Just one month after Tacoma native Jason Puracal was exonerated of drug charges in Nicaragua, prosecutors in that country want to reinstate his sentence.
Puracal, 35, was imprisoned in November 2010, thrusting Puracal and his family into a fight against the legal system that he said had the wrong guy.
Prosecutors in Nicaragua have filed an appeal with the Nicaraguan supreme court, a move that Puracal’s attorney is already fighting.
“The hope is to squash the case and make a final judgment in international courts that says I am an innocent man,” says Puracal. “There is no evidence against me and the state of Nicaragua is not allowed to continue this case.”
The School of Law's International Human Rights Clinic is currently advising Puracal on international legal strategies for redress.
Puracal said easing back into normal life after two years in deplorable conditions has been a challenge.
“We are taking it one day at a time,” he said, with his 5-year-old son Jabu and wife Scarleth at his side. “There are so many little things that people take for granted like getting your driver’s license, cell phone and email. And for the first time, I’m on Facebook.”
