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Amnesty International on Friday accused the Mexican government of unfairly imprisoning two indigenous women for the kidnapping of six police officers in 2006 and demanded their immediate release.

The two women, who were sentenced to 21 years in prison, are awaiting the outcome of their retrial. Amnesty International has adopted them as "prisoners of conscience".
 
Alberta Alcántara and Teresa González Cornelio have been held in the Centro de Readaptación de San José El Alto prison since August 2006. In January 2009 they were convicted of kidnapping six agents of the Mexican Federal Investigation Agency (AFI).

The agents claim they were held hostage by the women and other market stall holders during a raid on pirate DVD vendors on Santiago Mexquititlán square in March 2006. The only evidence against them is a photograph published in a newspaper in which Alberta and Teresa are standing next to the AFI agents.

"There is absolutely no credible evidence against Alberta and Teresa," said Rupert Knox, Mexico Researcher at Amnesty International. "We believe they have been framed as a convenient target because of their marginal status in society as poor indigenous women."
 
Alberta and Teresa were originally detained and charged together with market stall holder Jacinta Francisco Marcial, who was released in September 2009. In her case, Mexico’s Federal Attorney General’s Office decided to drop the case during the retrial because of lack of evidence.

However, despite a similar lack of evidence, the same office decided to continue to press charges against Teresa and Alberta and seek their reconviction. The final hearing of the women’s retrial was held on 3 February 2010. The judge now has 30 days to issue a new sentence.

"The case is emblematic of the discrimination and unfair trials that many indigenous people face in Mexico’s criminal justice system," said Rupert Knox. "The Mexican government must release them both immediately and without conditions. Reparations must also be awarded."

Alberta is from Santiago Mexquititlán, Municipio de Amealco de Bonfil, Querétaro. She is 31 years old. Before her detention she worked in a clothes factory and on a small plot of land owned by her family. She also made rag dolls to supplement the family income. She left school aged 13 to start work.

Teresa was born in San Francisco Shaxni, Municipio de Acambay, Mexico state. She is 25 years old. Before her detention she worked on the family land and made rag dolls. She is married to Alberta’s brother Gabriel. She gave birth to Jasmin, now 11 months old, while she was in prison.

On 26 March 2006, six police officers filed a complaint with the Attorney Federal alleging they had been kidnapped by locals during a market raid earlier in the day in Santiago Mexquititlán.
 
Four months later, the Attorney Federal ordered the arrest of three indigenous women whose faces appeared next to the police officers in a photo in a local paper. The women did not have access to an interpreter during judicial proceedings and their state appointed public defender never explained their rights or defence.

During the cross examination, the police officers contradicted each other and their main witness failed to ever appear before the court.

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/AMR/peru-report-100.jpg alt= title= /br/The Peruvian authorities must conduct fair and impartial investigations into the deaths of all those killed during violence at a road blockade led by Amazon Indigenous peoples in June, Amnesty International said in a new report. br /
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The organisation urged full investigations into the deaths of 10 Indigenous and local people, alongside those already underway into the killings of 23 police officers during the incident. br /
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At least 200 people were also injured on 5 June after police intervened to end a peaceful protest by thousands of people over the use of land and resources on a road near Bagua in northern Peru. br /
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ldquo;Measures must be taken to bring all the alleged perpetrators of these serious abuses to justice and provide reparation to all the victimsrdquo;, said Guadalupe Marengo, Deputy Americas Director at Amnesty International. br /
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Thousands of Indigenous people had been peacefully blockading the road for over 50 days in protest against new legislation which they claim poses a threat to their livelihood. br /
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The report reveals that while protesters have been detained and charged in connection with the deaths of the police, none of those suspected of involvement in deaths and injuries of protesters have so far been charged br /
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Indigenous leaders have also faced intimidation and harassment from the authorities. br /
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ldquo;Harassment and intimidation of Indigenous leaders has to stop and the right of Indigenous Peoples to free, prior and informed consent on any decision which could affect their right to land and resources must be guaranteedrdquo;, said Guadalupe Marengo. br /
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During its investigation, Amnesty International spoke to witnesses and relatives of those killed, who revealed new details about the eruption of violence. br /
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One of the individuals that Amnesty International spoke to was Violeta Piitug Wampush, the widow of Felipe Sabio Ceacute;sar Saacute;nchez, an Indigenous leader from the small Indigenous community of Wawaacute;s and a reporter for a local radio station.nbsp; nbsp;br /
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He was shot dead on his way out of Baguarsquo;s hospital, where he had gone to report on Indigenous people killed and injured that day. br /
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nbsp;ldquo;Just as they are acknowledging the police officers [who died on 5 June] as servants of the state, they should acknowledge [my] husband too hellip; [he] fell in defence of the Amazon territoryrdquo; she told Amnesty International. br /
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Eleven of the 23 police officers were killed while they were held hostage by Indigenous protesters and the whereabouts of one police officer remain unknown. br /
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Flor de Mariacute;a Vaacute;squez, the wife of Comandante Miguel Antoacute;n Montenegro Castillo, one of the police officers killed on 5 June, is still waiting for answers to why the police didnrsquo;t send more reinforcements to help them.nbsp; nbsp;br /
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ldquo;This is a situation that could have been avoided beforehand, they could have rescued them, they could have saved them. Why didnrsquo;t they get there? Thatrsquo;s the explanation that they havenrsquo;t given us,rdquo; she told Amnesty International. br /
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strongBackground /strongbr /
In July 2009 Amnesty International visited the towns of Bagua, Bagua Grande, and some of the Indigenous communities who took part in the road blockade and protests. br /
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Amnesty International interviewed relatives of those who died, including relatives of police officers who were killed, as well as protestors, detainees and eye witnesses, and Indigenous and community leaders.

