The International Observatory of Lawyers at Risk (OIAD, for its acronym in French) has denounced the criminal prosecution suffered by the lawyer Óscar Zamudio participating, through the delegates of the Illustrious and National Bar Association of Mexico, in the hearing of the process in which he is being investigated for the crime of defense abandonment.
In this way, the Observatory shows its concern about said persecution and harassment, since they endanger the free and independent exercise of the profession of this lawyer with more than 15 years of experience in criminal litigation in Mexico, and who has participated in the Defense of various cases of legal and political complexity.
In 2021, Zamudio assumed the defense of Carlos Treviño, former director of Petróleos Mexicanos, and has pointed out some cases of corruption by the Attorney General’s Office and the federal judge, before whom he intended to take his client’s case.
Now, Óscar Zamudio is being investigated for abandonment of defense, after having strategically decided as defense attorney, to inform the judge that neither he nor his client would appear before him because the minimum conditions that guarantee Treviño’s right to trial were not respected. .
As a sanction, the judge has considered the abandonment of the defense and has ordered the Prosecutor’s Office to initiate an investigation also for the crime of “knowingly alleging false facts.” For Zamudio this action is a reprisal for having reported to the Prosecutor for having committed acts of torture against third parties to obtain false statements against his client.
The OIAD calls on the Mexican authorities to respect the due process guarantees of Óscar Zamudio, recalling the United Nations principles on the role of lawyers in which the performance of their professional duties is guaranteed without intimidation (principle 16), that they are not identified with their clients or with their causes (principle 18), that no body can refuse to recognize the right of a lawyer to appear on behalf of his client (principle 19) and that lawyers enjoy civil and criminal immunity for statements they make or when appearing before a court or legal or administrative body (principle 20).
2023-08-16 05:00:18
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