The former mayor of Chínipas, Chihuahua, Hugo Ahmed Shultz Alcaraz, failed to obtain the parole he sought, which he requested after serving only four years of his eight-year prison sentence for his involvement in the murder of journalist Miroslava Breach Velducea, correspondent for La Jornada. The Special Prosecutor's Office for the Attention of Crimes Committed Against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE) managed to demonstrate in a hearing that releasing the former PAN mayor would pose a danger to witnesses, victims, and society in general.
During the hearing, FEADLE presented evidence showing how Shultz Alcaraz had attempted to interfere in the judicial process against him, including pressuring witnesses to change their statements. These statements were crucial in determining the intellectual and material authorship of the murder committed in 2017. The judge decided that the arguments made by FEADLE and the victims' lawyers were sufficient to conclude that the release of the former mayor would pose a risk and that he must serve his sentence behind bars.
The organization Propuesta Cívica had previously warned about the possible release of Shultz Alcaraz, highlighting that it was the first conviction against a political actor sentenced for the murder of a journalist. In their words, "In the hearing, his responsibility will not be put on the table, as he accepted his participation for others to carry out the assassination of the correspondent for La Jornada; however, a media campaign was launched to sow doubt about his responsibility with the aim of influencing the hearing."
Miroslava Breach Velducea was murdered on March 23, 2017, because her work generated discomfort among criminal organizations and politicians linked to them. Although eight years have passed since the crime, only Hugo Amed Schultz and Juan Carlos Moreno Ochoa, one of the material authors, have been sentenced, although it is estimated that at least five other people were involved in the murder. Hugo Amed Schultz provided information to the alleged intellectual author, Crispín “N”, as well as to the material authors: Juan Carlos Moreno Ochoa, Jaciel “N” and Ramón “N”.
