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Morelos Land Defender Freed After 14-Hour Detention as Prosecutors Open Internal Probe

State prosecutors cite a 2018 re-arrest order for alleged land dispossession as they review whether agents acted lawfully.

Overview

  • Eliezer Otilio Zamora Pérez was detained Friday in Amilcingo by state investigative agents with Mexican Army presence while working his field, and witnesses say no warrant was shown.
  • He was moved between facilities, logged at the Atlacholoaya prison, and returned to his community around 3 a.m. Saturday after roughly 14 hours in custody.
  • Zamora Pérez reported not receiving food during detention and having a painful hand injury, and he was released with no current charges filed.
  • The Morelos prosecutor’s office says the operation executed a 2018 court re-arrest order for alleged despojo and has opened an administrative investigation into the agents’ conduct.
  • Community organizations denounce the detention as harassment tied to opposition to the Proyecto Integral Morelos, seek human-rights oversight and official information, and note he is covered by the federal protection mechanism for defenders.