They extend their sit-in –

MEXICO CITY (EFE).— The working class of the judiciary extended its protest to Congress on Friday against the reform that the government is promoting to elect judges by popular vote, in order to demand dialogue on the eve of the discussion of the initiative in the coming days.

After three days of strikes and five days of sit-ins at the headquarters of the Judiciary in San Lázaro, in the Mexican capital, the court secretary Alejandro Lozano told EFE that the objective of the demonstration in the Legislative is to prevent the reform from being approved without their knowledge, which is known as “madruguete.”

Regarding President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum’s proposal to suspend their salaries while they remain on strike, Lozano defended their constitutional right to demonstrate and clarified that their “boss” is the Federal Judicial Council, not the Federal Government’s Treasury Department.

“All courts have the constitutional power to declare themselves incompetent, and that is what we are doing,” Lozano said.

José Julio Sánchez, secretary of the district court for labor matters, told EFE that they do not rule out closing roads to make themselves heard, if they are unable to “establish a real dialogue with the political coordination.”

“There are already conglomerates arriving nationwide, and we may opt for partial closures, and I say this, we are exercising a right and the citizens understand and forgive us (…) because we are going to have to make a real presence by perhaps going out and demonstrating on the roads,” he said.

He added that he is also considering the possibility of a “huge crowd” attending the National Palace for one of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s morning conferences, or Claudia’s transition house.

Patricia Aguayo, court secretary, said that the National Association of Circuit Magistrates and District Judges of the Judicial Branch of the Federation (Jufed) is lobbying the UN and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to ensure that “judicial independence is maintained in Mexico.”

“These requests are being raised to international level so that they can somehow issue a resolution to the effect that Mexico must also respect its international agreements,” he said.

Aguayo also clarified that the national march called for tomorrow, Sunday, against the reform is being carried out by the civil organization Marea Rosa and not by the judiciary.

Ivan Martinez, secretary of the court at the Reclusorio Sur, told the EFE agency that in addition to the sit-in they set up at the prison, they joined the protests at the judicial headquarters, with the main demand being “respect for the judicial career.”

“In my particular case, I have 20 years of judicial experience, I started in 2004 earning merits in the jurisdictional bodies, and quite simply, a reform in the terms proposed by the current legislature would put an end to the entire judicial career.”

Since the protest began on Monday, Roxana Gutiérrez, a judicial officer, has remained under a tent to demand that the judicial reform not be approved.

Protests by Judicial Branch Staff

A day of protests was also held in several cities across the country.

Hermosillo, Sonora

In Hermosillo, Sonora, magistrates and judges, accompanied by members of the Sonoran Bar Association and litigants, protested in front of the State Judicial Branch and local Congress.

Cuernavaca, Morelos

In Cuernavaca, Morelos, with the slogan “Reform yes, but not like this,” workers of the Federal Judicial Branch marched to continue their rejection of the initiative, demand their right to be heard and fight for a change that protects victims.

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