Trial against July Raquel: On the verdict of verdict, Veracruz justice minimizes evidence of sexual torture

In Coatepec, Veracruz, this Friday is scheduled the last day of the oral trial against July Raquel, where the young woman advocates for her innocence in relation to the murder of the rector of the University of Valladolid and fights for the judiciary of that state to admit recommendation 51VG/2022 as documentary evidence issued by the National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH), which accredits that the accused was a victim of sexual torture by ministerial police officers of the Public Prosecutor's Office of that entity after being arrested in Mexico City.

In an interview with Infobae Mexico, Melissa Zamora, a lawyer at the Prodh Center, explains that the judge in charge of the oral trial should consider that the sexual torture against July Raquel had an impact on the criminal process in which the Veracruz Attorney General's Office is trying to prove her involvement in the murder of Guadalupe Martínez Aguilar, occurred on June 29, 2020.

In this regard, this non-governmental organization is concerned that a final verdict will be reached through a series of violations of the human rights of July Raquel, and although the young woman and her family are concerned about the reluctance of judicial authorities to admit evidence in her favor, July herself is hopeful of to be able to prove his innocence, since on the day of the events he was miles away from Veracruz.

After her arrest in 2020 and the imposition of pre-trial detention in the Pacho Viejo prison, Veracruz authorities resisted practicing the Istanbul Protocol to determine whether July was subjected to acts of torture during the ministerial proceedings during her capture in Mexico City and subsequent transfer to Veracruz.

With the support of the Prodh Center, the young woman was able to take her case to the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), which found that there were practices of torture and for this reason issued recommendation 51VG/2022 in January of this year addressed to the Government of Cuitláhuac García and to the Attorney-General's Office, however, in none of the cases was it accepted.

Melissa Zamora commented that this recommendation issued by the CNDH should be considered by the judge as a public documentary that helps reinforce July Raquel's testimony. He added that the judge must also reflect on the purpose of the ministerial police in subjecting the young woman to these practices and whether they ultimately affected the criminal proceedings against her.

The lawyer indicated that this organization accompanies the young woman as a survivor of sexual torture, and stressed that the Veracruz judge refused to allow human rights personnel to observe the oral trial, thus violating the principles of publicity, in addition to the fact that there was no legal basis to support the decision and merely stated that the Office of the Prosecutor opposed the entry of observers.

On the way in which the representative of the Veracruz judiciary approached the case of torture, The NGO indicates that the judge considers that these facts are not linked to the criminal process for the murder case, which could move towards where the final decision points.

On the other hand, July Raquel's personal defense has stated that the Veracruz Prosecutor's Office has a weak basis in its accusations against the young woman. News reports known prior to the trial that takes place this week suggest that the Public Prosecutor's Office relied on a simple copy of an alleged contract for the purchase and sale of the car used in the crime, and in which July is allegedly listed as owner.

It also transpired, during the past year, that expert evidence failed to link July's original signature to the one that appears in the alleged document. It was further learned that the images of the woman who allegedly participated in the crime of homicide did not correspond to the physical characteristics of the now accused.

This Friday night, the judge conducting the trial is expected to deliver his verdict to determine the innocence or guilt of July Raquel, although there is a good chance that the hearing will be extended until Monday, said lawyer Melissa Zamora.

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