The trial for the femicide of lawyer Cecilia Monzón in Puebla, scheduled for Wednesday, March 12, was postponed until April 4 due to a change of lawyer for one of the accused. Helena Monzón, sister of the feminist lawyer, denounced that this delay is a delaying tactic used by the defense to prevent the aggressors from being imprisoned.
"They seek to escape through the back door with these types of actions," Monzón pointed out, urging authorities to stop the revictimization as the judicial process does not comply with the premise that justice should be swift and expedited. The defendants in the case include former PRI Secretary of Governance, Javier López Zavala, and his alleged accomplices and hitmen, Jair 'N' and Silvestre 'N', accused of planning and executing the lawyer's murder in May 2022 in Cholula.
The Monzón family has reported that the trial has been affected by amparos and delaying tactics that have prolonged the judicial process and the prosecution of López Zavala. Cecilia Monzón Pérez was shot dead on May 21, 2022, while driving her car in the municipality of San Pedro Cholula. She was a criminal lawyer and women's rights activist, known for her work in defending victims of abuse and domestic violence.
The 'Monzón Law' was promoted after her death, a legislative reform in Puebla aimed at protecting the children of femicide victims, ensuring that they do not remain under the custody of the accused or convicted father for the mother's crime. Cecilia's son, then four years old, is currently under provisional custody of his family in Spain.
The Monzón family has expressed concern over the possibility that Javier López Zavala may be released before facing trial against him. Substitute Judge Eliazer Melchor Aguilar ordered a hearing to decide whether the preventive detention of the accused is maintained, which would allow him to face the process in freedom.
López Zavala's defense requested an amparo claiming supposed arbitrariness during the judicial process. Cecilia Monzón's family stated that they will use all available legal resources to overturn the amparo resolution and will request the maximum sentence of 60 years in prison for all defendants, including the material authors of the activist's murder.
"A call is made to the Judicial Power of the State of Puebla to act without delays, considering that in May it will be 3 years since the femicide of Cecilia Monzón without any convictions," emphasized the relatives of the deceased lawyer.
