Last night, we told you about the situation that unfolded at the Philip Goldson International Airport yesterday evening. There was a major disturbance when a COPA flight from Panama brought 38 passengers who were eventually refused leave to land in Belize.
We've since learned that the majority of these passengers were Venezuelans, and as we told you, the immigration authorities refused to officially allow them to enter Belize, which led to a stand-off. We are informed that the Immigration authorities wanted the pilot to fly them back to Panama, but he strongly declined. They were eventually taken off the plane and then transported to the Queen Street Police Station in Belize City for detention overnight.
They have still not been removed from Belize, and today, they retained attorney OJ Elrington to represent their interests. This evening, he called a press conference in front of the Queen Street Police Station to allege that the Belizean authorities have ill-treated his clients who remain in their custody. Here's how he explained why:
Late this evening, we reached out to Foreign Minister Eamon Courtenay for comment, and we await his response to the issues raised by Elrington today.