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/ECA/switzerland-irene-khan-100×100.jpg alt= title= /br/Political leaders meeting in Copenhagen next week must reach a fair, ambitious and binding deal on climate change that does not leave out and further disadvantage the world’s poor, said Mary Robinson and Irene Khan.br /
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Mary Robinson ndash; former President of Ireland, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and President of the Ethical Globalization Initiative ndash; and Irene Khan ndash; Secretary General of Amnesty International ndash; participated in a conference organized by Amnesty International to discuss the impact of climate change on human rights in the run up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15).br /
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Mary Robinson and Irene Khan issued the following joint statement: br /
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emThe cruel fact about global climate change is that while the problem has largely been caused by emissions from the richest countries, the poorest will pay the price. If governments fail to act in Copenhagen next month, basic human rights for the worlds poorest and most marginalised communities will hang in the balance. The rights to food, water, shelter and heath all risk being undermined by climate change. There is an urgent need for an ambitious, fair and binding agreement at COP15 in Copenhagen. /embr /
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Stating that the effects of climate change will be felt most by people experiencing human rights abuses because they are poor or vulnerable, like women and indigenous people, Mary Robinson and Irene Khan cautioned that if governments don’t comply with their human rights obligations when responding to climate change, it could reinforce the links between denial of rights and vulnerability to climate change.br /
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Governments are legally bound to address inequality and non-discrimination and they called for adaptation and mitigation policies to prioritize those whose rights are most at risk through patterns of discrimination.br /
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Warning that billions of the worldrsquo;s poorest people are adversely affected by climate change and yet are not central to the UN Climate Change Conference, they called for an urgent, people-centered approach to countering climate change and ensuring the future for generations to come. They urged governments to conduct adequate and meaningful consultation with affected people, involving them in decision-making on the adaptation and mitigation strategies that would affect their lives.br /
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quot;The time has passed when politicians and the public could imagine climate change as problem for the future,quot; cautioned Mary Robinson.br /
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quot;Climate change is a threat to the survival and enjoyment of human rights. If we donrsquo;t deal with climate change no one will have a secure world.quot;br /
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quot;The fight against poverty and the fight against climate change are an integral fight for the rights of the marginalized peoples of this world,quot; said Irene Khan.br /
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quot;If we don’t address climate change all gains to eradicate poverty risk being wiped out.quot;br /
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Both human rights leaders called on the general public to support the Tck Tck Tck campaign.br /
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TckTckTck is the campaigning hub for more than 50 international organizations that are part of the Global Campaign for Climate Action.br /
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Almost 10 million TckTckTck supporters have called for an ambitious, binding and fair deal at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15).br /
nbsp;br /
Amnesty International’s Demand Dignity campaign aims to end the human rights violations that drive and deepen global poverty.br /
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The campaign is mobilizing people all over the world to demand that governments, corporations and others who have power, listen to the voices of those living in poverty and recognize and protect their rights. br /
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An Amnesty International delegation will participate in COP15. br /

