Further to the Urgent Appeals issued on 30 May 2008 and 25 March 2009, and the subsequent update of 16 April 2010, Front Line has received the following information concerning the trial of human rights defender Raúl Hernández Abundió: On 30 June 2010 the evidence submission stage of Raúl Hernández Abundió's trial for murder was brought to a close by the presiding judge.

Further Information

During the course of the criminal enquiry, the judge visited the scene of the crime and concluded that the evidence submitted by an eyewitness who placed Raúl Hernúndez Abundió at the crime scene at the time of the murder was unreliable. The only evidence in the case was submitted by this eyewitness. In the coming weeks, the State Attorney General's Office of Guerrero will be asked for its conclusions on the case.

Raúl Hernúndez Abundió is a human rights defender and a member of the Organización del Pueblo Indígena Me'phaa (Organisation of the Me'phaa Indigenous People, OPIM). Since 2002, the OPIM has worked in the defence of indigenous rights in the communities of Ayutla de los Libres and Acatepec, Costa Montaña de Guerrero. As a result of its work, the OPIM has been subject to numerous threats over the years.

On 18 April 2008 Raúl Hernández Abundió was arrested along with four of his colleagues in Ayutla, in the state of Guerrero for the murder of Alejandro Feliciano García, a man who was reportedly linked to the Army and the police, on 1 January 2008. Although his four colleagues were released on 19 March 2009, Raúl Hernández Abundió was kept in detention. Since the arrest of Raúl Hernández Abundió, inconsistencies and irregularities have continuously been highlighted in the case, including insufficient evidence and contradictions in witness testimonies against the human rights defender.

Front Line believes that the detention of Raúl Hernández Abundio is politically motivated and directly related to his legitimate activities in defence of human rights, more specifically his work in the defence of the rights of indigenous communities in Mexico. Front Line remains concerned for his physical and psychological integrity and calls for his immediate and unconditional release.

See the original Urgent Appeal of 30 May 2008 and 25 March 2009 on behalf of Raúl Hernández Abundio.