‘I want to be heard’

Caitlin Doiron November 1, 2013 No comments News, Our Top Stories

court, fredericton, hunger strike, professor, STU

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Santiago Mora talking to journalists in front of the Fredericton court

house (Photo: MacKenzie Riley)

Outside of the Fredericton courthouse, Santiago Mora, a small bearded

man, sits in his fold up chair. It’s raining and the wind is cold. He

displays a sign that says “Hunger Strike.”

Mora is an anthropology professor at St. Thomas University. Originally

from Colombia, he moved to Fredericton 17 years ago with his then wife

Claudia Rocha and three children.

In 2008, Mora and Rocha got a legal divorce in Colombia. Mora took full

custody of their three children and they spilt the assets between them.

He said they agreed there would be no alimony and neither would sue

the other.

“There is no crime,” said Mora. “I want them [the courts] to consider the

papers from Colombia.”

Two weeks ago, while on sabbatical in Colombia, Mora received an email

from his lawyer saying the provincial court of New Brunswick had

ordered him to pay a huge grievance of his salary to Rocha.

The alleged amount of money was so high, Mora was force to put up his

house for sale. He said the amount is too high for him to pay while

supporting himself and paying other bills.

Now he is doing the only thing he can think of, going on hunger strike

until someone from the court agrees to talk to him.

“I want to be heard by a judge,” he said. “I want to be heard by someone

with authority who can do something.”

Today starts the first day of payment, and the first day of hunger. Mora

says he is prepared to wait, even as the weather gets colder. He wears

a yellow rain jacket and carries a backpack with water and blankets.

“We will see,” he said. “I never imagined to do something like this. I

don’t know how long it can last.”

Rocha and her lawyer could not been reached before time of

publication.