Alleged drug lord nabbed on city outskirts
Victor Emilio Cazares, 48, was arrested on April 8 with the help of U.S. federal agents. He is believed to be a key figure in the Sinaloa Cartel headed by fugitive billionaire Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
Mexican police initially had trouble identifying Cazares because he had significantly altered his appearance through plastic surgery.
Accused of heading a group that smuggled at least 40 tons of cocaine across the border from 2004 to 2007, Cazares was also wanted in the United States. U.S. authorities had offered a reward of up to five million dollars for information leading to his arrest and federal prosecutors in San Diego, where Cazares was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2007, are now seeking his extradition.
Unusually, Mexican authorities did not make the arrest public at the time. Citing U.S. sources, the L.A. Times suggests officials refrained from announcing the capture to comply with an electoral law that impedes the government from influencing elections by promoting its actions. With the presidential campaigns well underway, some Mexican agencies, such as the federal police, have stopped issuing news releases.
Cazares’ arrest will go some way to stem rumors that President Felipe Calderon has been protecting the Sinaloa Cartel while pursuing its rivals.
One of the most powerful criminal organizations in Mexico, the Sinaloa Cartel has long controlled Guadalajara and Jalisco, thus maintaining a sense of stability in the region. The recent increase in violence has been attributed to a turf war with rival gang Los Zetas.
Jalisco set to pass femicide legislation
The Constitutional Issues Committee of the State Congress approved legal reforms on Monday that would mean a longer jail term for those convicted of fatal misogynist attacks. Sentences for murder can be as low as 12 years of imprisonment, but for cases of femicide this would be increased to a minimum of 20, up to 40 years.
The reforms to Article 232 of the Jalisco penal code must now be approved by the State Congress.
The new legislation defines femicide as the pre-meditated killing of a woman in an act “of hatred and misogyny.” This may be an “offense of a sexual nature” or a “homophobic attack,” entailing “signs of “degradation or humiliation.”
The initiative was put forward by Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) legislator Raul Vargas Lopez. It enjoys bipartisan support, with Jorge Aristoteles Sandoval Diaz of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) also backing the new legislation.
“We have to eradicate violence against women,” said the former Guadalajara mayor, who is now running for State governor. “I think this type of crime should have a lifetime sentence so these acts cannot be repeated.”
Violence against women is a serious problem in Mexico, a country long plagued by a machista society. Ciudad Juarez was notorious for femicide in the 1990s, while more recently the highest femicide rate was recorded in the State of Mexico, during the governorship of Enrique Peña Nieto, the frontrunner to become Mexico’s next president.
The UdeG’s Center for Digital Journalism Training (CFPD) course is aimed at print, electronic and broadcast journalists who cover issues related to public safety, criminal organizations, conflicts and natural disasters. Partly sponsored by the U.S Consulate in Guadalajara, it is open to both Mexican journalists and foreign reporters working in Mexico.
The first part of the course is a six-week program of online classes, from August 26 to October 7. Those who perform best throughout this stage will then be invited to take part in a two-day workshop in the final week of October, with all expenses paid by the UdeG and the U.S. Consulate.
“One of the key ingredients for a working democracy is a free press immune from threats and pressures,” a consular official told the Reporter, to explain why the U.S. Consulate is sponsoring the program.
Investigative journalism is a hazardous occupation in Mexico, especially when it involves uncovering corruption or organized crime. Three photographers and one reporter were murdered in Veracruz this month alone.
The course will provide journalists with guidelines and protocols to follow to avoid or minimize risks. The workshops will also include coverage of a simulated natural disaster in the online role-playing game “Second Life.”
The U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara released a press release on “Media Intimidation” on Tuesday, affirming that “The United States government condemns the intimidation of the media anywhere in the world and supports journalists who work to maintain the integrity of their profession despite threats and violence directly against them.
“As recently emphasized, the United States supports the efforts of the government of Mexico and NGOs to generate space for independent journalists to perform their work without fear of violence or persecution. We honor the role of free and independent media in creating sustainable democracies and open and healthy societies,” read the statement.
The online classes require a minimum of eight to ten hours of weekly study and an intermediate level of understanding of the English language. Those who successfully complete the course activities will receive a certificate from the UdeG.
The course costs 1,000 pesos. The deadline for registration is July 22 and the deadline for payment is August 21. For more information email contacto@centroperiodismodigital.org or click here.
The Tequila Files 