February 19th, 2010.
After 16 months in prison, Juan Manuel Martinez Moreno – accused of the 2006 murder of American videographer Brad Will – was released from prison on February 18. A protection order that was granted in December 2009 was finally approved because of a lack of evidence against Martinez Moreno. The Attorney General appealed the protection order, which meant Martinez Moreno spent an additional month and a half in jail. The 25th of November Committee which is responsible for Martinez Moreno’s defence, said in a statement: “Today finally, the fact that there is no basis for keeping Juan Manuel Martinez Moreno in jail has prevailed. It’s obvious he is innocent and he’s been held hostage by the state to silence the government of the United States, who have demanded the hand-over Brad Will’s murderer. (…) From a legal perspective, Juan Manuel’s release lays bare the Mexican justice system. It’s an example of the lack of a formal and professional investigation, as well as the criminalization of social protest given that the evidence and witnesses were fabricated and manipulated.”
For more information (In Spanish):
El acusado de matar a Brad Will, libre (Jornada, 19 de febrero)
Excarcelan al implicado en el caso Brad Will (Milenio, 19 de febrero)
Juez ordena liberar a único implicado en el caso de Will (Universal, 19 de febrero)
Comunicado del Comité 25 de Noviembre: La libertad de Juan Manuel, desnuda la parcial actuación de la Justicia en México
More information from SIPAZ:
Oaxaca: Members of the APPO accused in the Brad Will case (October, 2008)
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