Activists march to demand justice for José Eduardo in Downtown Mérida

Mérida, Yucatán, (August 12, 2021).- Activists marched this afternoon through the streets of the Historic Center and held a sit-in at the facilities of the Mérida Municipal Police (PMM) in front of the Municipal Palace to demand justice for José Eduardo “El Güero”, who would have died of the injuries caused by the agents of the corporation appointment.

In both buildings, the protesters delivered a letter and read the statement condemning these unfortunate events in which José Eduardo, 23 years old, lost his life.

They recalled that on July 21st, 2021, 23-year-old José Eduardo Ravelo Echeverria, originally from the State of Veracruz, was arbitrarily detained due to his “suspicious image” on the streets of the City, to later be beaten and raped by public servants of the Municipal Police.

“These events caused the death of this young man due to the multiple blows he received; the lack of timely care by doctors from the O ‘Horan Hospital with the excuse that, since he did not have documentation from Yucatán, questioning about his sexual orientation, they could not treat him; and the xenophobia that permeates the authorities and society. Thus becoming a regrettable crime due to the stigma, discrimination, and rejection of people from other states, which prevails historically in our society ”, they lamented.

They added that “as a society, we cannot close our eyes to the constant humiliations and violations that we experience in the State by the institutions that should protect us; just look at the media that constantly denounce these situations, but it is still necessary to consider those facts that have not been denounced due to the same fear that we as citizens have ”.

They indicated that these facts show that the State does not respect the right to life of citizens, regardless of whether they are Yucatecan or not; Therefore, they demanded the Government, the State Attorney General’s Office, and the competent authorities to investigate thoroughly until reaching the ultimate consequences, to punish those found guilty, whether they are members of the sole command of the municipal police, doctors or anyone else who could have been part responsible for the unfortunate death of “Güero”.

In addition, establish measures to repair the damage for indirect victims, establish non-repetition mechanisms that include psychometric tests to the police force, as well as continuous training on Human Rights and non-discrimination; that the director of the O’Horán Hospital deliver a report on the actions he has taken as non-repetition measures to prevent public servants from denying service to fellow nationals and migrants.

“We demand that the Governor, the municipal president, the director of the Municipal Police, and the Secretary of Health give a timely response and not ignore the pain and indignation, both from the family and from the Yucatecan society, in the face of this outrageous event” they asserted.

Source: Yucatan Ahora