A criminal court judge has ordered 22 Chiapas state troopers held for trial in the fatal shooting of an Indian villager, one of a crowd protesting a Christmas week massacre.
In the state capital of Tuxtla Gutierrez, Judge Guillermo Dominguez Espinoza ruled Wednesday that there is sufficient evidence to try the police officers for involvement in the death of Guadalupe Mendez Martinez, 38.
Mendez’s 2-year-old daughter and two men were wounded when a police patrol in the town of Ocosingo opened fire into a crowd protesting the Dec. 22 massacre of 45 Indians in Acteal, another Chiapas town.
The 22 also were charged with attempting to cause bodily harm, excessive use of force and abuse of authority.
Dominguez denied bail to all of the accused and did not disclose details of the charges. But he was quoted by the Notimex news agency as saying each could get up to 40 years in prison if convicted.
