Main Points of the Day
- The trial began at approximately 10 am. During the first few hours, human rights observers were not permitted inside the small courtroom that is inadequate for a trial with six accused, each represented by at least one defense attorney. The first few hours were also not made available online to the public
- Without public observation, the judge sanctioned attorneys Ritza Antúnez and Juan Carlos Sánchez, the defense team representing David Castillo, for violating the court’s code of conduct. The attorneys requested to change the date of a previous hearing and misrepresented their reasons for doing so. The sanction is valued at two monthly minimum wages.
- David Castillo’s defense attorney Sánchez requested that the judge not allow human rights organizations into the trial claiming that they misinform about the legal process.
- The trial was rescheduled for Wednesday, July 27 at 2:00 pm because attorney Héctor Durán representing two of the accused, Luis Eduardo Espinoza Mejía and José Mario Carbajal Flores, did not attend the trial because of a medical issue.
The above images are from COPINH’s Facebook page. From left to right, they read:
Facebook post: “The Corruption Sentencing court sanctions David Castillo’s defense attorneys with a fine of two minimum wages. This is because they did not abide by the code of conduct when lying in relation to a previous request to re-schedule [a hearing].”
Facebook post: “David Castillo’s defense attacks human rights organizations that are observing the Fraud on the Gualcarque case. They claim that the organizations are not affiliated with the case and “misrepresent the information” and request that they are expelled from the hearings, ignoring the work that human rights guarantors like OACNUDH conduct.”
Facebook post: “The Corruption Sentencing court suspends the beginning of the public trial in the Fraud on the Gualcarque case.” This is due to the absence of Héctor Durán, the defense attorney for technicians [accused] Luis Eduardo Espinoza Mejía and José Mario Carbajal Flores due to a medical concern. The judiciary must guarantee the rights of the victims – COPINH and the indigenous council – to a fair, transparent, and public trial. The court convenes the trial for Wednesday, July 27 at 2:00 pm”