A Mexican judge has released a Canadian man who spent three-and-a-half years languishing behind bars in Mexico without trial – most of them in Guadalajara's harsh Puente Grande penitentiary.
Pavel Kulisek, 45, was released from a federal psychiatric prison last week and spent a night in Mexico City before being flown home to Vancouver for a tearful reunion with his wife Jirina and their two daughters.
Federal police arrested Kulisek at a hot dog stand in Los Barriles, Baja California in March 2008 in the company of a man he knew as "Carlos Herrera," but whose real name was Gustavo Rivera Martinez, allegedly a major figure in the Tijuana drug cartel.
Kulisek, who was on an extended vacation in the area with his family, insisted he knew nothing of Herrera's real identity and said he became friendly with him only due to their mutual interest in dirt bike racing.
For almost three years, Kulisek shared a 2.5-by-4-meter cell with one other inmate in the maximum-security federal facility in Guadalajara. Jirina and his children were permitted just seven minutes per week of access to him by phone.
As the protected legal case dragged on, the building contractor began to lose hope and after a failed suicide attempt in March, he was transferred to a psychiatric facility in the state of Morelos.
His wife and a small group of supporters battled long and hard to persuade both Mexican and Canadian authorities to speed along the case. They staged rallies and fundraisers, and Jirina and her daughters moved from their home into a refurbished garage to save money after spending over 100,000 dollars to fund his legal defense.
After the case finally came to trial last week, the judge acted swiftly to throw out all the charges against Kulisek, citing a lack of evidence.
The verdict was a vindication for the Canadian, who had always insisted that he was only guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"I would like to extend my deepest of gratitude to those who have supported and helped Pavel and me during our long painful journey over the past three and a half years," Jirina said after being reunited with her husband.
She also paid tribute to Guillermo Rishchynski, Canada's ambassador to Mexico, who she said "visited Pavel, advocated on his behalf, met with judges, lawyers and more."
Talking to Canadian media back in Vancouver, Kulisek said he felt like he had been "born again."
In a short statement, Canada's Minister of State Diane Ablonczy said: “I welcome Mr. Kulisek back to Canada and I am pleased for both him and his family that he was acquitted … We are pleased this case has come to a successful conclusion."
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