Oslo, Norway (CNN) -- At a prize ceremony honoring peace, Adán Cortés says violence and injustice sent him rushing toward the stage. 

In a matter of seconds, the 21-year-old Mexican student's face was seen around the world last week as he stood in front of Malala Yousafzai at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway. 

"Please Malala, Mexico," he repeated as he unfurled a Mexican flag on the stage at Oslo's City Hall, where the 17-year-old laureate was about to become the youngest person ever to receive the prestigious award. 

Oslo police have come under fire over the incident, with critics asking how someone who wasn't on the ceremony's guest list managed to slip through security checkpoints and make it to the front of the room, standing just steps away from Yousafzai and other dignitaries before security hauled him out of the auditorium. 

Speaking to CNN at an Oslo detention center on Sunday, Cortés said he knows it was a drastic move. But he felt like he had no choice and wanted only a few seconds to speak about Mexico's problems on a global stage. 

"My motivation was to show solidarity with all the things that have happened in my country, ultimately, well, the 43 missing students, who are suspected to be dead and burned, that was my main motivation," he said. "I am tired of so many injustices that we have lived in Mexico, for decades." 

The students' case has sparked national outrage in Mexico and drawn global attention to the country's continued struggles to deal with police corruption and drug-related violence. 
where did this happen?
Oslo