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1. •  
     CommentAuthorTriniman
   • CommentTimeMar 14th 2008 edited

    
   Updated Fri. Mar. 14 2008 1:31 PM ET
   Brenda Martin begs for life from Mexico prison
   
   excerpts:
   
   CTV.ca News Staff
   
   A sobbing and broken Brenda Martin begged Friday for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to take action to have her freed from the Mexican prison that has been her home for over two years.
   
   Martin, who is incarcerated in Guadalajara on accusations of being part of a fraud scheme, called CTV's Canada AM Friday morning from jail.
   
   "I'd like to plead for my life to the prime minister of Canada to please pick up the phone and call the president of Mexico and have this travesty ended," she said. "I don't belong here. I have done nothing, Please help me prime minister, please help me, please help me. I don't know how to get through a day here."
   
   Recently, former prime minister Paul Martin visited the Canadian during a trip to Mexico.
   
   I could be wrong, but I suspect Harper's office is trying to do something, but they are doing so quietly. I imagine Gail Asper could raise this topic with the PM, since she has his ear more so than most of us. Maybe she already has.
   
   If you wish to contact the Prime Minister about this, here's his contact info.
   
   The Right-Honorable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
   
   Office of the Prime Minister
   80 Wellington Street
   Ottawa
   K1A 0A2
   
   pm@pm.gc.ca
   Fax: 613-941-6900

   Thankful People: alex
2. •  
     CommentAuthorgrumpy old man
   • CommentTimeMar 14th 2008

    
   Or, we could let the Mexican justice system and the Canadian Consulate do their respective things.
3. • CommentAuthorDeanK
   • CommentTimeMar 14th 2008

    
   yeah... DID she commit the crime.. they seem to think so.. she has threatened suicide if she is not released by Monday. okay... well ummm...so you are treated so badly it aint even funny.. yet you sure seem to be communicating with the outside world well.

   Thankful People: alex, Jimmytufish
4. •  
     CommentAuthorSputnik
   • CommentTimeMar 14th 2008

    
   While I appreciate the media creating awareness of this situation. I really hate how its beginning to become a bit of a media circus.
5. •  
     CommentAuthormrchristian
   • CommentTimeMar 14th 2008 edited

    
   I do feel bad for the woman as she seems to be in a lot of distress.
   
   There just has to be more detail to the story, though. the Mexicans would be happy to get rid of her if they had no case - spare themselves the bad press AND losing diplomatic points with a neighbouring country. If you're going to PO another government and break / bend treaties you have with it they'd want to make sure it's over something with a bit of substance to it.
   
   If there's a stalemate of some sort there has to be something more to it.
6. •  
     CommentAuthorjim
   • CommentTimeMar 14th 2008 edited

    
   Still several deaths without proper investigation warrant the government's action .Canadians have died in this country and they have not families received proper treatment, or answers
7. •  
     CommentAuthorgrumpy old man
   • CommentTimeMar 14th 2008 edited

    

   Posted By: jimStill several deaths without proper investigation warrant the government's action .

   But jim, who are we to impose our standards of justice and policing upon another nation? Ignore for a moment our poor justice and less than stellar policing situation, perhaps Mexico feels they have conducted themselves fully up to their standards. Where do we draw the line?

   Thankful People: Freethinker
8. • CommentAuthorEastSider
   • CommentTimeMar 14th 2008

    
   About 5 or 6 years ago my brothers and I drove to Mexico to visit our relatives in Chihuahua province. Crossing from ElPaso to Juarez Mexico was something else.....our papers were in order, passports up to date np there, the border patrol person pointed at the gate that was blocking the road into Mexico, he held out his hand to us and with his other hand he made a sweeping motion, as if the gates would part for us. We knew what that meant, so we each gave him 10 American dollars and the gates parted for us. We thought that was it, we were homefree, but it was not to be. Just outside Juarez we were pulled over by the police, they spoke no english, we spoke no spanish. With guns drawn we had to get out of the car, two officers wrere inside the car tearing our luggage apart and throwing everything onto the road, one officer kept us at gunpoint. After rifling through the entire car and finding nothing without saying a word they got back in their cruisers and drove away, leaving us to gather up our luggage that was strewn all over the road. This was Mexican justice five or six years ago.......it cannot have changed that much in such a short period of time. I truly feel for Brenda......that could possibly have been my brothers and I.
9. • CommentAuthorrosencrentz
   • CommentTimeMar 14th 2008

