The former mayor of Centla, Tabasco, was sentenced to 22 months behind bars after she was found guilty of unlawful imprisonment, wrongful persecution and illegal arrest of a local journalist.

Felipe Eladio Jiménez Solís took a series of pictures in December 2016 showing a relative of ex-mayor Gabriela López Sanlucas using an official municipal vehicle for personal use.

After the photos were published, López ordered police to arrest Jiménez.

He later filed formal complaints against López before the federal Attorney General’s Office and the National Human Rights Commission.

Jiménez told reporters he spent 2 1/2 years filing complaints and traveling to Mexico City. Now, he said, Mexico could celebrate the first conviction of a mayor for attempting to violate freedom of expression.

Two municipal police have already been found guilty of taking part in the aggression against Jiménez.

The mayors’s sentence also included a fine of 12,462 pesos (US $652).

Source: ADN40 (sp)