Lopez Obrador declared that the case of Jose Eduardo Ravelo in Yucatan was a hate crime

Mérida, Yucatán, (August 21, 2021).- For the third time, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador addressed, in his morning press conference, the case of José Eduardo Ravelo Echavarría, the young man who allegedly died of torture and rape at the hands of agents of the Municipal Police of Mérida.

“Today I discussed the case of young José Eduardo again with the security cabinet and it was a hate crime, and not only the police are responsible, but (also) those who allowed it,” said the president.

“It is going to get to the bottom of the matter,” he warned at the morning conference.

Last Monday, August 16th, President López Obrador announced that he would give instructions to the head of Segob to analyze a possible complaint before the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) in this case.

The next day, the President reported that the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) would “attract” the case. The agency’s response was immediate, as it announced that it had opened an investigation folder and sent specialized expert and federal police investigation personnel to Mérida to initiate the appropriate proceedings.

On the same Monday, August 16, María Ravelo Echavarría, José Eduardo’s mother, communicated with Alejandro Encinas Rodríguez, undersecretary of Human Rights, Population and Migration of the Ministry of the Interior.

In subsequent days, Mrs. Ravelo met with Olga Sánchez Cordero, Secretary of the Interior, who listened and attended to Mrs. María Ravelo’s demands for justice, so that her son’s case does not go unpunished.

The meeting was also attended by the heads of the Executive Commission for Attention to Victims in Mexico, and Conapred, who also offered to support José Eduardo’s mother.

On Wednesday, August 18th, Governor Mauricio Vila Dosal met with lawyer Sánchez Cordero and the federal government’s security cabinet to address this issue.

In the meeting with officials of the Federal Government Cabinet, it transpired that the Yucatecan president spoke of ways to join forces to find the truth about the case of the young José Eduardo Ravello and justice can be done; reiterating this search for the truth.

Likewise, it was commented that the federal and state authorities are in broad coordination and making a joint effort to investigate abuses, discrimination, and even possible concealment of municipal officials in the case, and that their guard will not be lowered until the case is completely clarified.

In this case, four municipal police officers were arrested and charged with the crimes of qualified homicide committed in a gang, aggravated rape and aggravated torture.

However, the judge considered that there were insufficient grounds to link them to criminal proceedings and released them.

The General Prosecutor’s Office announced that it will make the appeal valid on this result, based on the deadlines established in the Penal Code, since it considered that there are sufficient elements to consider the guilt of the municipal policemen.

Source: Yucatan ahora

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