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/ASA/aus-hlm-100.jpg alt= title= /br/Slamming decades of failure by Australian governments to address the dire living conditions, disempowerment and discrimination faced by many of the countryrsquo;s Indigenous peoples, Amnesty Internationalrsquo;s Secretary General Irene Khan warned that the government of Prime Minister Rudd must not squander its unique opportunity to right these historic wrongs.br /
nbsp;br /
In the latest in a long line of indignities, some 45,000 Aboriginal people are today still subject to state-sponsored racially discriminatory measures, including blanket quarantining of social security payments as a result of the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER). nbsp;br /
nbsp;br /
ldquo;The blunt force of the Interventionrsquo;s heavy handed lsquo;one size fits allrsquo; approach cannot deliver the desired results. The Government will not secure the long term protection of women and children unless there is an integrated human rights solution that empower peoples and engages them to take responsibility for the solutions,rdquo; Irene Khan said. br /
nbsp;br /
Welcoming the commitment she had received from Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin that the Government would introduce legislation to reinstate the Racial Discrimination Act in the Northern Territory, Irene Khan called on the Government to ensure that it does so in line with Australiarsquo;s international obligations not to discriminate against Indigenous peoples.br /
nbsp;br /
While noting that grave levels of violence against women and children is the stated rationale for the NTER, Irene Khan emphasized that respect for women and childrenrsquo;s human rights would not be secured without respect for all human rights for all. nbsp;br /
nbsp;br /
ldquo;Indigenous people in remote Aboriginal communities deserve the same respect, safety and protection as does any Australian ndash; but this will not be achieved in a sustained manner under the Emergency Response which is stigmatizing and disempowering an already marginalized people and which is in violation of Australiarsquo;s international obligations,rdquo; said Irene Khan.br /
nbsp;br /
As part of her visit to Australia, Amnesty Internationalrsquo;s Secretary General visited the Utopia region in central Australia, an impoverished grouping of homeland communities 350 kilometres northeast of Alice Springs. nbsp;br /
nbsp;br /
ldquo;For a country which by human development standards is the third most developed in the world and one which has emerged from the global financial crisis comparatively unscathed, such a level of poverty, is inexcusable, unexpected and unacceptable,rdquo; said Irene Khan. br /
nbsp;br /
ldquo;In the heart of this first world I found scenes more reminiscent of the third world.nbsp; That Indigenous peoples experience human rights violations on a continent of such privilege is not merely disheartening, it is morally outrageous.nbsp; The moral imperative to eradicate such poverty is no less an imperative on government than to eliminate torture.rdquo; nbsp;br /
nbsp;br /
Irene Khan called for a new approach, grounded in a genuine respect for traditional culture and with human rights principles at its core, to tackle the complex problem of the entrenched poverty and discrimination faced by Indigenous peoples in Australia.br /
nbsp;br /
ldquo;There is a real risk of an enormous opportunity for change being squandered. The governmentrsquo;s apology to the Stolen Generations and other Indigenous Australians along with its support for the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a welcome shift from the past.nbsp; This Government is making a serious financial and political investment but to achieve the returns it wants, it must replace its blunt and blanket policy approaches.rdquo;br /
nbsp;br /
ldquo;The pathway out of poverty for Indigenous people must have the hallmarks of respect for human rights: voice must matter, equality cannot be compromised, security must be delivered on a human scale and active engagement for long term solutions must be made local, personal and perennial.quot;br /
nbsp;br /
Amnesty International called on the whole of the government, not just individual Ministries, to develop an integrated approach ndash; an approach that places all human rights ndash; not merely some human rights – at the centre and which allows all human rights to be respected and exercised by Indigenous Australians. nbsp;br /
nbsp;br /
ldquo;To fulfil its enormous potential on the regional and global stage, the Rudd Government must make lsquo;bringing human rights homersquo; its central goal,rdquo; concluded Irene Khan.

