Scientists Face a Third Round of Charges by Mexican Government

Nearly three dozen of Mexico’s leading researchers are being accused of money laundering, embezzlement, and organized crime, a move other academics say is politically motivated.

Written byChloe Tenn

| 2 min read

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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 ...

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Meet the Author

Chloe Tenn
Chloe Tenn is a graduate of North Carolina State University, where she studied neurobiology, English, and forensic science. Fascinated by the intersection of science and society, she has written for organizations such as NC Sea Grant and the Smithsonian. Chloe also works as a freelancer with AZoNetwork, where she ghostwrites content for biotechnology, pharmaceutical, food, energy, and environmental companies. She recently completed her MSc Science Communication from the University of Manchester, where she researched how online communication impacts disease stigma. You can check out more of her work here.
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