Overview

• On July 4, the Third Collegiate Criminal Court of the 27th Circuit unanimously granted Sánchez Moreno an amparo and ordered an acquittal be issued within 24 hours due to lack of proof he directed torture.
• An appellate court in April 2021 had increased his sentence to seven years six months in prison, imposed a 15,417.50-peso fine and barred him from public office for 15 years.
• Journalist Lydia Cacho was detained and allegedly tortured in 2005 after publishing “Los Demonios del Edén,” which exposed a suspected network of child sexual abuse.
• In 2018, the Special Prosecutor for Crimes Against Freedom of Expression charged Sánchez Moreno alongside former Puebla governor Mario Marín and businessman José Kamel Nacif for probable involvement in the torture.
• Human rights advocates warn the ruling underscores persistent impunity for state actors accused of abuses and poses risks to press freedom protections in Mexico.