Cozumel Outrage: Demands for Justice in Soldier Abuse Case

Cozumel, Mexico — Feminist collectives and citizens from across the country are demanding that President Claudia Sheinbaum and Governor Mara Lezama impose the maximum penalty on Jairo “N,” the soldier accused of abusing a nine-year-old girl at the Army base in Cozumel. They have also called for the trial to be held in civil court, not under military jurisdiction, in addition to a public apology and the resignation of Mayor José Luis Chacón Méndez for his victim-blaming statements.

The 39 signatory organizations to the petition stated that the case cannot be minimized as an “attempted rape,” as the minor was forcibly taken into the Sedena (National Defense Secretariat) complex, where she suffered multiple assaults and threats. The girl managed to escape after being thrown from a moving vehicle. The parents reported harassment and pressure to sign false statements, while the mayor publicly blamed the family for “leaving the minor alone,” generating social outrage.

The collectives also demanded immediate protection for the victim’s family and an investigation into the possible presence of other girls within the military base. “Justice is not negotiable; we demand a transparent trial without military privileges,” they warned.

This follows reports that the victim recounted being taken to a residence inside the military complex, where the aggressor presented her to other minors, allegedly his daughters, and where she was assaulted and threatened with death if she called for help. Subsequently, she was transported to a wooded area within the same complex, where the aggression continued. Finally, the girl managed to escape after being thrown from the moving vehicle, running terrified until she sought help on a public road.

The activists demand that the Cozumel City Council and its municipal president, José Luis Chacón Méndez, issue an immediate and public apology for his victim-blaming statements, and his resignation, “for failing in his duty to protect children and for his complicity in a narrative of cover-up” and for “political responsibilities due to the institutional abandonment of the family.”