Despite having open criminal cases against him for forced disappearance and sexual harassment, Alfredo Álvarez Valenzuela—a retired marine—was appointed as the new director of Municipal Public Security in Orizaba.
The appointment was approved during the first City Council session of the administration headed by PRI mayor Hugo Chahín Kuri, who stated that the new director has experience in federal agencies and training in public security matters.
According to judicial information and public reports, Álvarez Valenzuela is under investigation for his alleged involvement in a forced disappearance case stemming from an operation carried out on September 27, 2008, when he was a public servant in security duties. There is a federal arrest warrant for these events, which has been the subject of legal proceedings and appeals.
Furthermore, in 2020, while holding a position within the federal security structure, he was accused of sexual harassment by a subordinate employee, a complaint that led to administrative proceedings and public accusations.
Subsequently, in November 2021, federal authorities attempted to execute an arrest warrant against him in the state of Tlaxcala. However, the official fled from the official facilities, which led to his dismissal from the position he held at the time.
In 2024, Álvarez Valenzuela obtained a provisional injunction through an amparo (a type of legal protection), which allowed him to face legal proceedings while free, under the conditions established by the judicial authority.
Jairo Guarneros Sosa, representative of the Cihuahtlatolli collective, stated that the appointment is “serious and worrying” due to the official’s public record. He indicated that there are two possible scenarios: that the city council did not investigate the police commander’s background, or that, even knowing it, they proceeded with the appointment.
Guarneros Sosa recalled a previous case in Orizaba where a police chief accused of forced disappearance was subsequently sanctioned, and warned that the sexual harassment allegations pose a risk to female officers and citizens.
The activist requested that Mayor Hugo Chahín Kuri issue a public statement regarding the reasons for the appointment and whether it was a municipal decision or an external recommendation, noting that Álvarez Valenzuela served as an official in Tlaxcala during a Morena administration.
To date, the Orizaba City Council has not issued an official statement regarding these allegations.
Álvarez Valenzuela assumes the position at the head of a police force that—during the previous administration of former Mayor Juan Manuel Diez Francos—accumulated recommendations from the Veracruz State Human Rights Commission for cases such as arbitrary arrests, abuse of authority, and excessive use of force.
Source: e-veracruz
