A woman in Mérida is fighting for justice after she says she was violently attacked by a police officer.
The victim, who is pregnant and also works for the police department, says that she fears for the life of her unborn baby.
Accompanied by a group of friends, the woman whose name is Tania Libertad, protested outside the governor’s office and demanded that her attacker be arrested.
According to Libertad, the incident occurred when her attacker, Edward Muriel, became violent and tried to kill her with a knife.
“I tried to get away into another room but the door would not close. He threw me against the wall and I tried to fight back. He threatened me with a knife and started to choke me,” said Libertad.
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Hearing the commotion, friends of the victim showed up and helped her to fight of the attacker.
The police were called, but according to the victim and witnesses, the officers purposefully left several details out of their report.
The suspect, who is also a police officer, was taken into custody but was released shortly after a brief hearing. It is not known if Tania Libertad’s attacker, Edward Muriel is still employed by Yucatán Police, or if he has received any kind of internal sanction.
“There is no doubt in my mind that they will do their very best to cover all of this up. What is it going to take for them to take me seriously? Does somebody have to die for the authorities to take notice?” said Libertad.
Libertad also claims that neither police nor the prosecutor’s office has offered her any help or legal counsel.
