Mexico committed serious errors in investigation of activist death-rights court

By Lizbeth Diaz

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – The Mexican government committed serious errors in the investigation of the death of the activist Digna Ochoa two decades ago and must continue with the probe, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) said on Wednesday.

Ochoa, who received death threats before her body was found with gunshot wounds in October 2001, was a lawyer who defended cases of human rights violations allegedly committed by civilian and military security forces.

Investigations into what became one of the country’s most high profile cases initially pointed to a murder but prosecutors later directed the investigation to a possible suicide. The case was considered closed.

But the court said in a statement that the “absolutely deficient investigation” is “a violation of the obligation to guarantee the right to life”.

Mexico must therefore continue to investigate and eventually prosecute those possibly responsible for her death, the court said, and take responsibility.

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)