If the alleged kidnapping victims participated in the setup, there will be consequences: Israel Vallarta

MEXICO CITY (apro).- Israel Vallarta Cisneros warned that if the kidnapping victims participated in the plot for which he was detained for nearly 20 years, there must be consequences.

At a press conference outside the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN), he urged the victims to continue searching for those responsible for their kidnappings.

"I'm not challenging anyone, let that be clear. My respect goes out to those victims, or those presumed to be victims. If it's true that they were, then I ask you to join in as well, not with me, but if you want, by your own initiative. See if there was a culprit so they can call you to settle accounts."

"But if not, and if you indulged in a setup or an unrealistic staging, think about the consequences. I'm not saying that; justice will decide that. I never did. I did my part, and you have to do what you have to do, but I'm doing it from here, with respect to those victims," he said.

In 2005, when Vallarta was arrested along with his then-partner, Florence Cassez, authorities claimed they had rescued six kidnapping victims, all of whom remain without justice to this day.

Israel Vallarta stated that he will join the fight to free his brother and nephew from prison, who were arrested after being accused of belonging to Los Zodíaco.

"I'm asking for support to raise awareness about my brother and nephew's situation," he added.

Vallarta Cisneros emphasized that from now on he will be a social activist, but he asked not to be seen as a hero and stated that he has not received any support from any government or political party.

“I ask you not to see me as a hero because I am not. I am just like any son, any brother, any father of many of those who are about to hear all this, who are being held in excessive prison terms; many who have not yet been sentenced, whose evidence and testimonies have not even been properly analyzed, because, precisely, this apparatus, which has yet to be transformed, has made it so tortuous. And here, in front of this symbol of justice, I clarify and say it: to this day, I have not received any special attention from any government, any ideological movement, any political party. We are here under our own resources, our own efforts,” he clarified.

Vallarta was released from prison on August 1 after a judge acquitted him of organized crime, kidnapping, weapons trafficking, and possession of ammunition for the exclusive use of the Army. She considered that the television montage in which authorities presumed his arrest had a corrupting effect on his entire criminal proceedings.

Upon his release from the Almoloya prison, Israel Vallarta announced that he will make several revelations related to the officials involved in his incarceration.

However, he explained that he cannot make any revelations at this time because he will request an update from the Attorney General's Office (FGR) on the investigation he initiated following the complaint he filed in 2006 against Luis Cárdenas Palomino and other federal officials for torture and other crimes.

"What I'm going to ask for is an update, and regarding that update, I'll also wait to see what the Public Prosecutor's Office will do. Well, this prosecutor's office will file charges, and under what criteria and for what crimes. Right now, they're only dealing with torture, but there have been many more crimes committed since then," he said.

"Not only against him (Cárdenas Palomino), but also against several officials and other people responsible. They are already named in the complaint."

The Attorney General's Office and the victims can still challenge the ruling to try to modify or overturn it. Federal sources reported that so far, the ruling has not been challenged, but if any such appeal is filed, it will be resolved by a collegiate appeals court in the State of Mexico.