Federal judge Claudia Jiménez Teutli generated an intense public debate after shelving the case against Héctor Tenorio Rodríguez, accused of sexual abuse against his own son, a six-year-old boy with neuromotor disabilities. The ruling, issued in Mexico City, was based on the fact that the minor's statement was not video recorded, despite forensic findings confirming injuries consistent with sexual assault and the child's testimonies describing multiple assaults since he was five months old.
The case dates back to April 2023, when the boy's grandmother, Dioselina Zavala González, heard her grandson's confession revealing that his father attacked him with objects such as a "yellow injection" and a "hammer." The child also mentioned that his mother, Beatriz Morales, was aware of the incidents but did not protect him. Despite this evidence, the judge considered that the lack of video recording of the child's statement invalidated the evidence, despite expert reports confirming the abuse suffered.
The Attorney General's Office of Mexico City documented evidence of repeated abuse, such as "erasure of anal folds and reduced tone of the sphincter," coinciding with other forensic findings. After the case was closed, the DIF (State System for the Comprehensive Development of the Family) handed over custody of the minor to the paternal aunt, which the maternal family sees as an ongoing risk, given that the perpetrator still has access to the child.
Dioselina Zavala now faces a counterclaim for "child abduction" filed by the perpetrator, while also demanding legal changes to more effectively protect child victims. Her case has become a symbol of the fight against institutional negligence and a call for transparency and accountability in the judicial system.
