Story By: Ana Marjanovic, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Newsflash
A lawyer who fought for women’s rights in Mexico was shot dead by two gunmen on a motorbike as she was driving her car.
Cecilia Monzon was driving through the municipality of San Pedro Cholula in the Mexican state of Puebla on the morning of 21st May.
According to reports, two men on a motorbike approached the victim’s Kia car and opened fire, striking her at least three times and killing her instantly.
Monzon was known for her dedication to defending women in cases of domestic abuse and violence as well as alimony battles.
She was also a political activist who fought for reform in Mexico and supported the left-wing Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and stood as a candidate for the municipal presidency for the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM).
Following her murder, politicians and friends condemned the shooting, including the mayor of San Pedro Cholula, Paola Angon, who vowed to get to the bottom of the shooting.
She said: “I strongly condemn the sly attack that took Cecilia Monzon’s life. My government will work in close coordination with the Puebla Prosecutor’s Office and with all the departments involved in finding the intellectual and material authors of this attack.”
Lizeth Mejorada, councillor for the National Institute for Women (INMUJERES), called on the authorities to “not let this crime go unpunished”.
The Citizen Observatory for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (ODESYR) also expressed their sadness at the lawyer’s murder and demanded that the authorities track down the killers.
The investigation is ongoing.
