Mexican authorities accused of persecuting peaceful protesters
Mexican authorities accused of persecuting peaceful protesters
Eleven demonstrators charged with attempted murder and riot after mass protest in capital over disappearance of 43 students
Jo Tuckman in Mexico City
Tuesday 25 November 2014 15.27 EST
Human rights groups have accused Mexican authorities of using arbitrary detentions, trumped-up charges and excessive force in an attempt to quell a mass protest movement unleashed by the disappearance and presumed murder of 43 students.
The complaints centre on the indictment for attempted murder, criminal association and rioting of 11 protesters who were arrested after masked youths clashed with police in the central Zócalo square, following a huge and mostly peaceful march through the capital last Thursday.
Supporters of the 11 accused insist that they had nothing to do with the violence, alleging that several of the detainees were arrested later, during an aggressive police operation to disperse the crowd.
“There is no evidence that they did anything other than attend the march,” said Fernando Ríos of the Mexican human rights network All Rights for Everybody. “What we do know is that the police used excessive force as they cleared the Zócalo.”
More:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/25/mexican-authorities-accused-of-persecuting-peaceful-protesters
