In the latest in a sad string of politically motivated murders in Latin America, prominent Mexican human rights lawyer Digna Ochoa, 37, was shot to death in her office late last week. Ochoa is best known for defending Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera, two peasant environmental activists who have been tortured and remain jailed on dubious charges. Ochoa, a recipient of Amnesty International’s Enduring Spirit Award, had been repeatedly threatened with death and narrowly escaped attempted murders in the past. A note found next to her body threatened other activists with a similar fate.
