Tulum: from heaven to hell of police brutality, impunity and violence

The Caribbean coast of southern Mexico is a vacation paradise. With its spectacular beaches, landscapes and magnificent ruins of Mayan culture, it has become a world famous destination for domestic and foreign tourists.

There, with its white sand, turquoise sea, large luxury hotels overlooking the beautiful beaches of the Riviera Maya, and incomparable nightlife. which provides unique experiences for visitors; is the magical Tulum, in the state of Quintana Roo.

However, this natural Mexican paradise has become the epicenter of violence. An example of a brutal pimple from the above are the events that happened over the past weekend.

During the Easter holidays, various violent events rocked Tulum and all of Mexico.

One of the most egregious examples is the murder of Victoria Esperanza Salazar. A Salvadoran woman who was a refugee in Mexico and has lived in Quintana Roo since 2018.

Victoria was 36 years old and had three children. He had a humanitarian visa which allowed him to be legally in the country.

The afternoon of this Saturday March 27 in the municipality of TulumVictoria was walking along La Selva Avenue when she was approached and brutally submitted by four state police officers. Four men and a woman.

Activists compared what happened to the murder of African American George Floyd, who was suffocated to death by Minneapolis police, Minnesota in May 2020, triggering the historic protests for racial justice in the United States.

In the images, which were immediately disseminated on social networks, we can see how theThe elements threw her to the ground and, as the autopsy confirmed, they applied unwarranted excess force on the victim, who did not even put up resistance., at any time.

The prosecution said that, according to the results of the autopsy, the victim had “a fracture of the upper part of the spine caused by the rupture of the first and second vertebrae, which caused death”. last Saturday afternoon. The injuries, according to the opinion based on criminology, forensic medicine and the videographic material collected, “are compatible and coincide with the submissive maneuvers that were applied to the victim during the process of his arrest and before his death.”

“The police body control technique applied and the level of force used were disproportionately and immoderate and with a high risk to life, since it did not comply with the victim’s resistance, which caused a slowdown with rotation of the neck, thus violating the provisions of the national law on the use of force, ”the prosecution said in a statement.

The police came Saturday to the neighbors’ complaint against a woman who disturbed public order. They brutally reduced her and, seeing that she was unresponsive, removed the body without attempting any resuscitation.

A “brutal” murder whose perpetrators “will be punished”

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador described Monday as a “brutal” murder. “She was subdued by four elements, she was brutally treated and murdered,” the president continued. “It is a fact that fills us with shame, pain and shame,” said López Obrador.

The Mexican president referred to this fact during the inauguration of a forum on women’s rights in which the French president participated with telemessages. Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. “Tell their relatives, Salvadoran and Mexican women, women of the world (…) that all those responsible will be punished, that they are already being prosecuted and that there will be no impunity.Said the president.

Another scandalous event in the state of Quintana Roo is the discovery of Karla’s body on the paradise island of Holbox. The 29-year-old woman was cruelly tortured and killed.

The young woman’s body was found on the night of March 27. Karla’s murder is the first femicide in the history of the island.

Karla “N “‘s body was found with signs of violence and her vehicle, a golf cart she was using as a taxi, appeared on Sunday. floating in the sea, heading towards Punta Ciricote, the Quintana Roo prosecutor’s office reported.

Authorities described the femicide as extremely violent, with the victim found with his hands tied and his breasts severed. submerged between Punta Cocos and Punta Ciricote, an area believed to be guarded by elements of the Quintana Roo police.

According to local media, Karla was the mother of a minor and also drove a taxi.

Last Sunday, the Attorney General of the State of Quintana Roo announced that he had already arrested the alleged perpetrator., who according to the first reports, would have murdered his victim for a “personnal issue“. The FGE has already launched an investigation portfolio.

Electronic Music Festivals, Underground parties, discos without masks. Tulum has become a paradise for tourists for whom COVID-19 is just a shadow.

In this context, on the night of Sunday March 28, a shooting was reported in the center of Tulum, which was recorded at the height of the Xibalbar bar and left the balance. death of one person and three injured.

According to the portal Noticaribe, around 22:00 in the emergency number, the event was reported and it is added that they were three people who shot at subjects coming from Tulum Avenue.

People in the central avenue were visited by locals and tourists, who tried to find safety after the shooting.

The officials managed to flee the premises and it was a person who was left lying at the doors of the bar. Elements of the National Guard arrived at the scene, medical personnel who took care of the wounded and who were taken to hospital.

As if this were not enough, another of the incidents that have occurred in the last few hours in the area, and it also has to do with the abuse of the police; It is in which the former actor, businessman and influencer Roberto Palazuelos is involved.

Palazuelos He has been singled out on social media for being linked to an episode of police violence in Tulum, Quintana Roo. ‘Black Diamond’ videos circulating on the web in the middle of an eviction carried out by a group of the federal police.

According to local Tulum media, the Mexican businessman was responsible for the eviction of a woman, who allegedly owns the Yoga Shala hotel; It is located in front of the hotel in Palazuelos, Ahau Tulum, located at kilometer 7.5 of the Tulum-Boca Paila highway.

“The famous actor Roberto Palazuelos has stopped making soap operas and is now dedicated to taking over important properties in the coastal area. He did his thing again when he left a hotel and a restaurant across from his hotel. Arrive with the personnel under his command, support with police officers, ”reported local media. The voice of Quintana Roo.

In the video circulating on social media, Roberto Palazuelos can be seen wearing a black shirt and white pants, while shouting a few resounding words in favor of arresting the individuals.

On social networks, the influencer published a photograph that would confirm its link with the episode of police violence perpetrated a few days ago.

On his official Instagram account, the influencer wrote: “Nothing like the adrenaline rush to execute a deportation sentence from mx justice.”

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