Breathe
By Aidee Zamorano
Heyden José Cebada Rivas, president of the Superior Court of Justice and the Judiciary Council, has instructed examining judge Mabel López Méndez to favor the petitions of Marco Alonso Sánchez Vera, a Quintana Roo businessman linked to The Westin Resort & Spa Cancún (part of Marriott International), who commits vicarious violence against Citlalli Mejía González and her children.
On September 7, 2024, Marco Alonso abducted Citlalli's children without a court order, with the alleged consent of the Quintana Roo State Attorney's Office. Testimonies were fabricated to make it appear that the children rejected their mother. These testimonies were allegedly fabricated without the intervention of psychologists or experts and in less than 24 hours. The case of Citlalli Mejia Gonzalez and her children is evidence of the alleged network of corruption and complicity that prevails in the Superior Court of Justice of Quintana Roo in Mexico.
The children's father, Marco Alonso Sánchez Vera, has been diagnosed with bipolar personality disorder and narcissistic traits with violent tendencies. Even with this history, and after multiple acts of violence against Citlalli and her children, he continues to receive preferential treatment from the judicial authorities.
The President of the Superior Court of Justice, Heyden José Cebada Rivas, and the examining magistrate, Mabel López Méndez, acted in collusion with the Prosecutor's Office assigned to the court to pressure and favor Marco Alonso Sánchez Vera to take custody of Citlalli, ignoring the evidence of domestic violence.
Judge Mabel López Méndez, a close friend of Heyden José Cebada Rivas and of the aggressor himself, has issued rulings that lack legal basis and gender perspective. In one case, she even granted Marco Alonso provisional custody without grounds or due process, which was declared illegal by the federal courts (amparo 1402/2024). The judge has even ordered Citlalli's arrest.
Everything that Marco Alonso has requested so far, the examining magistrate Mabel López Méndez has granted, and on the contrary everything that Citlalli Mejía González requests to protect her children is denied, for example on March 6 the examining magistrate ordered an arrest for 12 hours to Citlalli for not presenting her children to cohabit before the cohabitation center, despite the lack of protective measures and above all the fact that a supervised but free cohabitation has not been ordered, it is impossible for the children to live freely with the parent who is known to be able to take them away again, deceive and bribe all the authorities and make the children believe that their mother is not worthy of them and under this scenario make Citlalli lose her parental rights.
Since May 2024, Marco Alonso has not complied with the agreed child support, which seriously affects Citlalli's finances. Despite the legal appeals filed, neither the judge nor the president of the court has forced the father to comply with child support. Citlalli has had to change her address repeatedly due to threats and intimidation from Marco Alonso, who has private security and alleged connections with the state prosecutor, Dr. Raciel.
Marco Alonso's current lawyer, Paola Michelle Martos López, practiced law before obtaining her license in October 2024. She is known as "La Coyote" and boasts of her contacts with the criminal authorities, demanding high sums of money from her clients in exchange for judicial favors. Her closeness with Heyden José Cebada Rivas and Judge Mabel López Méndez reinforces the alleged irregularities in the process.
Citlalli is undergoing psychological treatment due to the post-traumatic stress generated by the vicarious violence, family violence, psychological and institutional violence she suffers. Her children have witnessed the abuse and live in fear of being separated from their mother again. The Superior Court of Justice of Quintana Roo has repeatedly ignored requests for supervised cohabitation, despite reports of violence.
On March 6, 2025, Judge López Méndez ordered the opening of an investigation file and a twelve-hour arrest for Citlalli, the mother victim of vicarious violence, in addition to forcing the children to live freely with their aggressor father.
In 2022, more than ten thousand complaints of domestic violence were registered in the State of Quintana Roo in Mexico, mainly against women and children. The lack of gender perspective and institutional negligence contribute to perpetuate violence, revictimizing those who seek protection.
The consequences of family violence are profound and far-reaching. Victims may suffer physical harm, emotional disorders such as depression and anxiety, and long-term health problems. In addition, children who witness violence in the home may develop aggressive behaviors, academic difficulties and socialization problems.
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