SANTA CRUZ, BOLIVIA – , Dec 7 - The spirits of American businessman Jacob Ostreicher, who has been held in a Bolivian prison without formal charges or bail since June 2011, appeared lifted by the arrival of a bipartisan congressional delegation headed by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), who is leading an effort to push for his freedom.

    “Jacob’s health has steadily deteriorated during this unjustified captivity,” said Smith, chairman of a U.S. congressional subcommittee that oversees international human rights. “The stress of his confinement and his hunger strike have taken their toll on his health since I saw him in June. But he’s still got a fighting spirit, considering that he’s experienced hell and high water. The recent arrests of a group of people connected to his ordeal have given us hope that recent progress can lead to his release.”

    Smith is accompanied by Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez  (NY-12). He held two congressional hearings on the case and met with Ostreicher in June at the notorious Palmasola prison. Ostreicher is frail due in part to his hunger strike to protest his imprisonment. During his confinement, he has begun treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Smith observed a noticeable trembling of Ostreicher’s hands he had not observed during the June visit.

    During that visit Smith met with the Minister of Government, Carlos Romero, and detailed Ostreicher’s story of injustice, including repeated court delays and lack of evidence against him. Romero told Smith he would investigate the Jacob’s treatment. Last week, seven people were arrested in a corruption investigation into the case, including the legal adviser of the Ministry of Government, Fernando Rivera. Smith personally observed Rivera interfering in the June court proceedings.

    “I met with Minister Romero again today and we had a good follow-up meeting,” Smith said. “I was encouraged that he began the investigation.”

    Bolivian media recently reported that Romero stated that he first became involved in the case only after he met with Smith.

    In Bolivia a person can be held up to 18 months without formal charges, a mark Ostriecher passed this week. The government has yet to produce any evidence Ostreicher committed a crime, and has still denied him bail. Smith is fighting to get him released, even if initially only on bail. In either case, Smith said he will insist that Ostericher, now temporarily confined to a clinic facility, not be returned to the inmate-run Palmasola prison where his life is in significant danger.

    During his ordeal, Ostreicher endured the confiscation of all the assets of the rice farming business in which he was an investor, including millions of pounds of rice.

    In August, Smith held a hearing entitled “Seeking Freedom for American Trapped in Bolivian Prison,” which resulted in the introduction of “Jacob’s Law.” The bill would hold foreign officials responsible for violations of human rights and fundamental due process procedures of imprisoned U.S. citizens by banning their and their families’ travel to the U.S. Smith also held an earlier hearing on Ostriecher’s case in June.