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April 22, 2008
Brenda Martin Sentenced to Five Years
The Canadian woman I wrote about earlier for being held in a Mexican prison for two years without being given a trial has been found guilty of accepting illicit funds and sentenced to five years.
No further explanation was given by the judge in his oral statement as to why he reached a verdict of guilty.
A few days ago, news sources were reporting that Canada had cut a deal with Mexico to immediately be extradite her if she were found guilty, but accounts subsequent to the verdict contradict this, citing a Mexican law that convicted prisoners must wait for a five-day appeal period before initiating an appeal or transfer process. Other stories report that the judge's entire 109-page verdict must be translated to English before she is taken to Canada because Correctional Services will have to determine how it will treat her. The reality, it seems, is that it will be between several weeks and several months before she could be released for transfer to Canada.
According to an article in The Windsor Star,
A source within the Mexican justice system told Canwest News Service that the judge's ruling was completed last Thursday, but was held for release until Tuesday afternoon. The ruling came down roughly two hours after Prime Minister Stephen Harper wrapped up high-profile trade talks in Mexico with presidents George W. Bush of the United States and Felipe Calderon of Mexico.
We wouldn't want some pesky civil rights case to sully trade talks, now would we?
Posted by crispy at April 22, 2008 12:04 AM