(AI translated) Higinio Bustos Navarro is a member of the Nahuatl indigenous community. He is a staunch advocate for the human right to self-determination, for indigenous peoples’ rights to territory, and for a dignified life. He is a recognized leader and member of the National Front for the Struggle for Socialism (FNLS), an organization that fights for the human right to a decent life, against forced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and the release of political prisoners in Mexico.

Born on January 11, 1963, he is currently 62 years old. He resides in the community of Tepetzintla, in the municipality of Huautla, state of Hidalgo. In 2019, he applied for a certification from the National Electoral Institute; however, according to Mexican authorities, he was at that time considered a fugitive. It is worth noting that Higinio Bustos was unaware that he was subject to a preliminary judicial investigation in Mexico regarding a homicide that occurred in 2008.

Arbitrary Detention

May 3, 2021

On May 3, 2021, at 4:30 pm, Higinio Bustos Navarro was arbitrarily detained at the intersection of the Huautla-Terrerillos road and the San Sebastián Chicontepec road, in the municipality of Chicontepec, state of Veracruz. Agents from the State of Veracruz Attorney General’s Office arrested him without presenting any arrest warrant or stating the reasons for his detention. According to reports, “around twelve agents, dressed in civilian clothes and armed with firearms, forced him to get out of the vehicle he was riding in, handcuffed him, and took him into a white pickup truck.” They only informed him that he would be transferred to the Tantoyuca Attorney’s Office in Veracruz; however, in reality, he was taken to the Tantoyuca Social Reintegration Center.

The human rights organization Comité Cerezo México issued an Urgent Action Report AU-02/Ver/FNLS-03/05/2021, denouncing this arbitrary detention and expressing concern for Higinio Bustos Navarro’s physical and psychological well-being.