OJ Elrington Denied Meeting with Migrant Detainees

This afternoon, attorney Orson Elrington showed up at the Queen Street Police Station demanding to meet with his clients who have been in detention since Tuesday when they were taken into custody at the Philip Goldson International Airport.  He was denied an opportunity to meet with them.  What he told the media outside of the station is that there are as many as thirty-two persons, including a minor, at the lockup and that their basic human rights are being denied.

Orson Elrington

Orson Elrington, Attorney-at-law

“Yesterday, I’m not too sure at what time, there were at least thirty-two nationals, the majority of them being from Venezuela, who entered a flight in Belize and they were subsequently denied entry and detained by the Belizean authorities.  So I was contacted early this morning and retained by all of those individuals.  After that, I subsequently, for hours and hours, tried to ascertain the reason for their detention from the authorities.  I subsequently was informed by the authorities that the allegation is that they have not met the requirements to enter Belize.  That is fine.  What is very disturbing in this situation and the reason that I believe you guys are here is because there are some serious human rights violations which are happening in this situation.  First and foremost, my clients have informed me that they have, from since yesterday, they were given food once, denied water and not given food and only given food once at about 9:30 last night.  They have been treated inhumanely, have been subjected to cruel and inhumane punishment.  Treatment which does not comply with simple human rights standards.”