María Santos Gorrostieta Salazar

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María Santos Gorrostieta Salazar (* 1976 in Tiquicheo , Michoacán ; † November 15, 2012 found near San Juan Tararameo ) was a Mexican doctor and politician. She was mayor of the city of Tiquicheo from 2008 to 2011 . She was murdered by killers from a Mexican drug cartel. The population called her the "heroine of the 21st century".

Live and act

María Santos Gorrostieta studied medicine and received her PhD from the University of Morelia . She joined the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and was elected mayor of the small town of Tiquicheo with a population of 14,000 in 2008.

Tiquicheo is located in the Tierra Caliente , a rural area and a traditional growing area for marijuana. She stayed out of the struggles of drug cartels such as La Familia Michoacana or Los Caballeros Templarios . Nevertheless, she came into focus, as her commitment as a left-wing politician was viewed by the drug mafia as an attack that might take away many customers and potential dealers from the cartels. Serious attacks were carried out on them in 2009 and 2010. She had her gunshot wounds photographed. She published these photos on her website in January 2011, which made her famous.

The devout Catholic was not intimidated by the attacks on her and said that she would continue with her politics no matter what. In August 2010, she switched from PRI to the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) because she felt abandoned by the former party. She ran unsuccessfully for Congress for the Left Party PRD. After her term of office as mayor in 2011, her personal protection was removed.

She was kidnapped on November 12, 2012 by contract killers from a Mexican drug cartel and found dead on November 15, 2012. She left behind her second husband and daughter and two sons.

Assassinations

  • She was assassinated on October 15, 2009 in the El Limon area . She survived unharmed, but her first husband José Sánchez was killed.
  • She was assassinated three months later on January 23, 2010. Around 30 submachine gun volleys riddled their van. She was hit three times and suffered serious gunshot wounds.
  • On November 12, 2012, she drove her youngest daughter to school in Morelia . There, her car was attacked with submachine guns from another car and she was forced to stop. She resisted the perpetrators, but when she realized that she had no chance, she begged for her daughter's life. Witnesses reported that the perpetrators left their daughter alone and took her in a car. On November 15, 2012, farmers found the woman's body in the town of San Juan Tararameo. She was badly ill-treated and tortured. Among other things, her legs and hands were handcuffed and she was tortured with water ( waterboarding ) and fire before she was killed by being hit and kicked in the head.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Peter Burghardt: Chronicle of an announced death. Süddeutsche.de, November 30, 2012, accessed January 27, 2014 .
  2. ↑ a b Sam Webb: Please spare my little girl. Dailymail, November 26, 2012, accessed January 27, 2014 .
  3. ^ A b María Santos Gorrostieta. The Economist, December 8, 2012, accessed January 27, 2014 .
personal data
SURNAME Gorrostieta Salazar, María Santos
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gorrostieta, María Santos
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Mexican medic and politician
DATE OF BIRTH 1976
PLACE OF BIRTH Tiquicheo , Michoacan State
DATE OF DEATH November 15, 2012
Place of death at San Juan Tararameo