Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Treatment, April 12, 2012:

Attorneys representing Jason Puracal, an American citizen wrongly imprisoned in Nicaragua since 2010, filed a petition on April 12, 2012 to request the urgent intervention of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Cruel, Inhumane and Degrading Treatment or Punishment.  At the direction of the United Nations Human Rights Council, a Special Rapporteur is an independent investigator appointed to examine cases around the world.  Their mandate covers all countries, irrespective of whether a State has ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

Link Petition

Link to Press Release

Submission to UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, January 18, 2012:

Jason Zachary Puracal v. Government of Nicaragua was filed in the United Nations on January 18, 2012 in New York City. Acting as his counsel in the international courts, Jason's sister Janis Puracal, along with prominent human-rights lawyer Jared Genser of Perseus Strategies as co-counsel, filed the petition in the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. The petition urges the Working Group to find that Jason's detention is arbitrary and in violation of Nicaraguan and international laws.

Link to Petition Summary

Link to Petition Summary in Spanish

Link to Full Petition

Link to Full Petition in Spanish

The United Nations Working Group is an independent and impartial tribunal in the United Nations, which consists of experts from Chile, Norway, Pakistan, Senegal and Ukraine. It is charged with adjudicating cases of those alleged to be arbitrarily detained and issuing written opinions about whether the detentions are consistent with the country’s international legal obligations.

"We were very well received in the United Nations. When people hear about the case against Jason they are outraged about the human rights violations. Due to the delays in Jason’s appeal process, we were left with no choice but to bring attention to an international tribunal," said Janis.  

This is the first time a petition has been filed against Nicaragua in the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, making it important both for Jason, and also for holding Nicaragua to account for its conduct. “I believe Jason is completely innocent of the charges on which he was convicted,” said Jared Genser. “Moreover, the violations of Nicaraguan and international law in this case are extraordinary. Not only was Jason convicted before a person who wasn’t a lawyer let alone qualified to serve as a judge, but the prosecution didn’t even bother presenting any credible evidence to convict him of the offenses with which he was charged.”