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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.

p
strongHuman rights activists in Mexico face life-threatening harassment and attacks, while the government does very little to protect them.br /
br /
Here are profiles of three such activists who in the course of their work have been subjected to threats, acts of intimidation and arbitrary detention. br /
br /
Obtilia Eugenio Manuel/strongbr /
br /
img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/AMR/mexico-obtilia-300.jpg title=Obtilia Eugenio Manuel of the Me#039;Phaa People#039;s Organization alt=Obtilia Eugenio Manuel of the Me#039;Phaa People#039;s Organization height=240 width=300 class=asset-align-right/The founder and President of the Organization of the Mersquo; phaa Indigenous People (OPIM) in Guerrero, Obtilia Eugenio Manuel is a longstanding campaigner for the rights of Indigenous people.br /
br /
She has been the target of numerous threats, acts of intimidation and surveillance since the Mersquo; phaa and Mixteco Indigenous communities started to organize in 1998. br /
br /
The campaign of intimidation against her and the risks to her life became so serious in recent years, Obtilia and her family were forced to relocate to another community.br /
br /
For example, in March 2009, just after a ceremony commemorating human rights defender Rauacute;l Lucas Luciacute;a, who was murdered in February 2009, Obtilia received three death threats by text message to her mobile phone. br /
br /
In January 2009, she was followed on numerous occasions. One time, she recognized one of the men following her. She had reported several earlier incidents involving the same man to the authorities, but they asked her to provide more evidence before they would investigate.br /
br /
On one occasion he leaned out of his car and shouted: quot;Do you think yoursquo;re so brave? Are you a real woman? Letrsquo;s hope you also go to prisonhellip; If you donrsquo;t go to prison, we’ll kill you.quot;
br /
None of the threats or acts of intimidation against her have been investigated.br /
br /
Obtilia, 32, and her partner have two daughters aged 8 and 6 and a son aged 4.br /
br /
strongJesuacute;s Emilianobr /
br /
/strongimg src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/AMR/mexico-jesus-300.jpg title=Jesús Emiliano of Peasant Farmers#039; Democratic Front of Chihuahua alt=Jesús Emiliano of Peasant Farmers#039; Democratic Front of Chihuahua height=240 width=300 class=asset-align-right/Jesuacute;s Emiliano is a leading member of the Peasant Farmers’ Democratic Front of Chihuahua, north Mexico, an organization that campaigns for the economic rights of poor rural farmers.br /
br /
Jesuacute;s was arbitrarily detained on spurious criminal charges by federal authorities in 2007 on account of his human rights activism and as a way of stopping him from defending human rights.br /
br /
Amnesty International has documented similar abuses against many other human rights activists.br /
br /
Jesuacute;s was arbitrarily detained in Chihuahua City on 9 March 2007 and charged with sabotage, a federal criminal offence. He was released unconditionally five days later, after the federal judge dismissed the charges for lack of evidence. br /
br /
The Federal Public Prosecutorrsquo;s Office requested Jesuacute;srsquo; detention claiming the charges against him were linked to a demonstration in 2005 on a federal highway.br /
br /
After his lawyer gained access to the files, he discovered the charges were related to Jesuacute;srsquo; participation in a in a different demonstration to demand support for poor small-scale farmers on 20 February 2007 outside the building of the Chihuahua office of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. br /
br /
Such irregularities were acknowledged by the judge who dismissed the case, but no action was taken against the federal authorities for wrongful arrest. br /
br /
Jesuacute;s, 42, is married and has six children aged 23, 21, 20, 18, 2 and a 3-month-old baby.strongbr /
br /
Father Alejandro Solalinde/strongbr /
br /
