On 18 August 2000, between 1,000 and 3,000 individuals linked to two rival factions of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional, PRI) participated in a violent confrontation in the main square of Chimalhuacán (Facts on File World News Digest 18 Aug. 2000; North County Times 20 Aug. 2000; La Jornada 19 Aug. 2000a; BBC 19 Aug. 2000), a "gritty city of 490,000 on the outskirts of Mexico City" (North County Times 7 Oct. 2000). While the groups involved in the violence, namely the Peasants' Torch (Antorcha Campesina) and the Organization of Towns and Urban Communities (Organización de Pueblos y Colonias, OPC), had competed with one another for control over local institutions since the early 1990s (La Jornada 19 Aug. 2000b; Reforma 7 Sept. 2000), the violence of August 2000 was allegedly instigated by OPC leader Guadalupe "La Loba" Buendía Torres (Reforma 2 Apr. 2001; North County Times 7 Oct. 2000), who was angry that her son, Salomón Herrera, had lost the PRI mayoral nomination to Jesús Tolentino Román, leader of the Peasants' Torch (ibid.; La Jornada 19 Aug. 2000b). However, at least one report claimed that the violence was triggered by OPC members who were angry with Tolentino for "failing to carry out a promise to give jobs in his government in return for support he received in July's election" (BBC 19 Aug. 2001).

In a 19 August 2000 report, the Mexico City newspaper La Jornada claimed that as many as 300 OPC-affiliated youths took control of Chimalhuacán city hall during the night of 17-18 August 2000 in order to prevent Tolentino from assuming his position as mayor (19 Aug. 2000a). An additional 500 OPC supporters arrived in the city's main square at approximately 5:00 am on 18 August, followed 30 minutes later by approximately 1,500 members of the Peasants' Torch (ibid.). The opposing groups reportedly chanted slogans until 11:00 am, when masked OPC supporters positioned on the roof of the city hall began to throw firecrackers into the crowd that had gathered in the square (ibid.). This provoked a violent melee in which members of the two groups fought one another using sticks, rocks and gasoline bombs (ibid.). Firearms, including handguns and assault rifles, were also allegedly used in the confrontation, which resulted in as many as 98 individuals being injured and at least 10 killed (ibid.; Reforma 18 Aug. 2001; ibid. 16 Sept. 2001; North County Times 7 Oct. 2000). According to La Jornada, the dead included Marco Sosa, Delfino Pérez, Federico López, Macario Hernández, Armando Santana, Crescencio Sánchez, José Guadalupe Martínez and three unidentified individuals (19 Aug. 2000a).

A force of approximately 300 police officers, who allegedly did not arrive at the scene of the violence until 11:45 am, detained a total of 204 individuals, including 170 OPC supporters (ibid.). Guadalupe Buendía, who was not present during the confrontation (ibid.), was arrested on 25 August 2000 and transferred to a maximum-security prison near Mexico City (North County Times 7 Oct. 2000).

More than 60 individuals remained under arrest as recently as August 2001 on charges related to the violence in Chimalhuacán, with Buendía among those awaiting trial (Reforma 18 Aug. 2001; ibid. 20 Aug. 2001). In May 2001, the Human Rights Commission of the State of Mexico (Comisión de Derechos Humanos del Estado de México, CODHEM) claimed that the state prosecutor's office had failed to detain or investigate 22 individuals whom it accused of involvement in the incident, and demanded that the role of Chimalhuacán Mayor Jesús Tolentino, who faced no charges in connection with the violence, be investigated (La Jornada 25 May 2001). Furthermore, in July 2001 local leaders of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolución Democrática, PRD) in the State of Mexico registered a complaint before the National Human Rights Commission (Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos, CNDH), alleging that judicial authorities in the state "had not advanced" (no han avanzado) their investigation of the confrontation that had taken place in Chimalhuacán in August 2000 (ibid. 24 July 2001).

No additional information on the investigation of this incident could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

BBC. 19 August 2000. "Clashes in Mexico Leave Nine Dead." http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_835000/835129.stm [Accessed 17 Sept. 2001]

Facts on File World News Digest. 18 August 2000. "Mexico: Ten Killed in Political Brawl." (NEXIS)

La Jornada [Mexico City]. 24 July 2001. Silvia Chavez and Angeles Velasco. "Presenta el sol azteca queja ante la CNDH contra la PGR por no atraer el caso Chimalhuacán." http://www.jornada.unam.mx/ [Accessed 17 Sept. 2001]

_____. 25 May 2001. Silvia Chavez Gonzalez. "Exige la Codhem se investigue a edil de Chimalhuacán." http://www.jornada.unam.mx/ [Accessed 17 Sept. 2001]

_____. 19 August 2000a. René Ramón Alvarado. "10 muertos en un enfretamiento entre priístas en Chimalhuacán." http://www.jornada.unam.mx/ [Accessed 17 Sept. 2001]

_____. 19 August 2000b. Roberto Garduño and René Ramón Alvarado. "Datan de hace 10 años las pugnas entre Antorcha y OPC." http://www.jornada.unam.mx/ [Accessed 17 Sept. 2001]

North County Times [San Diego]. 7 October 2000. "Mexico's Outgoing Ruling Party Expels Local Leader for Violent Attack." http://www.nctimes.com/news/100700/hh.html [Accessed 17 Sept. 2001]

_____. 20 August 2000. Julie Watson. "Death Toll from Election Clash Rises to 10." http://www.nctimes.com/news/082000/cc.html [Accessed 17 Sept. 2001]

Reforma [Mexico City]. 16 September 2001. "Concluye polémica gestión de Procurador." http://www.reforma.com/ [Accessed 17 Sept. 2001]

_____. 20 August 2001. Erika Hernández. "Investigan a delegado de la PGR." http://www.reforma.com/ [Accessed 17 Sept. 2001]

_____. 18 August 2001. Anayansin Inzunza. "Cumple un año conflicto en Chimalhuacán." http://www.reforma.com/ [Accessed 17 Sept. 2001]

_____. 2 April 2001. Enrique I. Gómez. "Apelan sentencia contra 'La Loba.'" http://www.reforma.com/ [Accessed 17 Sept. 2001]

_____. [in Spanish] 7 September 2000. Lorenzo Meyer. "Chimalhuacan Incident, Context Analyzed." (FBIS-LAT-2000-0915 7 Sept. 2000/WNC)