    
   Mexico has crappy "standard of justice" compared to Canada! This lady was charged in Feb 2006 with fraud- 2 years she is in jail with no trial . Helena Guergis, our MP, has advised the following- The Canadian Consulate has been in touch 75 times,regular medical attention, access to communication. Guergis has met with Mexico's attorney general, foreign minister, and head of the human rights commission, and 13 other federal state and local officials.
   "We cannot force the Mexican Courts to render a decision. There are over 1500 active consular cases of Canadians arrested or detained around the world. They are subject to the local laws of that country!"
   I thought that I read this week that Canada and Mexico were signing some sort of agreement to provide comparable treatment in cases like this!!
   It would show some balls if Stephen Harper threatened to put a "do not visit that 3rd world country warning". We have a "fee trade" agreement,so there should be a pretty good relationship going between the 2 countries! This 2 years without proper food, clean space, living conditions is really intolerable! Below minimum standards!
   We all have seen the stories of Mexican corrupt cops. These cops are paid nothing and many depend on bribes! This is so similar to Karlheim Schreiber and Brian Mulroney!
10. •  
      CommentAuthorgrumpy old man
    • CommentTimeMar 14th 2008 edited

     
    Good thing Canadian cops are squeaky clean eh?
    
    That said, you are still imposing your standards onto others in another country.
11. • CommentAuthorEastSider
    • CommentTimeMar 14th 2008

     
    Grumpy, our cops are far from being squeaky clean, you know that, I know that. All I'm saying is that she isn't getting a fair shake, and I'd say that no matter where this happened or which laws apply to this or that country.
12. •  
      CommentAuthorjim
    • CommentTimeMar 14th 2008

     
    No translator, No lawyer she can understand, No advice of what she signed , If this is Mexico I will never go back it is a barbaric way to do justice . We all have basic rights they have ignored them, Stephen Harper is to consumed with suing the Liberals. Suggest you do something Worldly and go to bat for your citizens other wise don't call your self a leader. There is no defense of his inaction , or lack of presence dealing with it.
13. •  
      CommentAuthorTriniman
    • CommentTimeMar 14th 2008

     

    Posted By: grumpy old manBut jim, who are we to impose our standards of justice and policing upon another nation? Ignore for a moment our poor justice and less than stellar policing situation, perhaps Mexico feels they have conducted themselves fully up to their standards. Where do we draw the line?

    
    
    Err, one of the reasons we're at war is to bring some semblance of our standards of democracy and civil rights, justice, etc., to Afghanistan, no?
14. • CommentAuthorFreethinker
    • CommentTimeMar 15th 2008

     

    Posted By: Triniman

    Posted By: grumpy old manBut jim, who are we to impose our standards of justice and policing upon another nation? Ignore for a moment our poor justice and less than stellar policing situation, perhaps Mexico feels they have conducted themselves fully up to their standards. Where do we draw the line?

    
    
    Err, one of the reasons we're at war is to bring some semblance of our standards of democracy and civil rights, justice, etc., to Afghanistan, no?

    
    
    So we should go to war with Mexico in order to free this woman??

    Thankful People: grumpy old man
15. •  
      CommentAuthorTriniman
    • CommentTimeMar 15th 2008

     
    No. Do you think so?
16. • CommentAuthorDeanK
    • CommentTimeMar 15th 2008

     
    Are you kidding? the USA is just itching for a real reason to take over Canada.. what better reason then us attacking Mexico?
17. • CommentAuthorFreethinker
    • CommentTimeMar 15th 2008

     
    Obviously not, but Tman seems to be comparing the war for democracy in Afghanistan to the issue of some woman awaiting trial in a Mexican jail. Its a pretty far stretch to make any comparison of the 2 issues.
    
    Keep in mind that the only info we have on this is what is being presented by the media. If I am ever charged with a crime, I hope someone does a more thorough investigation of the incident other than reading whats in the newspaper.
18. • CommentAuthorDeanK
    • CommentTimeMar 15th 2008

     
    heh... you cant call triniman Tman... thats just wrong on so many levels... :)
19. • CommentAuthorrosencrentz
    • CommentTimeMar 15th 2008

     
    It is hard to believe that anyone would be so stupid as to sign anything that one did not understand??
    She should have signed it, "I have no idea what the above says, but I am hungry, tired and thirsty, and these very nice officials tell me that I will get something to drink, eat and sleep, if I sign this paper!"
    
    Anyone going on a vacation? Send an e-mail to Mexico, and tell them that you are not going there, because you are angry that their justice system is so tainted, in comparison to how we Canadians would treat a citizen of Maxico!
20. • CommentAuthorEastSider
    • CommentTimeMar 15th 2008

     
    Dean, I don't think Freethinker was around when THE Tman was here........but something tells me those two would have gone a few good rounds in debating issues!