img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/AMR/mexico-father-alejandro-300.jpg title=Father Alejandro Solalinde Guerra of the Catholic Pastoral Care Centre for Migrants in SW Mexico alt=Father Alejandro Solalinde Guerra of the Catholic Pastoral Care Centre for Migrants in SW Mexico height=240 width=300 class=asset-align-right/quot;I will never be the same person that I was before I started working to defend the rights of migrants. My family knows that the security risks are big and they have accepted that as have I.quot;br /
br /
Father Alejandro Solalinde is the Co-ordinator of the Catholic Pastoral Care Centre for Migrants in South-western Mexico and Director of a migrantsrsquo; shelter in Ciudad Ixtepec, Oaxaca state. br /
br /
Since 2005 Father Alejandro Solalinde has dedicated his life to providing a place of safety for migrants, away from the criminal gangs who exploit and abuse them. br /
br /
He has travelled on the network of freight trains taken by migrants heading to Mexicorsquo;s northern border, saying that doing the journey himself was the only way of finding out about the horrors migrants have to face.nbsp; br /
br /
On 26 February 2007, he set up the Ciudad Ixtepec migrant shelter next to the railway lines used by travelling Central Americas. Over 400 migrants slept at the shelter on that first night and the flow of people has been constant ever since. br /
br /
Because of his work, Father Solalinde has been continuously threatened and intimidated by local gangs and officials. br /
br /
Last December, he was warned that a criminal gang operating in Veracruz and Oaxaca planned to kill him.br /
br /
emPhoto copyrights: Obtilia Eugenio Manuel (CDHM Tlachinollan AC) Jesuacute;s Emiliano (Private) and Father Alejandro Solalinde (Amnesty International/Ricardo Ramiacute;rez Arriola)/em
/p

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/AMR/mexico-prisoners-protest-100.jpg alt= title= /br/p
The Mexican authorities are failing in their duty to protect human rights activists from killings and life-threatening harassment and attacks, Amnesty International warned on Thursday in a new report.br /
br /
The report emstrongStanding up for justice and dignity: Human Rights defenders in Mexico/strong/em describes more than 15 cases of defenders who have suffered killings, attacks, harassment, threats andnbsp; imprisonment on fabricated charges between 2007 and 2009 to prevent them from doing their work.br /
br /
quot;Defending human rights in Mexico is life-threatening and the government is not doing enough to tackle the problem,quot; said Nancy Tapias-Torrado, researcher on human rights defenders at Amnesty International. quot;When one human rights defender is attacked, threatened or killed, it sends a dangerous message to many others and denies hope to all those on whose behalf the defender is workingquot;.br /
br /
Amnesty International said it believes there are dozens of such cases, very few of which are effectively investigated and even fewer brought to justice. In none of the cases included in the report has a full investigation been carried out and in only two of them suspects are in detention.br /
br /
Human rights defenders take action to protect and promote human rights. States have a responsibility to protect these people and ensure they can carry out their work.br /
br /
Activists working to protect the rights of communities living in poverty, those who defend the rights of Indigenous peoples or work to protect the environment are at particular risk of attack. Their work is seen as interfering with powerful political or economic interests. Too often they are treated as trouble-makers not as human rights defenders working for a better society where respect for human rights can be a reality.br /
br /
Obtilia Eugenio Manuel, founder and president of the Organization of the Mersquo; phaa Indigenous People (OPIM) in Guerrero, southern Mexico, has been the victim of numerous death threats and acts of intimidation since 1998.br /
br /
The campaign of intimidation against her got so serious in recent years, Obtilia and her family were forced to flee their community out of fear. For example, in January 2009, a man who had been following her on several occasions shouted at her: quot;Do you think yoursquo;re so brave? Are you a real woman? Letrsquo;s hope you also go to prisonhellip; If you donrsquo;t go to prison, we’ll kill you.quot;br /
br /
None of the threats or acts of intimidation against Obtilia has been investigated.br /
