Claudia Medina is a sexual violence and torture survivor and member of Breaking the Silence: All Together Against Torture—a campaign launched in 2014 by 11 brave women survivors of sexual violence from the city of San Salvador Atenco, Mexico. The campaign denounces and demands the end of Mexican authorities’ use of sexual torture as an investigative method.
In August 2012 members of the Mexican Navy took Claudia from her home and held her in a naval base. Over the course of 36 hours, the authorities subjected Claudia to strangling, electric shocks and sexual torture in order to incriminate her as a member of organized crime. As a result of the torture Claudia was forced to sign a “confession” to crimes she had not committed. After 23 days in prison she was released on bail with remaining criminal charges against her.
Claudia filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission in Mexico in October 2012. The Commission has yet to issue a recommendation in her case. In May 2014 Claudia added her voice to the Breaking the Silence campaign and has since become a strong advocate against the use of sexual violence as a method of investigation.
On February 6, 2016—after two years of living under the accusation of crimes she did not commit—Mexican authorities dropped all remaining charges against Claudia. Claudia continues her call for justice and speaks out about her experience publicly hoping to change the situation for others, “I will not allow even one more woman to be tortured in Mexico.”
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Justice in Mexico: “I will not allow even one more woman to be tortured in Mexico”, Amnesty International, 11 February 2015.
Claudia Medina Tamariz, Center Prodh.
Breaking the silence, all together against sexual torture in Mexico, JASS, 12 October 2014.