Amnesty International has urged an investigation into the death of U.S. video journalist Brad Will after the political activist wrongly accused of the killing was released.
The organization welcomed the release of Juan Manuel Martinez after he won an appeal. It also demanded an investigation into the abuses committed by the security forces during violent political protests in the Mexican state of Oaxaca in 2006 when Will and at least 17 others, most of them political activists, were killed.
“This release was long overdue,” said Kerrie Howard, Americas Deputy Director at Amnesty International. “Juan Manuel has been used as a scapegoat by the Mexican authorities to claim there has been progress in the investigation around Will’s death.”
A Mexican Federal Court ordered the release of Martinez due to lack of evidence. He had been wrongly detained since 2008. Witnesses to Will’s killing have also been falsely implicated and face criminal prosecution.
Amnesty International believes the arrest was the result of a deeply flawed investigation by the Office of the Federal Attorney General (PGR). It insisted Will was shot at close range even though independent forensic tests showed the shot came from a distance.
The need to resolve the case became paramount after the U.S. Congress made it a condition for the release of some of the funding to the Merida Initiative - a major regional bi-lateral security co-operation and assistance program.
“The scape-goating of Juan Manuel amounts to a serious misuse of the criminal justice system, which prevented a proper investigation and ensured the real perpetrator of Brad Will’s killing is still at large,” said Howard. “Juan Manuel’s safety must be guaranteed and he must receive appropriate compensation for the unnecessary suffering he has experienced as a result of his wrongful imprisonment by the authorities.”
No one has been brought to justice for any of the killings that took place during the Oaxaca protests in 2006. The PGR looked into seven of these cases, but in February 2008, it informed the families of the victims that the investigations were to be shelved on grounds of lack of evidence.
The family of Will, Physicians for Human Rights, and the National Human Rights Commission have all highlighted the flaws in the PGR investigation, including the use of incorrect forensic evidence, and the failure to conduct a full and impartial investigation.
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