Puebla Autonomous University Backs Students Tortured by Mexico Authorities teleSUR
go to original June 9, 2015

Mexican Federal policemen patrol the streets on the eve of legislative and local elections. (AFP)

The Autonomous University of Puebla, Mexico, has released a statement criticizing the illegal detention of seven of its students over the weekend.

The statement, signed by the dean of the university and the university counsel, condemned the arrest and vowed to provide legal support for the students.

The group of seven students were detained without any explanation at dawn on Friday. They were protesting by occupying the dean's office, which was raided by a group of around 20 policemen, but the university’s authorities never asked for the police to intervene.

It wasn't until 11:00PM that day that the students were told the reason behind their detention. At first they were told they were witnesses in an ongoing investigation and, later on, that they were being charged in connection with a series of bomb detonations that had occurred on June 1.

After not being able to build a case against them, the authorities released the students on Saturday. During a press conference, the students revealed they had been tortured.

“What we found was a letter written in a typewriter, one page, in which an alleged young man files an anonymous complaint after he heard four of the students talking about detonations that had happened (in the city). That was all they had against them (the students),” explained Marely Velez, the students' lawyer, during a press conference on Saturday.

Two of the students claimed they were beaten. Some of them were psychologically harassed by policemen using fake guns, and all of them were deprived of food and water.

The students and their families will sue the local authorities responsible for their arrest, as they claim it was illegal and unjustified.

See the original at teleSUR

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