One of Our Fellow Steemit Users @Churdtzu and Friend to Many of Us Has Been Detained in Mexico.
Whatever SBD is Raised on This Post Will Go to Help Kurt in His Defense or Return to Central America.
Below is What Happened According to Geliqua Amini Who Was Traveling with Kurt.
Kurt David Robinson was just detained by the police in the middle of the night (1:10am). He was refused the right to contact the embassy, which as we know is a global human right; was told he has to spend the night in immigration "jail" before being sent back to Australia; they even refused to let me go with him to immigration; he was denied the right to a phone calls, etc.
We were on the night bus going to Guadalajara, when the immigration police jumped on & asked for our papers. Since his visa had expired, the aforementioned occurred. They stopped the bus on the highway of Kazeta de Atlacomulco, Guadalajara in Mexico.
2 officers came on the bus, then brought on the larger & more aggressive enforcer, who started yelling at me, thinking it was my passport he was holding. I led him on for a while, trying to diffuse the situation, asking what options there were, and if we could find some kind of solution.
It took him over 5-10 minutes to realize that he was holding MY visa, with KURT's passport, telling me that I've overstayed my visa.. We're not really dealing with intelligent beings..
Like I mentioned above, they refused to let him contact his embassy, denying him his human rights. By law, even if the person in question doesn't have a phone to call their embassy, it is the DUTY of the officers to contact the embassy on their behalf. All of these rights were denied Kurt. They also threatened with physical removal if he didn't "abide by what they said". I asked several times for them to calm down and listen to what we had to say, until even the other passengers got involved in defending him. But the cops wouldn't even listen, loudly repeating the word "NO" over and over again, much like the way children argue..
I even lied and said he was my boyfriend for them to let me go with, but they made me stay on the bus to Guadalajara, and took Kurt back to Mexico City.
These are the moments we need to take action.
To speak up and out for what is right. Especially when one of our friends is being targeted.
Personally, I've been on the bus with no WiFi or phone card, which is why I'm posting this now 😕 but please contact the immigration offices of Mexico City about the laws they just broke; call the Australian embassy on Kurt's behalf; spread this post; if you're in the country and can help him with information about Mexican laws and procedures.. or anything you can think of that may help his situation.
stee
I keep wondering how any of us would feel to know we weren't alone, if we found ourselves in a similar solution. Silence condones and enables injustice.
