The homes of Xoxocotla’s municipal trustee, Alicia Fernandina Capistrán Martínez, and councilwomen Xitlali Mejía Huerta and Alma Rosa Santos Mata were attacked with gunfire almost simultaneously in the early morning hours of December 1st.
According to the officials’ legal advisor, Luis Linares Castro, the attacks occurred within a five-minute span, between 3:57 and 4:02 a.m., and targeted residences located just meters apart. Witnesses reported that two men on a motorcycle fired directly at the front doors of the three homes.
Xitlali Mejía’s house sustained approximately three or four bullet impacts; Capistrán Martínez’s house, at least four; and the home of councilwoman Alma Rosa Santos’s parents, five shots were fired.
The victims called 911, and personnel from the Regional Prosecutor’s Office arrived at the scene to collect ballistic evidence. However, they were informed that the investigation file would only be opened for the crime of “property damage,” so they will request a reclassification, considering that these were coordinated attacks related to their public work.
The three public servants have protection measures ordered by the Electoral Tribunal of the State of Morelos as part of a trial for political violence based on gender. However, according to their legal advisor, these measures have not been effectively implemented: surveillance has been reduced to sporadic patrols and lacks a permanent presence.
Capistrán Martínez, Mejía Huerta, and Santos Mata have filed previous complaints regarding threats and attacks linked to the mayor of Xoxocotla, José Carlos Jiménez Ponciano, whom they hold responsible for the events.
Linares Castro called on Governor Margarita González Saravia and State Attorney General Fernando Blumenkron to guarantee the safety of the female officials, closely monitor the investigations, and order the immediate enforcement of the Electoral Tribunal’s rulings. She stated that, despite various state agencies being aware of the case for weeks, the response has been negligent.
These attacks add to other complaints filed by members of the city council regarding alleged political violence attributed to the mayor and members of his team.
Observatory demands real protection and an end to impunity
The Morelos Observatory for Gender Parity and Political Violence condemned the escalation of attacks against members of the Xoxocotla city council and demanded that state and federal authorities guarantee effective and continuous protection measures for the victims.
The organization recalled that, in recent weeks, municipal officials reported threats, harassment, salary withholding, and pressure to approve actions they considered irregular, pointing to the mayor, the municipal secretary, and the treasurer as those responsible. After these situations were made public, the organization warned, the level of risk increased, and new threats were reported.
Although protective measures were issued, the Observatory emphasized that they were not adequately implemented: the assigned personnel were limited to a momentary presence without providing real security. This omission, it maintained, allowed the violence to escalate to the point of armed attacks against the homes of the council members.
The organization stated that these events directly undermine the exercise of their duties and occur in a context of impunity. Therefore, it demanded serious investigations into the implicated authorities, the urgent activation of mechanisms to address gender-based political violence, and coordination among security and justice agencies.
She also called on the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection to guarantee permanent protection for the officials and warned that any new aggression will be attributable to the negligence of the responsible authorities.
Source: aristeguinoticias
