Canadian Woman in Mexican Jail

[mt_pockets1000]

If you get into trouble with the law overseas don't look to the Canadian government for help. The TV interviews with Brenda Martin today were gut wrenching. Whether she is guilty or innocent the Mexican government should be pressured to either put this woman on trial or let her come back home.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080307/national/mexico_cda_prisoner

 

[Milko]

If I was on her place I wouldn't expect much action from our government, maximum what it comes to is opposition asking Guergis about it and she's giving some witty comment how she's all over it.

 

[mt_pockets1000]

Finally some action from our fearless leaders on the hill. I stand corrected...there is a heart beating in their collective body after all. Just takes a while to kick start.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080318/national/mexico_canada_harper

 

[Sal]

Harper has made a personal intervention on behalf of a suicidally depressed woman locked up in a Mexican prison.

The prime minister called his Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderon to discuss the case of Brenda Martin. He informed the Mexican president that he will send his minister responsible for multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, to visit the Ontario woman in a Guadalajara prison.

Kenney and Ontario MP Rick Norlock will be the first members of the Harper government to meet with Martin. Former prime minister Paul Martin and Liberal MP Dan McTeague have already visited her.

Don't you just love that slow as a snail response. She is now suicidal, so that likely got their attention. The public might rebel if she offed herself. Ya think?

Just watching her is a whole journey into the abyss. What a nightmare to be living in her shoes.

 

[lone wolf]

Suicidal is good PR. Damn but it's worrisome to realize you've just driven another to the point where they'd wear a dynamite jacket.

Woof!

 

[Nuggler]

Right you are Sal; there could be an election looming, so Harpo doesn't want to appear to be the Nazi pric..............er..........penis he is.

If he was firmly embedded in 24 Sussex, he would mumble something about obeying the laws of whatever country one is in......mummmmlblelj mmleiullbel bla l............fjdfjoelblablabla.....and Brenda could continue counting cockroaches and pullng flies and grubs out of her tortillas.

Good luck.

:angry3:

 

[karrie]

What are our guarantees to legal representation if we get ourselves into trouble overseas?

Just when does the government have to step in?

Because, frankly, I've seen plenty of other articles about Canadians in foreign prisons (few mentioning gender to tug on heartstrings), and the rally cry tends to be one of 'do the crime, do the time', and the gov only steps in once it's clear there either is not a timely or fair trial occurring, or, that the death sentence is on the table.

 

[jenn]

What are our guarantees to legal representation if we get ourselves into trouble overseas?

Just when does the government have to step in?

Because, frankly, I've seen plenty of other articles about Canadians in foreign prisons (few mentioning gender to tug on heartstrings), and the rally cry tends to be one of 'do the crime, do the time', and the gov only steps in once it's clear there either is not a timely or fair trial occurring, or, that the death sentence is on the table.

so true.... but what is the time... she hasn't even been charged yet.... she was working there illegally..... for what 10 months... she knew she was doing something wrong..

 

[lone wolf]

What are our guarantees to legal representation if we get ourselves into trouble overseas?

Just when does the government have to step in?

Because, frankly, I've seen plenty of other articles about Canadians in foreign prisons (few mentioning gender to tug on heartstrings), and the rally cry tends to be one of 'do the crime, do the time', and the gov only steps in once it's clear there either is not a timely or fair trial occurring, or, that the death sentence is on the table.

I think it's too easy to become jaded when you have certain folks using the Canadian flag as a convenience when they're acting behind the scenes in some foreign uprising and other folks wanting attention from home to soften laws of the host. Amazing how many Canadians in overseas jails don't have surnames like Smith or Jones or LeBelle. How do you tell the difference? Some alleged terrorist kid is in Gitmo for supposedly doing whatever it is folks do to be called "terrorist" and winds the CNN applecart. Another is in a Mexican jail (heard that one before too) then, there's a shoplifter in China.... How can you know if they're "honestly" in the slam?

Woof!

 

[karrie]

so true.... but what is the time...

