Wave of vigilante killings rocks Oaxaca

Four lynchings have been reported this year in Oaxaca so far. However, according to the Attorney General's official records, there have only been two, which includes a widely reported incident that occurred on Saturday in Santa Rita, San Francisco del Mar. The state prosecutor says that an investigation is currently underway and an arrest warrant will be issued shortly for those responsible in the slaying.

In turn, the Public Defender of Human Rights for the People of Oaxaca (DDHPO, Spanish acronym) reports that it is currently holding its own investigation into the behavior of the Municipal Police of San Francisco del Mar, after residents from Santa Rita claimed that several locals lynched and killed a municipal police officer after he attempted to kidnap an underage girl.

In separate incidents, two men aged 33 and 28 were killed by residents of Santiago Ixtayutla on July 20 after being accused of theft; four individuals were lynched in San Isidro Comitlán on September 26; and lastly, a mob is accused of burning an individual to death after being accused of breaking and entering into a resident's home on September 30.

In the last case, the state prosecutor claims its investigation is nearly complete and a judge will be requested to issue an arrest warrant in the coming days.