br /
In another case, Ricardo Murillo Monge, a spokesperson and founder member of the Sinaloan Civic Front (FCS), was found dead in his car in the city of Culiacaacute;n, Sinaloa State, on 6 September 2007. Only two years later, on 31 August 2009, Salomoacute;n Monaacute;rrez, another spokesperson for the FCS, narrowly survived an assassination attempt.br /
br /
quot;The Mexican government must urgently develop an effective and comprehensive programme of protection for human rights defenders,quot; said Nancy Tapias-Torrado.br /
br /
a href=http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/activists-standing-justice-mexico-20100121Activists standing up for justice in Mexico/a (Feature, 21 January 2010)br /
a href=http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/call-mexican-government-protect-human-rights-activists/a
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p align=right
nbsp;strong/strong
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p align=right
a href=http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/call-mexican-government-protect-human-rights-activistsimg src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/AI/action-button-en.gif alt= title= class=asset-align-right//a
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strongCall on the Mexican government to protect human rights activists/strong
/p
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nbsp;
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nbsp;
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img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/AMR/mexico-ricardo-ucan-100.jpg alt= title= /br/p
Amnesty International has welcomed the release of a Mexican Indigenous man detained for almost 10 years following an unfair trial for murder.br /
br /
Ricardo Ucaacute;n Ceca, from Yucataacute;n, was released on 31 December. He had been imprisoned since June 2000.br /
br /
He understood and spoke little Spanish and could not read or write. During his trial, he was not given an interpreter and his state appointed lawyer did not provide him with adequate defence.br /
br /
Ricardo Ucaacute;n claimed he shot his neighbour in self defence, but a state court found him guilty of premeditated murder and sentenced him to 22 years.br /
br /
nbsp;quot;The Mexican governmentrsquo;s decision to resolve the case constitutes an implicit recognition of the injustice and discrimination suffered by Ricardo Ucaacute;n,quot; said Kerrie Howard, deputy director of Amnesty International’s America’s programme.br /
br /
Mexico’s Constitution guarantees the right for Indigenous peoples to an interpreter, but Ricardo Ucaacute;n’s status as an Indigenous person was not recognised.br /
br /
In 2008, the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights accepted his case and in November 2009, the Commission held a hearing in which Mexican human rights organizations presented evidence of discrimination and denial of the right to fair trial suffered by Ricardo Ucaacute;n.br /
br /
The Mexican federal and state authorities contested this evidence but agreed to reach a friendly settlement to resolve the case which has resulted in Ricardo Ucaacute;nrsquo;s early release from prison.br /
br /
Since his conviction, Amnesty International and local human rights organizations have campaigned for Ricardo Ucaacute;n to be given a fair trial and for this injustice to be rectified.br /
br /
His case was included in Amnesty International’s 2007 report strongemLaws without justice/em/strong as an emblematic case of discrimination against Indigenous people in Mexico’s criminal justice system.br /
br /
quot;Ricardo Ucaacute;n’s conviction and sentence were the result of discrimination, which in Mexico often results in indigenous criminal suspects being subject to unfair trials and disproportionate sentences,quot; said Kerrie Howard.br /
br /
Amnesty International has called on the Mexican authorities to ensure that prosecutors, defence lawyers and judges uphold the right of Indigenous peoples to a fair trial and protection of the law.
/p
p
The organization said that in particular, the authorities should ensure that proceedings are carried out or translated into a language Indigenous defendants understand and that they have access to an effective defence.
