Oaxaca: Former Mayor of Nochixtlan Declared Guilty of Disappearance of Claudia Uruchurtu

On December 7^th, Lizbeth Victoria Huerta, former mayor of Asuncion Nochixtlan, and three other people also linked to the municipality were found guilty of the crime of forced disappearance; this is due to the case of the activist Claudia Uruchurtu Cruz, who disappeared in March 2021 after participating in a protest against the then mayor.

Given the decision, Hayde Uruchurtu Cruz, Claudia’s sister, declared that “today, December 7^th, 2022, is a day that marks the end of absolute impunity in terms of enforced disappearance in Mexico”, as Lizbeth Victoria is the first active official arrested, tried and found guilty. She pointed out that “it is not a matter of celebration, it is a day when a new chapter of hope opens for the more than 106,000 families who continue to fight for access to justice and the truth, and to find their missing persons.”

She also denounced that as a family “we had to go through the painful and re-victimizing process of listening to the witnesses, seeing the videos of the murderers hunting my sister. To watch as without any remorse the defendants showed mocking faces of superiority. We have not found Claudia for 18 months, 18 months working tirelessly, always with dignity and respect, attached to the fundamental principles of justice; 18 months where within our tragedy we met honorable and upright people always working on the side of truth and in defense of the fundamental rights of Oaxacan society.” She called on the population of Nochixtlan to provide information that helps to find the whereabouts of the activist.

The four defendants for their part were returned to the Tanivet prison and it is expected that the sentence for the disappearance of Claudia Uruchurtu will be delivered on December 12^th.

For more information in Spanish:

Declaran culpable a ex alcaldesa de Nochixtlán por desaparición forzada (La Jornada, 8 de diciembre de 2022)

Exalcaldesa de Nochixtlán es condenada por la desaparición de Claudia Uruchurtu (Expansión, 8 de diciembre de 2022)

Caso Claudia Uruchurtu: condenan a la ex alcaldesa de Nochixtlán por la desaparición de la activista (El Heraldo de México, 8 de diciembre de 2022)

Exalcaldesa de Nochixtlán, Oaxaca, es condenada por desaparición de Claudia Uruchurtu (Sin Embargo, 8 de diciembre de 2022)

Histórica sentencia en Oaxaca contra ex funcionarios por la desaparición forzada de Claudia Uruchurtu(CIMAC Noticias, 8 de diciembre de 2022)

For more information from SIPAZ: