Human Rights Accompanier Raped and Murdered in Oaxaca
Sunday, 28 September 2008, 8:25 pm
International Human Rights Accompanier Raped and Murdered in Oaxaca
by Julie Webb-Pullman
The body of United States citizen Marcella "Sali" Grace was found on September 24 in a deserted cabin 20 minutes from the village of San José del Pacífico, in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. She had been raped, brutally beaten, and killed. A villager who had gone to feed dogs in the area noticed a bad smell and informed the municipal authorities, who found and removed the body. Julieta Cruz, a friend of Sali's, was only able to identify her from her tattoos, as her face was unrecognisbale.
Sali had been working as an "international accompanier" in Oaxaca, whereby foreign nationals provide protective accompaniment to human rights workers, political activists, and members of social organisations who are under threat, such as members of the Asemblea Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca (APPO) who are continuing to suffer widespread repression by the corrupt government of Ulises Ruis Ortiz. In the weeks before her death Sali had told friends and colleagues that she believed she was under surveillance, and was being subjected to political persecution.
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