Mexican rights activist released from prison

Amnesty International hailed the release of Mexican indigenous human rights activist, Rafael Hernandez, who was imprisoned for over two years on a fabricated murder charge. Amnesty's Rupert Knox said: "The prolonged detention and prosecution of Rafael Hernandez is part of a systematic campaign by the Mexican authorities against members of the Me'phaa Indigenous People's Organization for standing up in defense of their people's human rights." Amnesty International has been campaigning for Hernandez's release since November 2008 when he was adopted as a prisoner of conscience. It believes that the case against him was a reprisal by local authorities for his legitimate activities promoting indigenous rights with the Me'phaa Indigenous People's Organization, or OPIM. In April 2008, Hernandez was one of five OPIM members wrongfully arrested and charged for a man's murder the previous January in the village of El Camalote in Guerrero. The other four were later released after a federal judicial review. The federal review judge ignored eyewitness testimonies saying that Hernandez was not present.