Police detained at least 49 people on 15 February, beating many of them severely, while evicting supporters of a local opposition party who had occupied a town hall in southern Mexico following a disputed election. The detainees are held in a police casa de seguridad, a semi-official pre-trial detention premise, where they may be at risk of torture, and most do not have access to medical treatment or legal advice. Many families from the town have since fled their homes, for fear of being detained or to escape the political violence.