That's where I'm honestly curious. 2 years she's been in prison now. What's the gov. guideline for intervening? Is there no set policy... fair trial by such and such a time, or we step in and deal with it? And is it the Canadian gov's responsibility frankly... they're claiming breach of international law. Whose 'jurisdiction' is it to intervene? So many questions!

 

[mt_pockets1000]

Well, our fellow citizen has been given her day in court. That's all we asked for. The final outcome was not what we expected but at least she has that part of it overwith. Now she will be flown back home and in due time she will be free. Because without a doubt the woman is innocent. She feel victim to a corrupt judicial system in a backwoods country. The Mexican judge obviously passed a guilty verdict because they didn't receive their bribe money and the Canadian government embarrassed them by bringing this case into the public eye.

 

[gopher]

If I understand correctly, she worked for a man for 10 years and claims she did not know he was a crook. That sounds like bullsquat to me.

GUILTY AS CHARGED: BRING ON THE HANGMAN!!

After all, a little southwestern justice never hurt anyone.

 

[Colpy]

If I understand correctly, she worked for a man for 10 years and claims she did not know he was a crook. That sounds like bullsquat to me.

GUILTY AS CHARGED: BRING ON THE HANGMAN!!

After all, a little southwestern justice never hurt anyone.

Well, this ain't American justice........I believe (I don't know, correct me if I'm wrong), that Mexican justice is essentually the same as European.....trial by judge (or judges) only, and you are considered guilty unless you can prove yourself innocent.

 

[gopher]

Mexicans learned from our admittedly bad example. ;-)

 

[karrie]

guilty until proven innocent... isn't that some system. fine if you don't have the death penalty I suppose. It'd be a tad bit pricey on the prison system though, don't you think?

 

[Praxius]

guilty until proven innocent... isn't that some system. fine if you don't have the death penalty I suppose. It'd be a tad bit pricey on the prison system though, don't you think?

Not really... I mean Guilty until Proven Innocent does sorta work, although backwards. I mean, if you are not a suspect or have evidence towards your guilt in some crime.... then why arrest you in the first place if you don't have any ligit guilt pinned on you?

If I'm innocent until proven guilty, then why would I be held in a jail the whole time, or have to pay large bails? There's some level of guilt always involved.

This form of justice I think worked in this situation. Her excuses, her lame cover up of being a cook for an internet company while getting a few grand thrown at her after she was fired, only to put the money back into the company that fired her...... I mean.... come on...

Plus she was the cook of an internet company..... they never said what that company actually does ligit, but they were charged with internet fruad, so was that their only profession? If so, then one would imagine she would know something about it.

And her not asking where this money came from, last I check, is still no ligit excuse, since ignorance of the law is not an excuse to not abiding by the law.

No matter how much her defense claimed what they had against her was circumstantial, so was her defense.

 

[MHz]

$26,000 in severance, for being a cook that got fired?

 

[#juan]

$26,000 in severance, for being a cook that got fired?

$26,000.00 represented a year's salary which was in her agreement with the crook that employed her. She was after all a chef/cook and that salary was not particularly high by our standards. If she knew her boss's business was a scam, why did she try to invest $10,000.00 in it? She was not given an interpreter. That alone would have seen the case thrown out in Canada. We should just bring her back to Canada and set her free as soon as possible.

 

[mt_pockets1000]

No Juan, lets swing her high.

 

[MHz]

No doubt with thoughts of turning that $10,000 into a much larger sum.
At her age if something seems too good to be true it probably is, would you invest that much in something you know nothing about?
Where did you come up with the info about the severance package, a sub-link only says it was given to her because the guy 'felt bad about firing her'?
True, but Canadian law doesn't travel with you around the world just because you happen to be Canadian.
What would be her sentence be for that same crime in Canada?

That her family said things would be different if they had bribed the Judge is rather insulting to Mexico in general isn't it? (even though it may be quite true) Even in Canada spend enough on Lawyers you get a different judgment than if you walk in alone.

Were all her papers in order to be working there, it would seem like Mexico shouldn't have any problems in being short on qualified cooks.