Gerardo Ruben Ortega Zurita, 36, and Jose Cruz Reyes Potenciano, 23, were sentenced on 31 March 1993 to 13 years and 9 months’ imprisonment. Their sentence is presently under appeal before the Appeals Court of Mexico City. They were arrested on 16 June 1992 by members of the Federal District judicial police, and were subsequently beaten and ill-treated by police and prison inmates. Information recently received suggests that the two men were charged with offences not corroborated by initial forensic evidence or the testimonies of reliable witnesses, and that their imprisonment may have been motivated by their active and outspoken criticism against the authorities regarding gay issues in Mexico City. There is concern they may be prisoners of conscience.
