It’s been six years since the journalist from Veracruz; Moises Sanchez was taken from his own house by a gang group, with no return. Municipal authorities investigated, and unidentified criminals are part of this story which seems to not find all the responsible.
Ten to seven o’clock at night, from January 2nd of 2015, a convoy with five vehicles closed streets where Moises Sanchez Cerezo lived. From the cars descended around nine armed people, six entered the journalist’s house, which was sleeping at the moment. His wife and grandchildren were intercepted at the house’s entrance, while the criminals checked the house located in the district of Medellin de Bravo, in Veracruz.
María Ordóñez, the journalist’s wife, and grandchild, saw Moises walking for the last time, barefooted and with no shirt, wearing denim pants, with his hands tied to his back. Sanchez Cerezo was taken to a black SUV, on which was taken along with his camera, phone and laptop. The flashy operation seemed to have caught everyone’s attention, when immediately called the State-wide and Municipal Police, also The Ministry of Defense (SEDENA, as of in Spanish), the only one which answered the call.
The criminals’ vehicles accessed and left the place passing by in front of two municipal police, located 200 meters from the house. Even though the distance from the scene and the police was very close, they took 40 minutes to arrive; the search operations took almost two hours to execute. The two policemen gave testimony afterwards, later knowing about the kidnap and arrived at the scene, but once they got to the scene, were ordered by their superior to leave and continue usual duties.
Previous conditions
In 2014, first year from the municipal president’s administration Omar Cruz Reyes, armed rangers, upon many vehicles, ambushed eleven people. December’s violent events provoked manifestations in the City Hall, one of them was Moises Sanchez who stood up against Omar Cruz in front of the media, and was accused for sending him to get beaten. Previous to January 2nd of 2015, day of the kidnapping and missing of the journalist, many assaults and murders were perpetrated, some reported were reported by Moises.
On December 14th, Sanchez Cerezo published a video where he informed the existence of a group of self-defense in Medellin, created by neighbors which have organized to watch the streets, armed with wood sticks and machetes; as a result from the lack of security and the harsh compliance with the police and criminals. The serious violence situation and activity of organized crime in the district was known by the Veracruz government, as well as authorities from the Mexican Marines and the municipal president.
Even on December 15th of 2014, authorities mentioned gathered in the Gutierrez Rosas colony, where Moises used to live, to commit on strengthening surveillance, at that meeting Jose Nabor Nava arrived, the assistant secretary of Veracruz’s public security. None of the authority promises worked 16 days after to prevent the ambush to the journalist. Moises informed his family, two days before the kidnapping, about the warning a friend had made to him: the municipal President said he might just “spook” him a little.
The first answer from the then Governor from Veracruz, Javier Duarte Ochoa, a day after the communicator’s kidnap, was to state that Moises was not a journalist, and qualified him as a taxi driver –a duty he also performed-, in addition he was a neighborly activist. Moises Sanchez’s acquaintances manifested on the conurbation zone of Veracruz-Boca del Rio, where the governor’s words contradicted and demanded to stop victimizing the kidnapped journalist. On other cities of the country the manifestations replicated.
Government’s simulation
Media’s pressure forced the governor Veracruz; the General Attorney; and the Public Security Secretary, to gather up with the victim’s family, promising to find him alive. After a week of the event, the Articulo 19 organization detected that on the file there was no evidence of a search plan for the journalist, also, in a meeting with the family and the Ministerial Attorney’s Investigations from Veracruz, Maria del Rosario Gonzalez, noticed that the State Attorney did not ask for the surveillance videos which had registered the journalist’s kidnap, taking place at his house.
Days after, personnel from the attorney showed pictures from the presumed suspects, where they find two persons whom participated on the event, and two more which probably were also participants. But days few days after, the pictures just “disappeared”, and the attorney was sent to another delegation.
On January 20th, the case was shown to ambassadors and international representatives, which motivated Jesus Murillo Karam, the General Attorney of Mexico; and the Head of the Special Prosecutor's Office for the Attention of Crimes committed against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE), in receiving the journalist’s family and lawyers from Articulo 19. In the meeting the Prosecutor exposed that she considered it a violation to hold back elements from the Municipal Police; in addition they denied to bring the case, and informed the family that they would make an investigation.
The journalist’s body
On January 25th of 2015, the General Prosecutor from Veracruz, Luis Angel Bravo, informed about Jose Moises Sanchez Cerezo was found dead. The Prosecutor presented a video where it showed a part of the declaration from Noe Rodriguez; inter district ex-police, who confessed the event after being detained by the vehicle from where Moises was kidnapped. He was arrested with an AK47, a weapon with exclusive use of the Army. Later he was identified as one of the authors of the crime.
The person detained said that two blocks ahead from the journalist’s house, two policemen from Medellin crossed them and did nothing to stop them:
-They (the police) saw us and played fool, we knew we were protected.
Rodriguez added that there participated five more persons, from which he provided their nicknames: “El Harry”, El Piolín”, “El Olmos”, “El Chelo” y “El Moi”. They took Moisés Sánchez to La Martucha, in the district of Manlio Fabio Altamirano, they took him down, cut his throat, and dismembered his body:
- “El Moi” spoke to me and he said they had finished, telling me they had made dust from Moises. They even told me they have disposed of him into black bags.
The Prosecutor highlighted the connection of the Municipal President’s escort with the criminals, and pointed out that they would request a Political Trial against Omar Cruz, before the Congress from Veracruz State, so the jurisdiction will be removed and will proceed to go against him.
Presuntos responsables
Three municipal policemen were put on preventive prison, Jose Francisco Garcia Rodriguezz, Luigui Heriberto Bonilla Zavaleta and Martín López Meneses. This last one played the role of the Subdirector from the Municipal Police. Lopez Meneses was freed on October of this year after resolving a protection on his favor. On March 26th of 2015, Omar Cruz Reyes was cut off by the Veracruz State Congress, for a presumed responsibility from the murder of the activist and journalist. Afterwards there was an order of apprehension against him, but achieved to go on the run.
Municipal policemen Jose Francisco and Luigui Heriberto were sentenced for the crime to qualified murder, but were forgiven afterwards, after resolving a protection in 2020 for the violation to a right process. In 2021 they were sentenced for infringement of their duties, with a sentence of six years and six months of preventive prison, and a fine of 1,329 pesos, a sentence appealed by the victim’s family and by one of the policemen. Noe Rodriguez continues in preventive prison on a hold of an official sentence. Omar Cruz continues on the run from Justice.
From “El Harry”, “El Piolín”, “El Olmos”, “El Chelo” y “El Moi” they are only nicknames and spoken portraits which Noe Rodriguez provided three months after his detention. There are no efforts known on trying to find them. The crime remains unpunished.
