Vigil held for UW grad imprisoned in Nicaragua
Aug 29, 2012, 9:11 PM | Updated: Aug 30, 2012, 6:09 am
Supporters of Jason Puracal held a candlelight vigil at the University of Washington Wednesday night to mark the one-year anniversary of his conviction. (Photo: Brandi Kruse/KIRO Radio).
(Photo: Brandi Kruse/KIRO Radio)
On the one-year anniversary of his conviction in Nicaragua, supporters of Jason Puracal stood in silence at the University of Washington Wednesday night during a candlelight vigil in his honor.
Dozens of family and friends of the Tacoma-native stood at Red Square, on the campus where Puracal studied zoology and economics. Among the crowd were Puracal’s sisters, Janis and Jaime, and his mother, Dr. Daisy Zachariah.
Janis Puracal told the crowd she was thankful that her brother didn’t have to go through the “worst moments of his life alone.”
“Because all of you are here,” she said. “There are 112,000 people around the world standing up for Jason tonight and that touches me.”
She was referring to the 112,000 signatures on a Change.org petition that was turned into the Nicaraguan consulate in Los Angeles early Wednesday morning.
“The fight continues,” Janis Puracal said after the vigil. “And that’s why we’re here tonight, because everyday is going to be a fight until Jason comes home.
On Aug. 29, 2011, Puracal was convicted of laundering drug money in the resort village of San Juan del Sur. He has maintained his innocence.
Earlier this month, his case was reviewed by a three-judge appellate panel in Granada, Nicaragua, which is expected to hand down a decision in the coming days.
