Nadler Speaks Out for Ostreicher

Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, participated in a Congressional hearing Monday which examined the issue of Jacob Ostreicher’s illegal detention.

Mr. Ostreicher, a constituent of Rep. Nadler’s from Brooklyn, has been detained in Bolivia for nearly two years. Rep. Nadler has previously written letters calling for U.S. intervention in the case and demanding that Bolivian authorities grant basic rights under their own laws to Mr. Ostreicher. The hearing was held by the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

“I am here today because my constituent, Jacob Ostreicher remains in unlawful detention in Bolivia,” Nadler said in a speech. “Along with Mr. Ostreicher’s family, friends, and his community in Brooklyn, I am very concerned about his continued confinement and his welfare.

“As you know, in June 2011, Mr. Ostreicher was arrested in Bolivia on allegations of money laundering and associating with criminal organizations. He was held in the notoriously dangerous Palmasola prison for 18 months, and, though he was released from prison on bail in December 2012, he remains under house arrest.

“Now, nearly two years after he was originally detained, formal charges have yet to be filed against him, and Mr. Ostreicher continues to maintain his innocence. In addition, more than a dozen Bolivian officials—including prosecutors, judges, and the chief legal counsel in the Bolivian Interior Ministry—have since been arrested in connection with corruption in his case.

“This amounts to nothing less than a horrible injustice for Mr. Ostreicher who is in poor health, and has been forced to stay in Bolivia, separated from his wife, five children and eleven grandchildren. This is a man whose life has been unfairly put on hold, while justice is denied to him day after day.

“The Bolivian authorities must be made immediately aware that this miscarriage of justice is unacceptable, and conveys a negative message about their country to the United States and to the world. In fact, earlier this year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a report specifically citing Mr. Ostreicher’s case as evidence of endemic corruption within the Bolivian justice system, indicating that Mr. Ostreicher’s treatment constitutes a serious human rights issue,” he said.

Nadler called on Members of Congress, officials in the Executive Branch, and other interested parties to keep up the pressure on the Bolivian government.

“It is important for everyone to remember our goal – making sure that Mr. Ostreicher is provided fair treatment and basic due process,” he said.