Police arrested Magdaleno Pérez and tortured him with pipes
On March 10, Magdaleno Pérez Santes, 41 years old, was arrested by municipal police in Poza Rica, Veracruz, during an operation.
According to testimonies from family members and witnesses, the officers took him to police facilities, where they brutally beat him with a pipe.
Magdaleno Pérez
Hours later, he was released and arrived home with difficulty moving, complaining of severe back and head pain.
That same night, his health rapidly deteriorated and he died from the injuries sustained, without the authorities taking action.
Magdaleno Pérez
His death sparked outrage and demands for justice
The murder of Magdaleno Pérez caused a strong reaction among collectives, activists, and human rights defenders, who demanded punishment for the involved police officers.
The State Citizen Search Council of Veracruz publicly denounced his murder and called for immediate sanctions, warning that violence against relatives of the disappeared has been increasing.
Collectives like María Herrera from Poza Rica accused the Veracruz authorities of negligence and abuse of power.
Despite the scandal, the municipal government hasn't detained or sanctioned the responsible officers, limiting itself to announcing an 'internal investigation' without concrete results.
Pérez Santes was searching for his missing daughter since 2019
For five years, Magdaleno Pérez dedicated himself to searching for his daughter, Diana Paloma Pérez Vargas, who disappeared on November 22, 2019 in Tres Cruces, Poza Rica.
He joined search brigades in clandestine graves, participated in protests, and denounced the government's inaction in the face of the disappearance crisis in Veracruz.
His activism made him a vulnerable target, as has happened with many other relatives of the disappeared who have been murdered, threatened, or criminalized by the authorities themselves.
Veracruz, a state where searchers are persecuted
The death of Pérez Santes is a reminder of the systematic violence faced by search collectives, who fight against impunity and governmental complicity.
In Veracruz, the police have been accused multiple times of abuses, forced disappearances, and extrajudicial executions, but they rarely face consequences.
The case of Magdaleno Pérez highlights the human rights crisis in the country, where security forces, instead of protecting citizens, affect them.
Meanwhile, his family and the community demand justice, the people responsible for his death remain free, without facing consequences, in a state that has normalized impunity.
