unsure what to write. Feel free to copy and paste this or write your own:
[YOUR NAME]
[ADDRESS]
[CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE]
[PHONE NUMBER]
[DATE]
The Honorable [SENATOR/CONGRESSPERSON (NAME)]
[ADDRESS]
[CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE]
Dear [SENATOR/CONGRESSPERSON (NAME)]:
I am writing this letter on behalf of Jason Puracal, a United States citizen from Seattle, Washington. Jason has been wrongfully imprisoned in Nicaragua since November 11, 2010. The prosecution charged Jason with drug trafficking, money laundering, and organized crime. He was held for over nine months before he even went to trial.
The trial was conducted by a political appointee of the Sandinista government who was neither a judge nor a licensed attorney. At trial, the prosecution did not present a single gram of drugs as evidence. All of Jason's bank records were seized, yet no illegal activity was found and not a single record was offered at trial. Jason was declared guilty along with ten other people, none of whom he knew before the arrest.
Jason was wrongfully convicted without evidence on August 29, 2011, and has been sentenced to 22 years in a Nicaraguan prison for crimes he did not commit.
Prior to trial, the Judge in Jason’s case refused to rule on a motion that would decide whether Jason was being wrongfully detained in violation of the Nicaraguan Constitution. That same Judge was supposed to be deliberating privately on that motion when he was instead meeting with the Police Commissioner who had Jason arrested.
Our Congress, State Department, and President must encourage the Nicaraguan courts toward a swift and fair review of Jason's appeal. Jason has repeatedly declared his innocence, and his family is working hard to secure Jason’s release.
Congressman Adam Smith has issued a public statement expressing his concern about Jason’s case: http://adamsmith.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=239643
You can access the full details of Jason’s case at www.freejasonp.com
Please tell me right away what is being done by your office and the US government to secure Jason’s release.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
[SIGNATURE]
[TYPE YOUR NAME]
The following are various goverment organizations you can contact:
Click here to email the US State Department or use the following:
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
202-647-4000
TTY:1-800-877-8339
Click here to email the President or use the following:
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD comments: 202-456-6213
Click here to email the Nicaraguan Embassy or use the following:
Embassy, United States of America
Robert J. Callahan, Ambassador to Nicaragua
Robert R. Downes, Deputy Chief of Mission
Kilometer 5 1/2 (5.5) Carretera Sur
Managua, Nicaragua
consularmanagua@state.gov
(505) 2252-7100
Embassy, Republic of Nicaragua
Francisco Obadiah Campbell Hooker, Ambassador to the United States
1627 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington DC 20009
(202) 939-6570
Click here to email Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) or use the following:
The Honorable Maria Cantwell
511 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3441
202-228-0514 - FAX
202-224-8273 - TDD
Click here to email Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) or use the following:
The Honorable Patty Murray
173 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-2621
Fax: (202) 224-0238
Toll Free: (866) 481-9186
Click here to email Congressman Adam Smith (WA) Note: Congressman Adam Smith has shown great support to the Puracal family. Please use the header: "Thank you for supporting Jason Puracal"
2209 Pacific Ave, Suite B
Tacoma, Washington 98402
Toll free: 1 (888) SMITH09
Phone (253) 593-6600
Fax (253) 593-6776