Guadalajara -
Sixty-nine persons arrested in connection with violent demonstrations in Mexico City on Saturday have been ordered held without bond. They're facing sentences of up to 30 years in prison.
The Federal District's chief prosecutor, Jesús Rodríguez Almeida, said in a television interview yesterday that no amount of political pressure from any quarter would result in their release. "We have the obligation to see that no one is allowed to act with impunity in the nation's capital. The accused are in the hands of the criminal justice system now, which will decide whether or not the evidence establishes guilt."
Almeida said that he believes some of the anti-Peña Nieto demonstrators were paid to carry out violent acts and the destruction of public and private property during and immediately after the Dec. 1 inaugural ceremonies. He stopped short of naming anyone, but the government and many press sources attribute the events to the largely student-composed organization known as YoSoy 132.
YoSoy 132 was born last May, during the spring presidential campaign. It billed itself as nonpartisan and anti-press, claiming that Mexico's mass media was betraying its obligation to tell the truth about the major candidates, especially Enrique Peña Nieto. But the group soon morphed into an unabashed opponent of the new president and a vigorous supporter of leftist candidate Manuel López Obrador, whose Democratic Revolution Party captured second place in the electoral contest. As its political favoritism surfaced YoSoy's popularity with many Mexicans sank. Some members quit and formed splinter organizations, hoping to relaunch the group and restore its original compass heading.
Rodríguez Almeida said that the 58 men and 11 women would be detained indefinitely. Twenty-eight others, including 12 juveniles, were released Saturday. The prosecutor denied that anyone's human rights had been violated, a claim levied by family members of some of those who remain in custody. He said that other participants could still be charged.
Five members of YoSoy 132 were arrested in Mexico City yesterday, in a new protest. News sources report they were trying to hang Enrique Peña Nieto in effigy, but they've been charged with attacks against communication systems. It's unclear what those systems were.
Dec. 7 - Mexico City's police chief said that security forces used only defensive weapons such as shields and tear gas during last weekend's violent demonstrations. He denied claims by some that they had fired rubber bullets or drawn their weapons. The chief also dismissed charges that police had sent spies into YoSoy ranks, which he said had been infiltrated by aggressive outside agitators. "Those young people who threw Molotov cocktails at the police and business establishments, that's not what a good university student is going to do - I know; I, too, was once one of them. But in life some turn into savages," the chief added.
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