Mexico president promises release of prisoners awaiting trial

The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, acknowledged the lack of results in his policy to release people not sentenced or tortured by state agents.

"One thing that is true is that two Secretaries of the Interior have not been able to remove those who are there (prisoners) and it is proven that they were tortured, and it is true because the judicial procedures are the most complex," said the president at his conference.

According to official figures, until last June there were 226,916 prisoners in Mexico, of which 92,595 (40%) were in preventive detention. Some have gone years without a sentence.

"There is no enthusiasm, there is no will in some officials to do justice, and there is still a lot of bureaucracy," he added. Although he claimed to be referring to officials "in general," the leftist president focused his criticism on the justice system.

The scant progress in this matter occurs despite the fact that on August 25, 2021, López Obrador issued a decree to identify and eventually manage the release of people imprisoned without sentence, or who had been victims of torture.

Said norm also establishes the possibility of releasing elderly prisoners with chronic illnesses, but who are not accused or convicted of serious crimes.

López Obrador asked his Security Secretary, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, to insist on the execution of the decree so that "those who are unjustly in jail, who are innocent, are released immediately."