Protests were held in Mexico City to demand the release of political prisoner Nestora Salgado. A naturalized U.S. citizen, Salgado was arrested in her hometown of Olinala, Guerrero in August 2013 for her work as main organizer and democratically elected head of the local indigenous community police force. The community police forces have arisen in certain areas of Mexico where residents feel the local or state police cannot, or will not, protect them. They are legal under both the Mexican constitution and Guerrero state law. However, after the community police force arrested four people, including a government official, and accused them of drug dealing, Salgado was arrested and accused of running an organized crime ring and kidnapping. Last year federal charges were dropped, but she remains imprisoned on state kidnapping charges. Following nationwide protests and criticism, she has been transferred from a high security prison in Nayarit to a minimum security facility in Mexico City where she will receive medical attention that she needs as a result of her prolonged hunger strike. Her family members will meet on Monday with lawmakers to demand her release. Clayton Conn reports from Mexico City. teleSUR.
