Community Groups Denied Participant Status in Lucia Vega Jimenez Inquest
A coalition of eight immigrant, refugee and Latin American community groups have been denied participant status by the BC Coroners Service at the inquest into the tragic and shameful death of Lucia Vega Jimenez.
“This is a completely unreasonable decision by the BC Coroners Service. We informed the media about Lucia’s death, while the Canadian Border Services Agency hid the truth for one month. We gathered information, organized memorials, and pressed the government for justice. Given our active involvement every step of the way, we never imagined we would be excluded from this inquest, “ says journalist Karla Lottini.
Lucia Vega Jimenez was a 42-year Mexican hotel worker who died while under Canadian Border Service Agency’s custody in December 2013 after being turned over to immigration authorities by TransLink police. Just prior to her scheduled deportation to Mexico, she hung herself in cells at the Vancouver International Airport. She died eight days later, on December 28, 2013.
