Monterrey Casino Attack: Families Demand Justice 15 Years On, Only One Convicted

Fifteen years after a devastating attack on a casino in Monterrey, relatives of the victims are intensifying their calls for justice, lamenting that only one individual has been convicted for the primary crime.

Samara Pérez Muñiz, spokesperson for the victims' families, stated that investigations were opened against 25 individuals in connection with the attack and subsequent fire at the Casino Royale on August 25, 2011. The assault, allegedly carried out by the Zetas cartel, claimed the lives of 52 people, including two pregnant women, after the casino was set ablaze and access points were blocked.

“

Fifteen years have passed since this tragedy, let's not forget it. Only one has been sentenced for the main cause and one more for accumulated causes.

"We have always called for those who committed these atrocious acts to face society and pay for the grave and barbaric deeds they carried out," Pérez Muñiz declared. The attack occurred during a period of intense federal government efforts against organized crime under President Felipe Calderón's administration (2006-2012).

“

We have always called for those who committed these atrocious acts to face society and pay for the grave and barbaric deeds they carried out.

As the 15th anniversary of the tragedy was marked, families gathered at a memorial for a religious ceremony and to lay floral offerings. Pérez Muñiz also revealed that the families filed an amparo (legal protection) against the National Human Rights Commission's (CNDH) intention to conclude its recommendation regarding the events. They question this move while criminal proceedings are still ongoing and crucial information remains undisclosed.

Pérez Muñiz has also been active in legislative efforts, presenting a bill to the Congress of Nuevo León for Institutional Law Management and Guarantee of Rights in Macro Judicial Processes. She explained that this proposal stems from the painful reality of large-scale judicial cases, where a lack of institutional coordination leads to uncertainty and prolonged delays for victims and their families.

“

This proposal arises from a reality we know painfully, when a process brings together numerous victims, accused individuals, accumulated cases, appeals, amparos, and thousands of actions, the lack of institutional coordination produces contradictions, loss of continuity, and years of uncertainty.