APaz 05/06 1751 Nudist Jailed
Kingman (AP) -- Federal immigration authorities say they are
moving ahead with deportation proceedings against a
Greek-Canadian nudism advocate currently serving a 43-day jail
sentence.
Esyedepeea Aesfyza, also known as Zevs Cosmos, was in his
second week of incaceration Wednesday in the Mojave County Jail
stemming from a contempt of court judgment imposed by Colorado
City Magistrate I. McKay Heaton.
Cosmos was arrested April 21 in Colorado City and charged with
being a public nuisance. Authorities said he was leaving flyers,
with nude photographs of himself, in area newspaper boxes. Max
Hyatt, assistant district director for investigation in the
Phoenix office of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization
Service, said that Cosmos had been served with an order to show
cause why he should not be deported.
Cosmos, who advocates public nudity through his so-called
Nudist Christian Church, has the opportunity to post an
appearance bond. If he cannot come up with that, he will have to
remain in jail, Hyatt said.
Hyatt said an order to show cause hearing will be held either
in Florence, Ariz., where INS has a processing facility, or in
Phoenix. No date was set.
In a telephone interview, Cosmos said Tuesday that he had
interrupted a hunger strike begun at the time of his arrest, but
planned to continue the fast.
"I had some granola, raisins and milk and orange," he said. "I
do not plan to eat (again) until they let me go or until I pass
out," he said, adding that jail officials have placed him in an
isolation cell because of his refusal to eat.
Cosmos said that if he is not deported, he plans to return to
Colorado City, a polygamist community located on the Arizona-Utah
border.
"I want to hike in the National Nudist Wilderness (officially
the Canann Mountain Wilderness Study Area) because it's warm up
there," he said.
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