For Rui Boy

This is a letter from Nathan. He has finally gotten the chance to explain a bit about the injustice and craziness that happened to him…;

Nathan’s words:

Hi Mr. Ohashi, could you pass this letter to my good friend Mrs. Darlene, thank you so much, and once again thank you for your hard work at the last hearing, looking forward to seeing you soon. Regarding the events that occurred on the 14th of November 2010 are summarized here:

 I was arrested around 10 pm, I know this because it was the last time I spoke to my ex-wife over the phone which was around 8pm and shortly after I was thrown inside a white car with two police officers on the back.

 I was taken to Tainai police station and I did not resist enterance to the interrogation room while I was pushed against the floor. At that point one of the police officers kicked me on the stomch, while I tried to shield my body from further blows. Another police officer stepped on my injured hand, after both of the officers pulled me by the hair to lift me up, while a third police officer snapped photos of me with cell phone. A fourth officer enter the room and saw what was happening, he intervened and told one of the two officers that was pulling my hair to stop. At that point they took my phone. I waited perhaps 2-3 hours before I was transferred to the Nishiku police station.

 Arriving at the Nishiku police station I was stripped of my clothing and asked to wear some of the police station pajamas. The two police officers at Nishiku asked me if I had any injuries. I said to them that I had cuts on my legs and fingers. They asked me if I had any medical problems and I said that I have an ulcer and that I would like to see a doctor. This was confirmed approximetly two weeks later by the doctor, but no medication was given because the officers said I was fine.

 On the 15th of November (a Monday) they asked me about my medical problems and again I said the injuries in my hand and legs, plus the ulcer. I asked them to be taken to the doctor so that I could be given treatment. The officers denied me access to a doctor and said that I need to aske the cheif of police. I asked to se the chief of police and the officers told me that he was busy and didn’t enjoy speaking with criminals (however they never left the room to ask).

 It was not until 4 days later (after being arrested) and my threat that I would not answer any questions until I saw proper medical treatment that I was taken to see a doctor. When I arrived at the clinic the doctor confirmed my suspicion and was a little angry at the officers for not bringing me sooner. The doctor informed me that my finger was infected and it was bleeding internally, as well as the infection was spreading to the rest of my hand. He gave me antibiotics and bandages for my legs along with a cold press packs for my finger. This injury didn’t heal completely till April.

 While being held at Nishiku I was interrogated from day one without ever seeing an attorney before hand. I was being forced to sign confessions by the interrrogator as well as the procecutors office under the pretense that if I didn’t sign them “I was not sorry for what I had done”, and that they would make my life very impossible in the days to come. I was accused of being a racist although a great deal of my friends are Japanese and so are my ex-wife and my daughter Yukari. Of course it was an intimidation tactic.

 The interrogator wanted to force me to take DNA samples so they could keep on file. I asked to see a Japanese law book that showed I was required and of course this was never produced.

 From the first day I was there I asked to send a letter to my parents in the USA and Mexico and the police told me that it was impossible. About three weeks later they said I could only if I paid 5,000 yen perpage to a translator and I had to hire the translator on my own. I asked if I could contact a translator by fax or phone and the police told me that I could only use a translator from their “approved list”. I asked to see the list and the police told me that they would show it to me. I never saw that list.

 After a great deal of back and forth I was allowed to send one letter to my family and was told directly that this was being done as a courtesy and I would not be allowed to to contact my parents of any other family outside of  Japan unless it was a death emergency. This was in the middle of December before the Winter holiday.

 I saw in at least one occasion later a letter under my name from my family. When I asked about it they (the police) would quickly hide it from me and said that I didn’t know what I was talking about. There were about 5 letters sent from my mom from November to December. None were ever delivered to me. This was confirmed by my mom when she visited me on April 27th, 2011 and later told me that I needed to pay 5,000yen each time I recieved a letter if I wanted to read them. I said I would pay, but I never saw a letter.

 I asked to see a doctor about my stomach pains and chest pains I was having even after the plice saww that I was spitting blood. Their answer was always “no”. Sometime later I was allowed to take sleeping medication after asking the visiting doctor because the pain in my stomach and chest was keeping me awake.

 I was visited about three times by my ex-boss. The first time she told me that the police had said horrible things about me and she wanted to confirm if they were true. I said to her that I was not being allowed to talk about my case by the plice officers. Later the police officers informed me that I could not have any visitors unless they were accompanied by a police translator that I had to hire, but again the police couldn’t give me a list or any way for we to hire a translator.

 The police rules were, from what they told me “no books allowed unless they were in Japanese. “No visitors allowed unless they were Japanese Nationals.” “No speaking English to anyone.” “No letter to my family unless they were in Japanese or I paid 5,000yen a page.” “No medical attention unless I talked to the police chief of which he refused to talk to criminals”. “No speaking to my lawyer unless it was only 30 mintues, if I went over I would not be allowed to speak to him next time.” “No letters to my lawyer unless they were in Japanese”. I could only give a letter to my lawyer if they were allowed to read it (the police) and make a copy. The police “lost” my phone which had proof that I didn’t harm my daughter until I made a complain to the police chief, the Meixican embassy and the final hearing was over. Before that it was listed in either the police stations books of the procecutors list. When I recived it, it was missing it’s case and the name if me and my daughter from the front of the phone. No explanation was given by the police of its whereabouts.

 I don’t care to talk about the harrassment and threats I recieved from the police because as I witness with my own eyes when one of the police officers violently hit a woman prisoner on the back of the head while in custody. I do not wish the same to happen to me in the future.

 I’ve asked for a cholesterol check, eye vision check for galsses and a physical check for the past six months and I have been injured while I been in custody, yet no one wants to do anything about it. Perhaps they will not do much or anything about it until someone dies. This morning I coughed up blood on the sink. I am sending you a sample. Perhaps they will listen now.

 Nathanael Teutle Retamoza