Mexico arrests 6 National Guardsmen for murder

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO (AA) - Authorities in Mexico announced Tuesday that six members of the National Guard have been arrested in connection with the murder of Yessica Silva, a farmer in the northern state of Chihuahua.

The incident occurred in September when Silva and her husband, Jaime Torres, also a farmer, reportedly came under fire from National Guard troops while returning from a protest over the diversion of water from La Boquilla dam to the US.

As stipulated under a 1944 water treaty, the US supplies Mexico with 1.85 billion cubic meters of water annually from the Colorado River. In exchange, Mexico must supply its northern neighbor an average of 432 million cubic meters a year from the Rio Grande.

Mexico failed to meet its obligation last year, leaving US water supplies in a deficit. To fill the gap, Mexico began using water reserves from the La Boquilla dam.

The protest escalated when government armed forces confronted the protesters. The National Guard shot Silva and Torres, killing her. Her husband survived and was hospitalized.

During Tuesday’s press conference, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador expressed his disapproval of the actions committed by his own National Guard.

“We are not going to cover for anyone. There is no impunity in this administration.”

On social media, the National Guard said that once the pertinent investigations took place, the Attorney General’s Office found enough evidence to determine the culpability of the law enforcement agents.

“We reiterate that the National Guard will not tolerate abuse or excessive use of force perpetrated by its personnel, as we always have unrestricted respect for human rights.”

Torres stated that what they experienced was a direct attack.