ABOVE: The Supreme Court of Mexico
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A third petition by Mexican prosecutors to convict 31 prominent researchers escalates the conflict between the Mexican government’s National Council of Science and Technology and the Scientific and Technological Consultative Forum, an independent advisory board on which the accused scientists serve. Many of the country’s academics say the charges are unfounded and an act of political persecution, reports Times Higher Education. Judith Mariscal, a telecommunications researcher at the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, tells the outlet that “Academic freedom is at stake.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, a federal judge twice denied arrest warrants brought forward by Mexico’s attorney general Alejandro Gertz Manero, citing insufficient evidence that the scientists illegally embezzled $12 million in government funds. This time around, charges of money laundering and organized crime were also brought forward. The scientists deny the accusations and state that all spending ...
