01/09/12 – In response to last month’s Normalista protest in Guerrero, which resulted in the death of three protesters, the Government of Guerrero has announced that it will enforce a zero tolerance policy against impunity in order to protect the human rights of its citizens. As events continue to unfold and information comes out about the killings, Governor Ángel Aguirre Rivero confirmed that Guerrero will follow the recommendations made in the National Commission on Human Rights’ report (Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos, CNDH) on the incident in order to better serve justice. According to Milenio, the Government has promised to punish the state police officers and any other public officials that engaged in activities that violated the constitutional rights of the protestors and that allegedly led to the three deaths.
However, not all are satisfied with the recommendations made in the CNDH’s report. Former State Attorney General Alberto López Rosas rejected the report, stating that it “does not contain any profound historic truth.” In his opinion, as reported by Proceso, the report is based solely on “assumptions” and lacks any real facts. He is certain that the accused police officers were not responsible for the deaths of the protesters and that “tests” can be conducted to prove their innocence.
On December 12, students from “Normal Raúl Isidro Burgos” teacher training school in Ayotzinapa protested, calling for the selection of a new school director, lower entrance requirements, and better food in the cafeteria. Ministerial state police officers allegedly shot two students and physically abused some of the students arrested. A third victim died two days later as a result of third degree burns. Currently, 11 police officers have been detained after an investigation was conducted, and 20 federal police officers have given statements at the PGR headquarters in Guerrero. In response to the deaths, over 500,000 protesters demonstrated in front of key government buildings on December 16. See page 16 of the Justice in Mexico Project’s December News Report for more information on the December incident.
Sources:
Justice in Mexico. “December 2011 News Report.” Trans-Border Institute. December 2011.
