Florence Cassez, the French woman recently
released after being imprisoned in Mexico for seven years on kidnapping
charges, has spoken out from her home country, saying that García Luna,
Mexico’s Secretary of Public Safety, wanted her dead.
"Garcia Luna’s objective was to demolish me,” she said
in an interview with Paris
Match. “I was in his hands. He wanted me dead."
Cassez, who was serving a 60 year prison sentenced, was released
on January 23 after a 3-2 decision by Mexico’s Supreme Court. Her case was
notorious as much for the extreme misconduct on the part of investigators as
for the evidence against her. The continuing
scourge of kidnapping left many in Mexico enraged at her release, thinking
that it was a political move on the part of the new PRI administration of Peña
Nieto to curry favour with France.
In 2009 Cassez was transferred to the harsh Santa Marta
prison complex, which she interpreted as being "for talking too much with
the press ". She claimed to have suffered greatly at Santa Marta, where she
was monitored 24/7 by security cameras and, she says, often insulted and harassed
by other inmates.
She also claimed that her lawyers believed García Luna to
have been responsible for her “fake arrest”. This occurred the day after she
was detained. It involved a media circus in which security forces called up the
press, then staged an improvised “raid” and faux take-down at the kidnappers’ safe
house on a farm south of Mexico City.
The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) allegedly has a large
file on García Luna, who came under increased scrutiny after the August 24,
2012 ambush
by Mexican federal police on a United States embassy vehicle. According to
the Mexican weekly Proceso, the DEA believes
García Luna may have ties to drug traffickers. Apparently, he begged the
Americans for forgiveness after the attack on the embassy vehicle, a
consideration that may have been forthcoming after arrests
were made.
Florence Cassez interviewed upon her "arrest" - you can hear her French accent - and the testimony of victims who, though blindfolded, claim to have recognized her voice and accent when held captive.
Twitter: @TimothyEWilson
Email: lapoliticaeslapolitica [at] gmail [dot] com
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