It’s hard to believe that there has never been a criminal trial against an animal abuser in Mexico, but it’s true, never in Mexico’s history has anyone faced criminal charges in jail time in the country – until now.
The first criminal trial in Mexico to punish animal abuse of the alleged person responsible for killing 2 dogs is making history in Querétaro, where the accused could be sentenced to up to 18 years in prison.
Alejandra Ángulo, a member of the ABC group Emergencies and one of the owners of both dogs, Athos and Tango, expressed this Friday in an interview that she has been waiting for justice to come to her family for 14 months.
Athos and Tango belong to a pack and it is a project of search and rescue puppies, and they are puppies that have a purpose in life. Tango was an emotional assistance dog and Athos was certified in the search and rescue of living persons and corpses.
Activists have expressed their outrage at the death of Athos and Tango, poisoned on June 13, 2021, in Querétaro, where activists from around the country have met since the beginning of the trial in the Criminal Orality Courts of Querétaro.
Among the protesters, there are also firefighters from Guatemala, where Athos participated in the rescue efforts during the eruption of the Volcán de Fuego in 2018, which led to saving a family of eight members.
The trial will have the participation of more than 30 witnesses who seek to bring Justice so that animals are legally considered sentient beings.
Dozens of activists have expressed their support for Édgar Martínez, the dog’s trainer, as well as Balam, son of Athos, who was also poisoned and remained hospitalized after the attack.
Among the people who have been there every day is Soemi Roldán, who has focused her efforts on behalf of the fight for animal rights.
“The treatment I received from the judge was terrible, always minimizing the pain, always referring to a member of my family as a thing, as something else, I think that here, what is most lacking, is sensitivity on the part of the authorities, that they understand that they are members of a family”
In Querétaro, at least 5 criminal complaints have been filed for animal abuse, where the case of Athos and Tango has set a precedent for the State Attorney General’s Office, which did not have a protocol for action and investigation in a case of this type.
No complaint filed for this type of case has reached a trial in Mexico, since the authorities normally seek to shorten the processes and financially compensate for the damage without going to trial.
For this reason, the news has motivated activists from other states to travel to Querétaro, such as Zadrigman, an animal activist with hundreds of thousands of followers on social networks, originally from Morelia, Michoacán, who has been closely following the trial.
“It is important that for the first time in Mexico animal abuse is punished (with jail), I think it would be something historic because unfortunately, animal abuse here in Mexico is something very normal,” he declared.
