The municipal president of Oxchuc, Chiapas, César Gómez, has been accused of allegedly threatening a local resident by saying he would “have him raped and executed,” following the circulation of an audio recording in which a voice attributed to the mayor is heard making threats and insulting a man identified as Óscar, whom he accuses of being a “traitor” for not supporting his way of governing.
In the recording, whose authenticity has not been confirmed by authorities, a person identified by those who released the audio as the mayor—who was elected under the municipality’s indigenous customary governance system (usos y costumbres)—is heard threatening to send “five or six” men to sexually assault the citizen and then execute him.
During the conversation, the speaker also insults the man, demands his loyalty, and states that “traitors have no place in my government.”
Among the statements heard in the recording are:
- “If you betray me, I’ll send five or six men to execute you.”
- “I’m going to send six men to rape you… so you learn to be loyal, because traitors don’t belong in my government.”
The speaker also asks the citizen whether he prefers to remain loyal or face the attacks being threatened.
So far, Mayor César Gómez has not issued a public statement regarding the recording and has neither confirmed nor denied that the voice is his.
If the authenticity of the audio is verified, it will be up to the appropriate prosecutorial authorities to determine whether there are sufficient grounds to open an investigation into the alleged threats and any other potential crimes arising from the statements contained in the recording.
The case continues to draw public attention in the indigenous municipality of Oxchuc, Chiapas.
Source: milenio