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/ASA/aus-hlm-100.jpg alt= title= /br/Slamming decades of failure by Australian governments to address the dire living conditions, disempowerment and discrimination faced by many of the countryrsquo;s Indigenous peoples, Amnesty Internationalrsquo;s Secretary General Irene Khan warned that the government of Prime Minister Rudd must not squander its unique opportunity to right these historic wrongs.br /
nbsp;br /
In the latest in a long line of indignities, some 45,000 Aboriginal people are today still subject to state-sponsored racially discriminatory measures, including blanket quarantining of social security payments as a result of the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER). nbsp;br /
nbsp;br /
ldquo;The blunt force of the Interventionrsquo;s heavy handed lsquo;one size fits allrsquo; approach cannot deliver the desired results. The Government will not secure the long term protection of women and children unless there is an integrated human rights solution that empower peoples and engages them to take responsibility for the solutions,rdquo; Irene Khan said. br /
nbsp;br /
Welcoming the commitment she had received from Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin that the Government would introduce legislation to reinstate the Racial Discrimination Act in the Northern Territory, Irene Khan called on the Government to ensure that it does so in line with Australiarsquo;s international obligations not to discriminate against Indigenous peoples.br /
nbsp;br /
While noting that grave levels of violence against women and children is the stated rationale for the NTER, Irene Khan emphasized that respect for women and childrenrsquo;s human rights would not be secured without respect for all human rights for all. nbsp;br /
nbsp;br /
ldquo;Indigenous people in remote Aboriginal communities deserve the same respect, safety and protection as does any Australian ndash; but this will not be achieved in a sustained manner under the Emergency Response which is stigmatizing and disempowering an already marginalized people and which is in violation of Australiarsquo;s international obligations,rdquo; said Irene Khan.br /
nbsp;br /
As part of her visit to Australia, Amnesty Internationalrsquo;s Secretary General visited the Utopia region in central Australia, an impoverished grouping of homeland communities 350 kilometres northeast of Alice Springs. nbsp;br /
nbsp;br /
ldquo;For a country which by human development standards is the third most developed in the world and one which has emerged from the global financial crisis comparatively unscathed, such a level of poverty, is inexcusable, unexpected and unacceptable,rdquo; said Irene Khan. br /
nbsp;br /
ldquo;In the heart of this first world I found scenes more reminiscent of the third world.nbsp; That Indigenous peoples experience human rights violations on a continent of such privilege is not merely disheartening, it is morally outrageous.nbsp; The moral imperative to eradicate such poverty is no less an imperative on government than to eliminate torture.rdquo; nbsp;br /
nbsp;br /
Irene Khan called for a new approach, grounded in a genuine respect for traditional culture and with human rights principles at its core, to tackle the complex problem of the entrenched poverty and discrimination faced by Indigenous peoples in Australia.br /
nbsp;br /
ldquo;There is a real risk of an enormous opportunity for change being squandered. The governmentrsquo;s apology to the Stolen Generations and other Indigenous Australians along with its support for the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a welcome shift from the past.nbsp; This Government is making a serious financial and political investment but to achieve the returns it wants, it must replace its blunt and blanket policy approaches.rdquo;br /
nbsp;br /
ldquo;The pathway out of poverty for Indigenous people must have the hallmarks of respect for human rights: voice must matter, equality cannot be compromised, security must be delivered on a human scale and active engagement for long term solutions must be made local, personal and perennial.quot;br /
nbsp;br /
Amnesty International called on the whole of the government, not just individual Ministries, to develop an integrated approach ndash; an approach that places all human rights ndash; not merely some human rights – at the centre and which allows all human rights to be respected and exercised by Indigenous Australians. nbsp;br /
nbsp;br /
ldquo;To fulfil its enormous potential on the regional and global stage, the Rudd Government must make lsquo;bringing human rights homersquo; its central goal,rdquo; concluded Irene Khan.

