Semei Verdia to be released and American tourist assisted citizens in attack by government forces

Lucio R. Borderland Beat

Update on the Semei Verdia release below

New video at bottom

In this video I would recommending beginning around 1:30, before then is wasted shaky footage.

View the video keeping in mind the government said those killed and wounded, mostly children, was due to the firing of weapons from armed citizens.

They had to revise the story after videos appeared showing citizens were not armed, except for those armed with black painted sticks.  The government then said government forces, “shot into the air”, which may have resulted in some people being hit.

Witnesses, including tourists said soldiers indiscriminately shot at anything, buildings, people outside, anything.  Some people were hit simply sitting inside their homes. 

This action by federal forces goes even beyond extrajudicial killings of late, these amount to the slaughter of innocents.

This event stemmed from the arrest of the Indigenous autodefensa leader Semei Verdia on July 19^th. 

In this footage heard is a barrage of weapons firing into an area where people were outside.  A 17 year old boy named Delfino Antonio Alejo, is taking bean tacos to his father when he is shot in the back.  People gather around the boy, and an American, who was blocked from travelling further because of the roadblocks, offers to take the child to Colima for medical assistance.  His voice can be heard at the end of the video.

He and other tourists said protesters and citizens were unarmed, and soldiers did not seem to care who they injured or killed, they just shot “everywhere” at citizens.

Delfino has so far survived his injuries.

The lawyer of Semei Verdia, Ignacio Mendoza Jimenez,  said Monday the court issued a release order,  after having found no evidence against him.  

It is expected his release will be in the next few hours.  The government presented no evidence in the case.

UPDATE:

After the courts issued a formal order of freedom for the indigenous autodefensa leader Semei Verdía Zepeda, due to lack of evidence in the case, in what is being described as political persecution, Michoacán Governor Jara has ordered new arrest warrants, to ensure Verdia remains imprisoned. 

The Michoacán administration headed by  Governor Salvador Jara is pressuring  the judiciary to implement the new arrest warrants. (Jara in blue checked shirt above)

Jara was not elected into office, but stepped in for Fausto Vallejo, the governor who resigned because of controversy over the video tapes featuring his son “El Gerber” and Templarios leader “La Tuta”.  

Jesus Reyna was the previous person named as a temporary governor while Vallejo was in the U.S. receiving a liver transplant.  Reyna was appointed by Vallejo, and later Reyna was arrested for his ties to the Templarios. 

It was autodefensas leader Dr. Mireles who first brought attention to Reyna  as being in collusion with the Templarios and whose wife has family ties to the cartel.

Verdía would be leaving the Nayarit prison in the next few hours, but the leader of the Community Police of Ostula would be arrested again immediately, because right now a group of state police moved to Tepic to complete two arrest warrants against him; one for theft against the council and another for murder.

This action is identical to that in the case of American Nestora Salgado.  She also is a leader for indigenous people,  who the Mexican Government found the only to silence the popular leader is what they do when all else fails, imprisonment.

Saldago was hours away from release when she was hit with two warrants for murder, two murder charges seemingly out of thin air.

Dr. Manuel Mireles was also ordered released, however his attorney said a final decision for refiling charges would be made in another week.  Meanwhile, Dr. Mireles old attorney’s for some reason insist on intruding into the case and said new charges were filed.  However his attorney on record has not confirmed that those charges were accepted by the court.

United Nations Meeting

United Nations investigating Government forces shootings on July 19

Members of the United Nations (UN) met with  a meeting with a commission from the indígenas de la etnia náhuatl, of the community of Santa Maria de Ostula, in the municipality of Aquila, to document the violence committed by personnel of the federal  and state forces committed against residents.

The community spoke out against the actions of the government forces, and said that Semei Verdia was appointed comandante de la Fuerza Rural, and as such was carrying legally registered weapons.  It is noteworthy that Governor Jara says any release would have to be made with a condition the Verdia would no longer be a part of Rurales. 

Which is why Jara resorted to “new charges”of murder and theft.  It was the state that charged him initially for having prohibited weapons.  The two guns are only illegal, if he was not part of a police or armed forces group.  He appointed commander gives him the right to bear the weapons he had in his possession