Israel Vallarta Released from Altiplano After 19 Years Without a Sentence; He Was Arrested in 2005 Alongside Frenchwoman Florence Cassez

After spending more than 19 years in prison without receiving a sentence, Israel Vallarta Cisneros left the maximum-security prison of Altiplano, in the State of Mexico.

Vallarta was arrested in 2005 along with French citizen Florence Cassez at the Las Chinitas ranch, accused of being part of the kidnapping gang known as “Los Zodiacos.”

While Cassez was released in 2013 after being granted legal protection (an amparo), Vallarta remained in prison facing charges of kidnapping, organized crime, and possession of weapons and ammunition reserved exclusively for the Armed Forces.

Yesterday, he was granted an acquittal for his alleged involvement in the crime of kidnapping.

He walked out of the federal prison on his own at 9:52 in the morning and immediately reunited with his wife and children. He gave a few statements regarding his imprisonment; however, overall, he expressed trust that justice will ultimately be served in his favor.

He also announced that in the coming days, a press conference will be held to provide details about a legal complaint he plans to pursue against those responsible for his imprisonment.

In this regard, the Federal Public Defender’s Institute stated that the case documented an exercise of “prolonged injustice.”

“The ruling issued by Judge Mariana Vieyra represents a fundamental step in the reparation of harm, as well as a significant precedent in the fight against torture, the use of illicit evidence, and prolonged pretrial detention in Mexico.”

Just minutes after his release, Israel Vallarta stated, “I’m in shock” upon being notified that he would be freed this Friday after nearly 20 years in the Altiplano prison.

“Thank you all for all these years of support. I would like to respond to each and every one of you. I can’t speak very loudly because I have throat problems (…) I just have to say this now — thank you, I’m still in shock. I couldn’t believe it last night when they came for me at 9 p.m. to inform me that I had been fully acquitted of each and every alleged crime they said I had committed.”

He also said he would seek justice, not just for himself but for everyone else involved, because there were people who were complicit in lying in order to have him arrested.