Brazilian and Paraguayan authorities must redouble their efforts to find an indigenous teacher who has been missing since 30 October following a violent eviction of activists on the border between the two nations, said Amnesty International.br /
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Fears for the life of the teacher, Rolindo Vera, have intensified following the discovery of the badly bruised body of his cousin and fellow indigenous teacher, Genivaldo Vera, in a nearby river.br /
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The men were teaching literacy skills in the Aldeia Pirajuiacute; ndash; an extremely poor, 3,000-strong Indigenous community, blighted by poverty and high infant mortality.br /
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They were caught up in the violent land dispute that has seen several attacks on indigenous communities claiming land rights in recent months.br /
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Twenty-five members of the Guarani Kaiowa indigenous people from the Aldeia Pirajuiacute;, reoccupied farmlands they claim as ancestral near the town of Paranhos on the Brazil/Paraguayan border on 28 October.br /
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Two days later, as the Indigenous group began erecting shacks; dozens of armed men arrived in a truck and began firing rubber bullets, leaving women and children fleeing for their lives into the undergrowth.br /
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Community members say that they saw Genivaldo Vera being dragged off by the gunmen and Rolindo Vera fleeing into the bushes. Genivaldo Vera’s body was found in a nearby stream on 7 November, although it was not identified until 10 November.br /
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An official forensic report has not yet been issued, but photos of the body released by the police to the family show that Genivaldorsquo;s head had been shaven, his body had extensive bruising and there were marks around wrists suggesting that he had been bound.br /
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Indigenous villages on the other side of the border have reported suspicious movements in the immediate aftermath of the eviction, suggesting that Rolindo Vera may have been abducted and taken into Paraguay.br /
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Local NGOs are extremely concerned for Rolindo Vera’s safety and have criticized the authorities for their slowness to respond to the community’s pleas for an investigation into his whereabouts.br /
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Amnesty International has called on the authorities to launch an immediate and thorough investigation into the violent eviction from farmlands near the border town of Paranhos and the subsequent death of Genivaldo Vera and to bring those responsible to justice.br /
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The ancestral lands that the community reoccupied should have already been identified with a view to future demarcation, but the farm lobby has repeatedly blocked the anthropological surveys necessary for identification.br /
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Because of the ongoing failure to resolve outstanding land claims, several Guarani Kaiowa communities have ended up reoccupying the lands, which have been followed by a series of violent evictions, often involving armed men. br /
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Irregular security companies, many of whom are effectively acting as illegal militias in the service of landowners or the agro-industry, have been involved in many human rights abuses in rural Brazil and remain a serious threat to both Indigenous peoples and rural workers fighting for their right to land.

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/AMR/paraguay-community-100×100.jpg alt= title= /br/Amnesty International has condemned the use of apparently toxic pesticides to intimidate an indigenous community after they resisted being forcibly evicted from their ancestral lands. br /
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The organization urged the Paraguayan authorities to step up its efforts to provide protection and healthcare to them, and investigate the events of last week.br /
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On Friday 6 November, over 50 men apparently representing Brazilian soya farmers claiming ownership of the land arrived in the Itakyry district of eastern Paraguay to try and remove them by force. The Indigenous Peoples resisted using bows and arrows.br /
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Later that day, an airplane arrived and sprayed directly above their homes with what are believed to be pesticides normally used on soya crops. Over 200 people were affected, reporting sickness and fainting among other symptoms. At least 7 people were taken to hospital.br /
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In a further worring development, The Human Rights Commission of the Paraguayan Senate, the same body that recently thwarted attempts to return traditional land to another indigenous community, the Yakye Axa, was also used by politicians as a platform to promote the eviction. br /
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A worrying precedent had been set earlier in the week when the Human Rights Commission of the Paraguayan Senate, the same body that recently thwarted attempts to return traditional land to another indigenous community, the Yakye Axa, was used as a platform to promote the eviction.br /
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The eviction order was cancelled by a district prosecutor just before it was due to be carried out on Friday 6 November. It is believed that the threats against the community were carried out in retaliation. br /
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ldquo;Indigenous Peoplesacute; lives are being put in jeopardy by those who should protect them,rdquo; said Louise Finer, Paraguay Researcher at Amnesty International. ldquo;The risk faced by the Itakyry communities was predictable. Insufficient action was taken to protect them from the threats they faced from this renewed attempt to evict them from their ancestral lands.rdquo; br /
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ldquo;The Paraguayan authorities – the Executive, Congress and the Judiciary – must work together to address the immediate needs of the communities after this attack, but also to ensure that it does not happen again.quot; said Louise Finer.br /
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Only a small number of local police were present during the attack, despite the threat of intimidation towards the communities.br /
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Despite local authorities promising to send ambulances to assist people suffering complaints such as vomiting and fainting following the spraying, it took several hours for them to receive any health treatment. br /
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Despite the rights of Paraguayacute;s Indigenous Peoples being a key campaign pledge of President Fernando Lugo, the legacy of widespread land misappropriation from the dictatorship-period remains unaddressed. br /
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Promoting large agricultural development is often put before safeguarding the land titles of Indigenous Peoples. The seriousness of the governmentacute;s commitment to addressing their land claims has not been demonstrated in practice.br /
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In May, Amnesty International denounced that deforestation, soya plantations and the use of agro-chemicals continued to affect the livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples. br /
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Recent satellite imagery shows that deforestation in the north of Paraguay continues unabated despite existing government controls, putting at risk Indigenous groups such as the isolated Totobiegosode peoplesbr /
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In October, Amnesty International criticised the Paraguayan Congress for rejecting a draft bill that would have allowed the state to return ancestral lands to the Yakye Axa indigenous community, leaving at least 90 families homeless. br /
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According to international human rights standards, the right to traditional lands is crucial to Indigenous Peoples as it is a vital element of their sense of identity, livelihood and way of life.br /