/p

Amnesty International has urged the Mexican authorities to protect human rights activists after a woman campaigner against violence and human rights abuses by military officials was shot dead near Ciudad Juarez. br /
br /
Josefina Reyes was seized by a group of unidentified armed men outside a shop in the town of Guadalupe on Sunday. A witness reported that she was shot in the head after fighting back when the men attempted to abduct her. br /
br /
According to a witness, the men apparently told her before the killing: quot;You think you are tough because you are with the organizationsquot;. br /
br /
Josefina Reyes had been active at events and protests against violence in the area, including abuses by the military deployed to fight organized crime. In August 2009, she participated in a quot;Forum on Militarization and Repressionquot; in Ciudad Juaacute;rez, which examined reports of increasing human rights violations committed by members of the military. br /
br /
Amnesty International believes that other human rights defenders who belong to Ciudad Juaacute;rezrsquo;s Coordination of Civil Society Organizations are also at risk of intimidation and attacks. br /
br /
In particular, Cipriana Jurado, another female activist who has worked closely with Amnesty International on cases of abuses by the military, may be at risk.br /
br /
quot;The authorities must ensure that Cipriana Jurado, and other human rights defenders with the Coordination of Civil Society Organization in Ciudad Juaacute;rez, receive immediate and effective protection,quot; said Kerrie Howard, deputy director of the Americas Programme at Amnesty International.br /
br /
Amnesty International has called for a full, prompt and impartial investigation into the killing of Josefina Reyes, with the results made public and those responsible brought to justice.br /
br /
Since 2007, violence linked to organized crime has spiralled in Mexico: the media have reported more than 14,000 drug cartel related killings. Vast numbers of these murders have occurred in Ciudad Juaacute;rez, on the border with the United States. br /
br /
President Calderoacute;n’s administration has deployed thousands of federal police and over 50,000 military personnel to combat organized crime and drug cartels in the worst affected areas, particularly Ciudad Juaacute;rez.

The Mexican authorities must protect residents of disputed land who have been intimidated and attacked by the security guards of local landowners who are contesting the ownership of the land, said Amnesty International.br /
br /
The call comes after a woman living in the Lomas del Poleo area of Chihuahua State, northern Mexico was shot and injured at her home by two men in balaclavas on 4 December.br /
br /
Lomas del Poleo residents have been harassed and attacked since 2003. According to local inhabitants, 40 homes were set on fire that year and a resident was beaten to death by security guards.br /
br /
The land of Lomas del Poleo has become valuable in recent years as it stands between the city of Ciudad Juaacute;rez and an area destined for urban and industrial development by a group of local businessmen.br /
br /
The area is surrounded by a barbed wire fence and the entrance is patrolled by security guards.br /
br /
An agrarian tribunal has held a number of hearings between the residents of Lomas del Poleo and a local landowning family, but the case has been progressing very slowly.br /
br /
Adelaida Plasencia Sierra, who was shot on 4 December, had given evidence at the agrarian tribunal. The attack is thought to be part of an attempt to intimidate those taking part in the tribunal.br /
br /
Every day for two weeks before her attack Adelaida Plasencia Sierra had noticed that a white car without number plates was parked outside her house.br /
br /
The two armed men who came to her door said they were selling a mobile phone. When Adelaida Plasencia refused to buy the phone, they asked to talk to her husband, Vicente.br /
br /
Adelaida Plasencia did not recognize the men and was surprised that they knew her husband’s name. The men grabbed her and tried to force her into a car. She escaped and ran towards her house, but the men shot her. One bullet fractured three of her ribs. The men then shot a further nine bullets into the air and drove off. Adelaida Plasencia is recovering in hospital.br /
br /
Amnesty International has urged the Mexican authorities to order independent and impartial investigations into the attacks committed against residents, and to bring those responsible to justice.br /
br /
The organization also said that the authorities should prevent any illegal attempt to drive residents of Lomas de Poleo off their land and to expedite efforts to ensure the dispute is resolved fairly and satisfactorily in the appropriate agrarian tribunal.

