Voltaire said that “the last degree of perversity is to use the laws for injustice.” This phrase was reproduced two days ago by Jorge Fernández Villarreal in a desperate tweet, reminding the Mexican authorities that his son Jorge Fernández González is unjustly imprisoned in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas for the alleged murder of his wife, María del Pilar Garrido Santamans. I have written extensively on the subject, reviewed the file and talked to Jorge’s family. I am convinced that he is innocent, like many other people who, whether for political reasons, revenge, or simply because of the perversity of the authorities, are deprived of their liberty—or were deprived of it—under very questionable quality.
Said files (and the corresponding investigations) were integrated by a state prosecutor’s office headed by a ‘peculiar’ character, to say the least, whose career takes us back to the darkest times of the contemporary history of our country with regard to the issue of security. I am referring to Irving Barrios Mojica, who was the main author of the so-called “Michoacanazo” during the administration of Felipe Calderón Hinojosa. On that occasion, more than 30 public servants were arrested and sent to prison for alleged links to organized crime, who had to be released for not accrediting the evidence of his guilt.
In Tamaulipas it is difficult to know the truth because justice is rarely done; therefore, speculation is frequently resorted to”.
In Tamaulipas—according to what is affirmed in many spaces, by many victims and through many media—“ culprits are made”. Among the most notorious cases of injustice and dirty role of the Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office are those of journalists Jesús González Zúñiga, Luis Ignacio Valtierra and Gabriel Garza Flores (the latter died in prison), Jonathan Rodríguez Cabanne and Susana Prieto Terrazas. According to interviews I have conducted in the state, these cases are not isolated and have multiplied in the last five years. Many of these cases remain unresolved or the respective verdict seems to have been given under chilling conditions of fabrication of evidence, torture, false testimony and serious breaches of due process. This is verified in various testimonies and brief reports in the local and national media.
Currently, and in the midst of a complicated process to elect governor of a state scourged by injustice and organized crime in the broad sense, our star state prosecutor, author of the painful Michoacanazo, is once again “doing his thing” and now seems to operate as a political instrument of the outraged governor, Francisco Javier Garcia Cabeza de Vaca. In an apparently desperate attempt on the part of the state executive to support its candidate and to maintain impunity in the framework of his impeachment process, Barrios Mojica seems to be operating a kind of “Tamaulipazo”.
Indeed, the Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office recently issued arrest warrants against Tamaulipas politicians who are considered political enemies of the governor, including Carlos Peña Ortiz, Eduardo Gattás and Carmen Lilia Canturosas. This is unheard of. It seems incredible that the author of the pitiful Michoacanazo—who could also remain in office until 2032 due to certain reforms approved in September of last year—continues to lead the prosecution in a a state where justice does not exist and where guilty parties are systematically fabricated, according to multiple testimonies compiled.
Hopefully AMLO does not break his promises and justice is served in the beaten Tamaulipas. Hopefully the Mexican president will not leave Jorge Fernandez, his family and many others unjustly deprived of their liberty alone, including the potential victims of the Tamaulipazo”.
This situation It is truly tragic in a state so damaged by organized crime and total impunity. The attitude of the governor and the prosecutor of him operating with treachery and apparent bravado is very striking. However, the inaction of the Federal Government and the President of Mexico in the framework of everything that has happened in Tamaulipas in recent years is even more striking. I am referring to the Camargo massacre (a case that mysteriously remained reserved for five years) to what we could call a “Tamaulipazo”, going through the failed process of impeachment of the governor and high-impact crimes allegedly perpetrated by the state police and that have gone unpunished.
Sometimes one could think of a kind of pact, which maintains impunity and reluctantly gives protection to a governor who many consider linked to actions that are too shady and even criminal—and that it could have been unlawful derived from a large file. Surprising is the governor’s apparent ability to overcome adversity and finally place himself at the center of the electoral campaign, operating in favor of his partner and himself to achieve impunity. Even Netflix will supposedly broadcast a saga about his impeachment process.
The photographs with US authorities also attract attention. What will the United States know that we Mexicans interested in Tamaulipas do not know? According to recent information, in the neighboring country there is no cause (known to date) that merits direct action against the still governor of Tamaulipas. This is not surprising since García Cabeza de Vaca always looked out for the interests of the neighboring country and for the transnational companies in the energy sector.
In Tamaulipas it is difficult to know the truth because justice is rarely done ; therefore, speculation is frequently resorted to. Many speak of a possible condition of sociopathy related to the governor and his prosecutor. This would explain, in a certain way, the bravado attitude and the reckless statements of those who are accused of various crimes—including organized crime, money laundering, and tax evasion.
However, the silence of the morning tenant of the National Palace is very striking in relation to the multiple complaints made by Tamaulipas society and the injustice that reigns in a key border state rich in resources strategic natural. People like Jorge Fernández González seem to have been abandoned to their fate. They find themselves between the sword of the criminals and the wall of those who cannot or do not want to defend them, that is, those who openly declare themselves incompetent—claiming independence from the Attorney General’s Office and the judiciary.
Something seems to be very cloudy in Tamaulipas politics; Something sucks and I still can’t figure it out. The case of the Carmona Angulo brothers could be the key to what we are seeing now. One of the Carmona Angulo brothers was executed in the municipality of San Pedro Garza García in Nuevo León and the other brother joined the Protected Witness Program (Witness Security Program). The United States will have plenty of information for sure. The customs, the huachicol, a certain JR; all of this could explain what until now seems inexplicable to us.
The future of Tamaulipas politics is decided on June 5 and the future of a governor (investigated for allegedly being corrupt and delinquent) is decided the first day of that same month when the First Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) discusses the constitutional controversies for the removal of immunity. The result of the election to head the state executive seems to be already determined and the governor seems to be desperate and apparently he is going to play it until the end.
Morena and her gray candidate would win the election in the state. Everything seems to indicate that the people of Tamaulipas will charge dearly for the multiple grievances against the PAN governor, but will AMLO and the federal government do the same? The silence in the mornings over Tamaulipas is surprising. Also surprising is a recent uncomfortable photo of the president with the sheltered governor. Niccolò Machiavelli said that “A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promises.”
I hope AMLO does not break his promises and justice is served in the beaten Tamaulipas. Hopefully the Mexican president will not leave Jorge Fernandez, his family and many others unjustly deprived of their liberty alone, including the potential victims of the Tamaulipazo. Hopefully those guilty of flagrant crimes and those who “use the laws for injustice” face a fair trial and according to their outrages. Silence and inaction are the food of mistrust. Until now, many, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, trust his word and that justice will be done.
Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera is a Professor-researcher of Politics and Government, a specialist in security issues, border studies, and Mexico-United States relations. Author of Los Zetas Inc.