OAXACA CITY, Mexico – Today I filmed members of Section 22, a local teacher’s union, and The Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO), a local activist group, as they marched outside the the offices of the 5th District Judge to demand the release of Juan Manuel Martinez Moreno from prison.
On October 16th 2008, Martinez Moreno was imprisoned and accused of the 2006 murder of American Journalist Brad Will. Today’s marchers claim he is innocent and point towards eye-witness and forensic evidence that has been reported by Mexico’s own national human rights commission and the independent group Physicians for Human Rights. The demonstrators believe Martinez Moreno is being scapegoated by the Mexican government in order to appease U.S. demands that someone be prosecuted for the murder of the American, as a prerequisite for funding to Mexico under the Merida Initiative.
In the video clip below, Martinez Moreno’s sister Lybia reads the family’s statement requesting his release.
UPDATE: Juan Manuel was released on February 18, 2010. Here is an inspiring account of the campaign to free him and what remains to be achieved.
