Citizen's Trial Finds State Guilty in Deaths Of 49 Children

"We didn't expect support from so many people in the capital. The authorities have to answer for this, and they must understand that we will not give up until justice is done," Manuel Rodríguez Amaya told IPS, his eyes still wet from bursting into tears at the end of the citizen's trial.

His son, Xiunelth Emmanuel, was one of the 49 children who died June 5, 2009 in a fire at the public-private ABC daycare centre in the northwestern state of Sonora.

Their parents' battle for justice led to the unprecedented citizen's trial against the Mexican state Sunday May 29 in the Zócalo, the main square in Mexico City.

A former Mexico City ombudsman acted as judge, and a score of renowned academics, human rights defenders and distinguished members of civil society served as the jury and witnesses of honour. A prosecutor and a public defender, both researchers at the National University, together with relatives of the deceased children, took part in the exercise "based on the power of ethics."

"The state's crimes continue to mount. This is a citizen's trial against impunity and corruption, against a rotten state, as (poet Javier) Sicilia calls it, against the 'bandit state'," said playwright Sabina Berman, one of the witnesses of honour.

Forty-nine children under four died in the fire at the ABC nursery, and another 75 were injured.

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