MEXICO CITY-- In a surprise 3-2 ruling Wednesday, the Mexican Supreme Court ordered the immediate release of Florence Cassez, a French citizen serving a 60-year prison sentence here after being convicted of involvement in a Mexican kidnapping ring.
Cassez, 38, was arrested in 2005 along with her boyfriend, who authorities said was the head of a kidnapping group called the Zodiacs. Although she lived in a compound where victims were held, Cassez asserted that she was innocent. Her case was complicated by a number of irregularities on the part of Mexican authorities, including a staged replay of her arrest in front of television cameras.
The justices who ruled in favor of Cassez's release did not discuss innocence or guilt; rather, they noted that the poor handling of her arrest amounted to a violation of her rights.
Her imprisonment has been a point of contention between France and Mexico. French officials decried the sloppy administration of Mexican justice, but many Mexicans fed up with the lawlessness in their country thought her sentence was appropriate.