Traditional justice at issue in Mexico assault case
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Filed Under:
Law
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World
Authorities in Mexico are looking into traditional justice systems after a young woman said she was sexually assaulted by volunteer police in an Indian community.
The woman said she was raped by volunteer police officers after being taken into the community jail in the town of Ocotepec. The officers and the jail are part of the traditional Nahuatl justice system.
Mexico recognizes some traditional justice systems but not the one in Ocotepec. "They do community protection work, but they are not police, they are not trained or certified. ... They operate outside of the regulatory framework," a spokesperson for the attorney general's office in the state of Morelos, told the Associated Press.
The volunteer police officers are denying the accusation. A former town leader said the case could lead to unfair scrutiny of traditional justice systems.
Get the Story:
Ocotepec: Rape Accusation Riles Indian-Ruled Town Near Mexico City
(AP 4/22)
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