Villas de Salvárcar massacre

The Villas de Salvárcar massacre occurred in Villas de Salvárcar, Ciudad Juárez on January 31, 2010, early in the morning. 15 young people died.[1] Alejandro Martínez-Cabrera of the El Paso Times stated that the event "brought attention to the city's social problems" and "caused outrage in Mexico because of the brutality".[2] People outside Mexico also expressed outrage about the crime.[3] As a result, the federal government started the program "Todos Somos Juárez" (We are Juárez) to rejuvenate the city, and President of Mexico Felipe Calderón took additional measures against drug cartels.[2] Lorena Figueroa of the El Paso Times stated that due to the "brutality" of the crime, "The massacre gave notoriety" to Villas de Salvárcar.[3]

Event

A birthday party for Jesús Enríquez, who had turned 18, began on the evening of January 30, 2010 in a residence on Villa de Portal Street in Villas de Salvárcar, southeastern Ciudad Juárez. Those in attendance were high school and university students.[4] 60 persons were inside the house. Around midnight a group of 20 La Línea hitmen entered the residence and attacked the party guests. Immediately 14 of the persons were killed and 12 received injuries.[5] Of the deceased, one attended the Autonomous University of Chihuahua while the others were students at Plantel 9 del Colegio de Bachilleres and the Centro de Estudios de Bachillerato Técnico Industrial y de Servicios (CBTIS).[6]

Aftermath

While on a trip to Japan, President of Mexico Felipe Calderón stated that the victims were gang members. He later retracted that claim after criticism from the victims' families.[7]

Israel Arzate Meléndez was tortured into falsely confessing to the crime.

On Sunday March 14, 2010, Mexican authorities arrested the accused lookout, Heriberto Martinez. By March 21 of that year, the Mexican military arrested four more individuals.[1]

Israel Arzate Meléndez was arrested on February 3 and received torture until he falsely confessed involvement.[8]

José Dolores Arroyo Chavarría, Aldo Favio Hernández, Heriberto Martínez, and Juan Alfredo Soto Arias were convicted of the murders in July 2011.[8]

In 2012, Javier Hernández Valencia, the Mexico representative of the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights, stated that Arzate Meléndez had been tortured.[2] On November 6, 2013, the Supreme Court of Mexico First Chamber ordered the release of Arzate Meléndez, who had been kept in pretrial isolation until that point.[8]

In 2012, Univision revealed that the guns used in the killings originated from Operation Fast and Furious.[9]

References
  • Ainslie, Ricardo C. "Villas de Salvárcar" (Chapter 23). In: Ainslie, Ricardo C. The Fight to Save Juárez: Life in the Heart of Mexico's Drug War. University of Texas Press (Austin, Texas), 2013. Print: ISBN 978-0-292-73890-4. DOI: 10.7560/738904. Start p. 180.

Notes
  1. Valencia, Nick. "Four more arrested in Juarez house party massacre." CNN. March 21, 2010. Retrieved on October 6, 201.
  2. Martínez-Cabrera, Alejandro. "Official: Villas de Salvarcar massacre suspect tortured by Mexican army." El Paso Times. March 16, 2012. Retrieved on October 6, 2014.
  3. Figueroa, Lorena. "Juárez families, neighborhood scarred by 2010 massacre." El Paso Times. January 29, 2013. Retrieved on October 6, 2014.
  4. Ainslie, 180.
  5. Reyes, Gerardo and Santiago Wills. The guests were mistaken for members of a rival gang. Fast and Furious Scandal: New Details Emerge on How the U.S. Government Armed Mexican Drug Cartels." ABC News. September 30, 2012. Retrieved on October 6, 2014.
  6. "2010: Ocurre en Juárez la 'Masacre de Salvárcar'; 15 jóvenes fueron asesinados." El Siglo de Torreón. Thursday January 31, 2013. Retrieved on October 6, 2014.
  7. https://www.jornada.com.mx/2010/02/09/politica/003n1pol
  8. Figueroa, Lorena. "Mexican Supreme Court: Juárez man was tortured, forced to confess to Villas de Salvárcar massacre." El Paso Times. December 2, 2013. Retrieved on October 6, 2014.
  9. https://www.pri.org/stories/2012-10-01/fast-and-furious-guns-linked-mexico-murders

Further reading

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