Aldo Dupié Ochoa Mejía, aka the wolf and indicated as one of the main leaders from neighborhood 18, will be transferred from the center of Maximum safety renewal Iin Escuintla, to Fraijanes II detention centerconsidered of lower shelter. The decision, taken by the Judge Lesbeth Betancourthas generated controversy due to the risks of the deprived of freedom.
After the Judicial Resolutionit was known that assumptions information of entities such as the Attorney General’s Office (PDH), the Office of Torture Prevention and the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF), had supported the decision of a judge, by Complaints of inadequate conditions in the Escuintla prison.
However, both the PDH and the rapporteur against torture They denied having issued such reports or have suggested the transfer. In official communications, Both entities clarified that They did not endorse The relocation of the inmate.
The National Institute of Forensic Sciences has not issued public position In this regard.
Apart, the Ministry of the Interior He expressed his sharp opposition. The head of that portfolio, Francisco Jiménez, He confirmed that the penitentiary system presented a challenge. “Mr. Ochoa Mejía is a Active leader of neighborhood 18with operational capacity inside and outside the prison. Your transfer to a center of lower security can Facilitate your connection with criminal structures”, Jiménez declared before media.
Barrio 18 is one of the most violent gangs in the countrylinked to extortion, homicides and other serious crimes. The authorities argue that leaders such as Ochoa Mejía They must remain in isolation, in maximum security centers, to reduce your criminal influence.
Victim organizations and civil society sectors have also expressed alarm for resolution. Consider that decisions of this nature weaken the fight against organized crime and They compromise citizen security.
For now, The transfer has not been executed. The judicial process is expected to continue in the next few days. The case has reactivated the debate on the limits between human rights and penitentiary security policies in Guatemala.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn2O3ismy80
In the program Direct impact The particular situation in the Ministry of the Interior and the case of Ochoa Mejía.
For Claudia Massis, a psychólga that integrates into a panel of participants, It would not have to be necessary that such Movements In prison, authorities should be known, since the authorities should guarantee the safety of citizens, regardless of What jail is a prisoner.
“Here is a power strugglewhere one person pulse with the other To see who can more. Sometimes, I think it could be A political game To imply to the citizens that they They are making movements and? They have control of the system. They would not have to do it, because the results They are the ones that we would have to do“Massis said.