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/AMR/mexico-report-100.jpg alt= title= /br/New evidence of serious human rights violations carried out during
military operations to combat organized crime and drug cartels in
Mexico has been unveiled in a report published by Amnesty
International. nbsp;br /
br /
ldquo;There is a disturbing pattern of crimes committed by the military in
their security operations, abuse that is being denied and ignored by
both the civilian and the military authorities in Mexico,rdquo; said Kerrie
Howard, deputy director of Amnesty Internationalrsquo;s Americas programme.br /
br /
In its report, emMexico: Human rights violations by the military/em, Amnesty
International accuses the authorities of failing to fully probe
allegations of abuses committed by the military, including enforced
disappearances, extrajudicial and unlawful killings, torture, ill
treatment and arbitrary detentions.br /
br /
By the end of June 2009, almost 2,000 complaints of abuse by the
military had been received by the National Human Rights Commission in
Mexico since the start of 2008.nbsp; Only 367 were received in 2007 and 182
in 2006. nbsp;br /
br /
Amnesty International believes that this information does not fully
reflect the extent of abuses being carried out but that it is
indicative of a growing trend of abuses. nbsp;br /
br /
A human rights organization in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, told Amnesty
International they had received 70 complaints involving arbitrary
detention, torture and other ill-treatment by the military between
January 2008 and September 2009.nbsp; But only 21 individuals lodged legal
complaints.nbsp; The rest feared that threats against them would transform
into attacks. br /
br /
ldquo;The cases that we have been able to investigate are truly shocking.nbsp;
But what is more shocking is that we know that this is only the tip of
the iceberg.nbsp; We are able to go into specific detail on a number of
cases whilst the government continues to deny that there are cases of
human rights abuses that need to be investigated,rdquo; said Kerrie Howard.br /
br /
Amnesty Internationalrsquo;s report goes into detail on five cases of
serious human rights violations committed by the military against 35
individuals between October 2008 and August 2009 in the states of
Chihuahua,Tamaulipas and Baja California.br /
br /
On 21 October 2008, witnesses saw 31 year-old Sauacute;l Becerra Reyes and
five other men arrested by soldiers in a car-wash in Ciudad Juaacute;rez,
Chihuahua state. br /
br /
Five days later, the five men arrested with Sauacute;l were transferred from
a military base to the Federal Attorney Generalrsquo;s Office and charged
with drug and firearm offences. Saulrsquo;s detention was never acknowledged
and he was never seen alive again.br /
br /
Several official complaints were made about Sauacute;l lsquo;s disappearance but
none led to an effective investigation by the authorities. Despite a
petition from a federal judge, civilian and military authorities
repeatedly denied knowledge of Saulrsquo;s whereabouts. br /
br /
Sauacute;lrsquo;s body was found in March 2009. His death certificate said he died
one day after his detention of a cerebral hemorrhage from head trauma.
The authorities carried out no further autopsy.br /
The federal judge closed the case and passed it to the Chihuahua state
prosecutorrsquo;s office to be investigated as an ordinary murder with no
reference to evidence of military involvement. br /
br /
ldquo;Mexico is facing a major public security crisis and the government has
a clear responsibility to combat organized crime and drug cartels by
all legal means,rdquo; said Kerrie Howard. br /
br /
ldquo;This is a difficult and dangerous job, but the severity of a crisis
should not be used as a pretext for turning a blind eye when abuses are
committed.rdquo; br /
br /
Amnesty International also complained that the few cases of military
abuse that are taken forward are dealt with in virtually closed
military courts where victims and their relatives have no access to
information or status on which they can challenge judicial or court
proceedings. br /
br /
The lack of independence and impartiality of military prosecutors and
courts has repeatedly resulted in the denial of justice to victims and
impunity for perpetrators. br /
br /
ldquo;The abuses we have seen contribute to the deterioration of the security situation in Mexico,rdquo; said Kerrie Howard. br /
br /
ldquo;By failing to take action to prevent and punish serious human rights
violations the Mexican government could be seen to be complicit in
these crimes.rdquo; br /
br /
Amnesty International urged the Mexican authorities to recognize the
seriousness and scale of the reports of human rights abuses committed
by members of the military as well as the level of complicity of
civilian authorities in covering up these abuses and to make the issue
a government priority. br /
br /
The government must take immediate steps to ensure prompt and impartial
investigations by the civilian authorities so those responsible are
brought before the civilian courts and victims receive reparations.

