HIKIND KEEPS PRESSURE ON FOR JACOB OSTREICHER

NEWS FROM
ASSEMBLYMAN DOV HIKIND

December 24, 2012

Contact: Yehudah Meth                                                       For Immediate Release
718-853-9616

HIKIND KEEPS PRESSURE ON
FOR JACOB OSTREICHER

“Things are better but Jacob’s not home yet. We need to maintain momentum.”

Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) said community and media vigilance are two of the three things necessary to bring Jacob Ostreicher home. The Assemblyman and his staff are maintaining round-the-clock contact with Ostreicher, a Brooklyn businessman recently freed on bail in Bolivia after actor Sean Penn made it evident to Bolivian President Evo Morales that Ostreicher had been falsely accused while being extorted by Bolivian officials. Ostreicher’s release from Palmasola Prison in Bolivia came after 19 months of incarceration. Ten Bolivian officials accused of robbing and extorting Ostreicher have been arrested and detained in Bolivia, including the judge who initially jailed Ostreicher.

“I believe the State Department is now doing everything they can to ensure Jacob’s safety,” said  Assemblyman Hikind, who, along with NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, called on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week to do everything possible to protect Jacob. “Our government has reached out to the Bolivian government and Jacob now has four Bolivian police officers posted outside of his house 24/7. But he will never be completely safe until he is free to return home to the United States.”

According to Ostreicher’s attorneys, he may not need another hearing; the Bolivian government can drop charges prior to any additional court action. Assemblyman Hikind is cautiously optimistic that this may occur within the next few weeks.

Ostreicher spoke to the Assemblyman on The Dov Hikind Show on Saturday night where he expressed his gratitude to Hikind for never giving up on him, as well as to the Aleph Institute.

Hikind repeated today that community and media vigilance are two of the three things necessary to bring Jacob Ostreicher home. “Prayer is the third component,” said the Assemblyman. “We must stay vigilant, keep this story alive and the pressure on, and we must pray to the Al-mighty for this innocent man’s salvation.”