Following the murder of Giovanni López at the hands of Mexican police forces, Jalisco has been filled with protests against police brutality and governmental corruption. In these protests, it has been reported several times that there have been violations of human rights and forced disappearances.

After one of the largest demonstrations on June 5th outside of Jalisco’s prosecution office, the Jalisco State Human Rights Commission has signaled that there were forced disappearances. This information was released in a special report regarding these facts published on Wednesday.

The public defender documented severe violations of human rights of vulnerable people, including 8 minors and 4 women being deprived of their freedom in arbitrary ways. These people have added to victims of the same type of disappearances.

Also, the organism has shown that during a protest on June 4th in Guadalajara’s center there was a falter in the application of protocol, with police generating violence in their control of the protests.

According to the defense’s investigation, the use of excessive and inadequate force was evident, subjecting persons suspected of responsibility for committing offenses or crimes.

Due to this arbitrary use of force, the Commission insisted on the lack of reforms regarding the Organic Law of the Executive Power of the State of Jalisco and the Organic Law of the Prosecution of the State of Jalisco. This decision came with the suggestion for the latter to stop depending on the State Executive and to transform into an autonomous constitutional organism.

The Commission reiterates that during both protests there was a complete lack of the necessary strategy of contention. This provoked illegal arrests, illegal deprivation of freedom, detention of people, and of course, forced disappearances.

Macedonio Tamez, coordinator of the Security cabinet, has recognized that there was likely a fault in intelligence work investigating the violent actions and disappearances originating from these protests. He has said that these police forces acted on their own will, claiming that the specific order was to not arrest anyone.

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