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/AMR/paraguay-yakye-axa-100×100.jpg alt= title= /br/Amnesty International has criticised the Paraguayan Congress for rejecting a draft bill that would have returned ancestral land to the Yakye Axa indigenous community. Thursday’s decision to reject the bill leaves at least 90 families homeless. br /
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For 10 years, the Yakye Axa Indigenous community has lived alongside a major highway next to their land, 300 kilometres from the capital Asuncion. They lack access to water, regular food supplies, adequate medical care and land to cultivate. br /
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quot;The Paraguayan Congress has sent a very clear message: they do not care about the lives of Indigenous Peoples,quot; said Louise Finer, Paraguay researcher at Amnesty International. br /
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quot;It seems that, once again, powerful interests are standing in the way of protecting the rights of the most marginalized sectors of Paraguayan society,quot; said Louise Finer. quot;These lands belong to the Yakye Axa and should be returned to them immediately, their lives depend on it.quot; br /
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In 2005 the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that the Paraguayan authorities must return the land to the Yakye Axa. br /
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The Court set a deadline of 13 July 2008 for the return of these lands and Paraguay suggested that this could be achieved legally by expropriation. Nearly a year after the President presented this bill to Congress, it was rejected. br /
br /
According to international human rights standards, the right to traditional lands is crucial to Indigenous Peoples as it is a vital element of their sense of identity, livelihood and way of life. br /
br /
Official figures say there are around 108,600 Indigenous citizens of Paraguay ndash; 1.7 per cent of the population ndash; although this is likely to be a significant underestimate of the true figure.

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/AMR/mexico-jacinta-100×100.jpg alt= title= /br/Amnesty International welcomes the release of Mexican prisoner of conscience Jacinta Francisco Marcial, who was held in prison for three years after being falsely accused of kidnapping six federal agents.br /
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The mother of six, an Otomiacute; Indigenous woman from Santiago Mexquititlaacute;n in the Mexican state of Quereacute;taro, was sentenced to 21 years’ imprisonment in December 2006.br /
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Amnesty International is calling for a full review into her unfounded prosecution and for her to receive full compensation for unfair and wrongful imprisonment. br /
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ldquo;The Mexican government has finally recognised that there was never evidence to justify Jacintarsquo;s trial and conviction of 21 years imprisonment on charges of kidnapping,rdquo; said Kerrie Howard, Americas Deputy Director at Amnesty International. br /
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ldquo;Jacinta and her family have been robbed of three years of her life while she has been detained in prison for a crime she did not commit. Nothing will bring back the time she lost in prison. However, it is vital that those responsible for this injustice are held to account and that she is fully compensated.rdquo; br /
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The 46-year-old was released by the judge presiding over the retrial following an appeal won in her favour earlier in 2009. The judgersquo;s decision was inevitable after the Federal Attorney Generalrsquo;s Office announced that it was dropping the case against Jacinta due to lack of evidence.br /
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Jacinta Francisco Marcial was convicted of the kidnapping of six Mexican Federal Investigation Agency (Agencia Federal de Investigacioacute;n, AFI) agents. br /
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They claimed they were held hostage by Jacinta and other market stall holders during a raid on pirate DVD vendors on Santiago Mexquititlaacute;n square in March 2006. br /
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More than four months after the event, on 3 August 2006, Jacinta was arrested and taken to the Federal Attorney General’s Office. She was told she was going to be questioned about the felling of a tree. However, once at the prison she found out that she, along with two other women, were being accused of kidnapping the agents.br /
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Amnesty International adopted Jacinta as a prisoner of conscience on 18 August 2009 after concluding there was no evidence against her and she had been arrested, tried and convicted because she was a poor Indigenous woman.br /
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The release raises serious questions about the reliability of the entire prosecution case and highlights clear failings in the investigation.br /
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Amnesty International has called for a full and impartial review of the investigation, including the case against co-defendants Alberta Alcaacute;ntara and Teresa Gonzaacute;lez, who were also convicted of kidnapping the six federal agents along with Jacinta.br /
outcome of a retrial.