The death of long-time Mexican civil rights activist Hipólito Mora has sent shockwaves throughout the country. On June 29, Mora was killed in an ambush near his hometown of Buenavista Tomatlán, in the state of Michoacán. According to reports, several armed subjects fired .50 caliber Barrett-type rifles that pierced the armor of the truck in which Mora was traveling.
The Mexican government initially supported the self-defense groups, recognizing them as a valid response to combat organized crime in the state. However, over time it became clear that many of the groups had become infiltrated by criminals and had turned into criminal gangs, casting a dark shadow over the self-defense groups’ original aim of providing security to citizens.
The communities in western Mexico had long been rife with organized crime and drug cartels, and Mora took it upon himself to organize a group of citizens who, fed up with the authorities’ lack of response, gathered up arms and took it on themselves to fight the encroaching crime. The group, initially successful in its mission, soon got infiltrated by criminal kinds and turned to crime themselves, rendering its initial purpose obsolete.
Mora, who received threats and attacks from the cartels, yet still resided in his small hometown of La Ruana, had been vocal in his denunciation of criminal activities in the area. On the day of his killing, he was found dead in an armoured truck with three of his bodyguards, shot and set alight. A posthumous letter was released the following day, in which he reflected that he was ‘going to die fighting’, and hoped his death would not be in vain.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has since expressed his regret, while stating the state government had provided Mora with protection. However, the Governor of Michoacán, Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla, casted some negative light on the self-defense groups, dubbing them ‘illegal armed self-defense movements’ that had accomplished nothing positive in the state.
Mora’s death has raised a great amount of opposition against the cartels. Many citizens and politicians in Mexico have spoken out to refute drug activities, with numerous rallies and protests expected across the country to pay tribute to the fallen activist. While the struggle to protect citizens’ rights may have suffered a setback with Mora’s death, the memory of his selfless service to his country will live on.