Tortured by Mexican marines

My name is Claudia Medina.

Two years ago, in the middle of the night, marines entered my home in Veracruz, Mexico. They didn’t show me a court order, but blindfolded me and took me away. 

For 36 long hours they kept me in solitary at a naval base. There, they tortured me physically, psychologically and sexually to make me confess to being a criminal.

One of them even threatened to go and fetch my children and do the same to them.

Afterwards, they presented me to the media as a member of a criminal gang. They accused me of crimes based on what they said I did and what I allegedly confessed.

Two weeks later I was released on bail, but I am still charged with these offences. Although I complained about my illegal detention and torture to the judge and the federal prosecution service, they have still not done anything to investigate my case.

At first, I found it very hard to speak out publicly about what happened to me because I thought I was the only one.

But since then, I have met other people who had the same thing happen to them, and I realised that it is as if the authorities are suffering from some kind of disease. Marines, soldiers, federal and state police all behave in the same way.

It is not fair that other people should have to suffer the same as me. Nobody should be tortured.

That is why I am asking you to support me in the struggle that I have decided to undertake. I want justice to be done – I want the people responsible to be brought to justice.

Please join my struggle and call on the Mexican to authorities to investigate and bring those responsible to justice

Many thanks,

Claudia Medina 

Claudia Medina is a survivor of torture. We're calling on the Mexican authorities to open an effective investigation into her alleged torture and ill-treatment, to make its results public and bring those responsible to justice.