The Mexican authorities must carry out an impartial investigation into the torture of two members of a peasant organization in Chiapas State, after they were arrested without a warrant, Amnesty International has said.br /
br /
Roselio de la Cruz Gonzaacute;lez and Joseacute; Manuel de la Torre Hernaacute;ndez , who are currently held in a state prison, were blindfolded, bound and beaten during their interrogation, their lawyer said.br /
br /
Roselio de la Cruz was beaten and threatened with death, while officials held a plastic bag over the head of Joseacute; Manuel de la Torre until he almost suffocated. He was then forced to inhale water until he passed out.br /
br /
Both men were forced to sign papers which they were not allowed to read.br /
br /
Amnesty International also expressed its concern for a third member of the same organization, Joseacute; Manuel Hernaacute;ndez Martiacute;nez, who is being held 2,000km away, where he is unable to see his lawyer and family.br /
br /
All three men are accused of illegally occupying land in 2005.br /
br /
Roselio de la Cruz Gonzaacute;lez and Manuel de la Torre Hernaacute;ndez were both detained by Chiapas state police on 24 October. br /
br /
The arrests took place during a raid in the Venustiano Carranza municipality on the homes of several members of Organizacioacute;n Campesina Emiliano Zapata (ldquo;Emiliano Zapatardquo; Peasant Organisation, OCEZ).br /
br /
Joseacute; Manuel Hernaacute;ndez Martiacute;nez, a fellow OCEZ member, was arrested on 30 September.br /
br /
On 16 October he was moved to a federal prison 2,000 km away. This is too far for his family and lawyer to visit him, meaning he is effectively held incommunicado.br /
br /
Amnesty International has urged the Mexican authorities to:br /
ul
liguaranteenbsp; that Roselio de la Cruz and Joseacute; Manuel de la Torre will not be tortured further or otherwise ill-treated;/li
liconduct an impartial investigation into their torture, with those responsible brought to justice;/li
liensure that the two men are either released immediately, or charged promptly with a recognizably criminal offence and tried fairly according to international standards, with any evidence obtained through torture ruled inadmissible;/li
liensure that Joseacute; Manuel Hernaacute;ndez Martiacute;nez has immediate access to his family and lawyer./li
/ul

The Mexican authorities should not forcibly repatriate three migrants shot and injured by security forces at the country’s southern border, Amnesty International said on Thursday.br /
br /
The three were part of a group of seven undocumented migrants from El Salvador and Ecuador who where shot at by Mexican security forces as they crossed into the state of Chiapas on 18 September.br /
br /
One of the seven men, Viacute;ctor Alexander Melgar Lemus from El Salvador, was killed and all others were injured in the incident.br /
br /
Three escaped Mexican authorities after the shooting at the military checkpoint. Two remain under police guard while they receive treatment in hospital, the other, an Ecuadorean citizen, has been held pending repatriation.br /
br /
quot;We are extremely worried about the safety of the migrants who are in hospital,quot; said Rupert Knox, Mexico researcher at Amnesty International. quot;We believe they may be intimidated or threatened by the security forces to stop them from making a complaint.quot;br /
br /
quot;The Mexican state now has a responsibility towards these men,quot; said Rupert Knox. quot;They must ensure the men receive the appropriate medical treatment, that the abuse against them is investigated and that they are not repatriated.quot;br /
br /
According to the men — who were being transported by migrant smugglers and had no documents — their driver had slowed down when he approached a security checkpoint but as he was told to stop, he sped off. The officers at the checkpoint gave pursuit and opened fire on the truck, hitting it repeatedly. The truck broke down a few minutes later.br /
br /
The migrants told local rights groups that both military and police officers arrived at the scene and began to interrogate them, then kicked and hit them with the butts of their guns. One of the men reported that he was struck directly on a gunshot wound. br /
br /
The Mexican National Human Rights Commission has opened an inquiry into the incident, but it is not clear whether the federal or state Attorney General’s Office have opened criminal investigations into the killing, the use of lethal force and subsequent ill-treatment of the migrants.

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 /
br /
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 /
br /
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 /
br /
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 /
br /
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 /
br /
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 /
br /
Jacinta Francisco Marcial was convicted of the kidnapping of six Mexican Federal Investigation Agency (Agencia Federal de Investigacioacute;n, AFI) agents. br /
br /
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 /
br /
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 /
br /
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.