TheNewsMexico.com
December 12, 2001
By Zoltan Simon

The investigation into the murder of human rights activist Digna Ochoa is being slowed down by the Defense Secretariat's (Sedena) delay in handing over information related to the case, the local press reported.

Mexico City Attorney General Bernardo Batiz said his office wants to interview two soldiers who testified in the trial of environmentalists Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera. Ochoa, who was their defense attorney, rigorously questioned the soldiers regarding the illegal arrest and torture of the activists.

Human rights organizations and Ochoa's family have said her work on the case could be connected to her murder. She was found shot to death on Oct. 19 in her Mexico City office.

Batiz said his office is in the process of answering the Sedena's request for more information on the reasons why they want to interview the soldiers. This is "a delay, but not a major obstacle" in the investigation, he said.

"The soldiers will have to testify sooner or later and we will keep pressuring Sedena on this issue," Batiz said.

Last week, members of the investigating team went to Guerrero -- the home state of Montiel and Cabrera -- to interview three local leaders who may have some information on the murder. So far more than 50 people, including the two environmental activists, have made statements in the case, but investigators admitted they are no closer to finding the culprits.

The lack of apparent progress in the case has led human rights organizations and Ochoa's family to question the willingness or the ability of the city attorney general's office to carry out the investigation.

Two weeks ago, Edgar Cortez, director of the Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez Human Rights Center (Prodh), asked the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to provide an outside expert to join the investigation. He warned that at the current pace, the investigation would produce no results.

Ochoa's brother, Jesus, said the investigation should focus more on what the government intelligence service, Cisen, knows about the case.

"[The family] is certain that Cisen had been closely monitoring Digna's activities and the agency must also know who killed her," he said.

Armando Contreras, Director of Information and Analysis at the city attorney general's office, said investigators solicited information from Cisen, but only received old newspaper clippings.

"We did our part in asking Cisen for documents, but it's not our fault they didn't send us anything of value," he said.