On Jan. 25, seven adherents of the People's Front in Defense of the Land (FPDT) from the central Mexican village of San Salvador Atenco were liberated from the Mexico State prison at Molino de Flores, after a federal judge cleared them of charges of kidnapping and attacking communications infrastructure. They had been in prison since their arrest in violent confrontations with the police in May 2006. (La Jornada, Jan. 26) Charges were also dropped against 53 other FPDT followers who had been freed on bail. (Uno Mas Uno, Jan. 25) A collective of "Zapatista lawyers" announced plans to bring criminal charges against Judge Jaime Maldonado, for having "arbitrarily" ordered the 164 FPDT followers imprisoned. (La Jornada, Jan. 27)

Fifteen of the 21 police officers facing charges in the May 2006 violence were also exonerated. (La Jornada, Jan. 25) Spanish citizen Cristina Valls, who was injured by police in the confrontation, has announced that she will bring suit charging the Mexican authorities with "torture." (International Civil Human Rights Observation Commission-CCIODH, Jan. 26)

See our last posts on Mexico, and the Atenco struggle.