May 31, 2005

Mexican President's Comments on Juarez Slayings Draw Criticism
By Olga R. Rodriguez
Associated Press Writer


MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) - President Vicente Fox said Tuesday a majority of 12 years of killings against women in the border city of Ciudad Juarez had been solved, angering activists and victims' family members still upset over his suggestion the deaths had been blown out of proportion.
Referring to a report by the former prosecutor in charge of the cases in Juarez, Fox said 323 women had been killed in the city across from El Paso, Texas, since 1993, and added that 230 cases have been solved.

"This shows the work done so far, but we're aware there are still other cases that need to be solved." he said.

The report, released in January, has been widely criticized by human rights groups, who say the figures don't add up. Fox's comments enraged many in Juarez and beyond who say far more women were killed than the government is willing to acknowledge and many of those arrested for the crimes were tortured into confessing.

In similar comments Monday, Fox also said he believed the media had sensationalized the cases.

"It's really surprising that the media only pays attention to security problems but it doesn't pay attention when the criminals are detained," the president said Monday.

Evangelina Arce, whose daughter Silvia has been missing since 1998, traveled Tuesday from Juarez to Monterrey to protest the president's comments.

"We're here to ask for a meeting with the president to show him the proof he's asking for," said Arce, who held her daughter's photo and was accompanied by three other women waving banners as the presidential convoy rolled past.

Authorities in the state of Chihuahua, where Juarez is located, say about 340 women have been killed since 1993 in Juarez.

At least 100 fell victim to slayings that appear to fit a pattern where a young, slender woman was sexually assaulted, strangled, and dumped in the desert outside the city of 1.3 million.

Esther Chavez, a longtime activist and director of Casa Amiga, a nonprofit center that helps rape and abuse victims in Juarez, noted that a new federal special prosecutor and 30 more federal investigators have been called to help.

"If the cases have been solved, why does the federal government keep sending people to work on the investigations?" Chavez asked.

AP-ES-05-31-05 2158EDT

This story can be found at: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB313UWE9E.html