A Northland mum in Algeria trying to get her kids back from her estranged husband has made a desperate plea for him to let her see their youngest child on his first birthday today.
Mihi Puriri, from Kaikohe, said she hadn't seen their three children, daughters Iman, 5, and Assiya, 2, and son Zakaria, almost 1, for more than two weeks after her estranged husband, former professional boxer Mohamed Azzaoui, 36, took them from her.
Ms Puriri 33, left her home in August 2011 to travel to Algeria with her husband of more than 10 years, and their three children, because Mr Azzaoui said his father was gravely ill. However, she said her husband destroyed the family passports on arrival, then held them captive in a freezing apartment in his hometown of Mostaganem.
New Zealand consul from Cairo Barbara Welton later sat on the floor of the apartment, facing armed locals, to negotiate, saying: "I am not leaving this building without my citizens."
After hours of tense negotiations, the consular officials left. Ms Puriri managed to leave shortly after but the children could not be extracted.
Ms Puriri has since been diagnosed with frostbite in three toes after Mr Azzaoui locked her in the concrete apartment, where temperatures plummeted to minus 4C.
A medical report says she would have lost the toes if she had spent much longer in the apartment.
A source close to the case told the Northern Advocate Ms Puriri had been negotiating with Mr Azzaoui and his family so she could return home with the children, but talks have broken down in the bitter dispute.
Ms Puriri said Zakaria, who turns one today, was still being breastfed when she had to leave the apartment and the child is not properly weaned.
She is desperate to see Zakaria on his birthday tomorrow, but doesn't hold out much hope.
In a video posted on YouTube, a distraught Ms Puriri said it was unfair that her husband was getting to spend time with Zakaria on his birthday.
"His father couldn't be bothered to get out of bed to come to the hospital with me [for Zakaria's birth] yet he gets to enjoy and celebrate Zakaria's birthday. It's not fair," Ms Puriri said.
She said Mr Azzaoui had told her not to contact him or the children and an earlier promise to let her speak to them on Skype had not been kept.
Ms Puriri said the last time she spoke to Assiya on the phone, Mr Azzaoui snatched the phone away and told her not to ring back.
Earlier this week Mr Azzaoui said it was a matter between his wife and himself and he was angry that the media was involved.
"Mihi is saddened and disappointed that for the moment negotiations have broken down.
She implores Mohamed and the Azzaoui family to return to the negotiation table," the London-based source said.
"Mihi hopes that Mohamed will allow her to see her baby son on his first birthday. Mihi thanks the national and international media for the restraint they have exercised in their reporting and pleads for that to continue for the moment. Mihi has not been allowed to see the children for over two weeks.
"This is heartbreaking for any mother. Mihi thanks the Algerian Government for its continued support and in particular the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mourad Medelci and Algerian Minister of Justice, Tayeb Belaiz."
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE
By Mike Dinsdale of the Northern Advocate
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
No comments:
Post a Comment