Mexico President orders investigation into Cuernavaca official's murder

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has ordered the federal security cabinet to assist in the investigation of the assassination of Gabriel Rivas Ríos, a Morena party councilman and environmental activist in Cuernavaca, Morelos.

Rivas Ríos was shot by individuals on a motorcycle on November 4 in the Ejidos de Acapantzingo area. Sheinbaum characterized the killing as a direct, ordered attack, stating, “No hay lugar a dudas de que era un homicidio ordenado y dirigido contra él.”

Prior to his death, Rivas Ríos had been actively challenging a real estate development project at the La Cazahuatera site, citing severe ecological impacts. He had recently visited the Administrative Justice Tribunal to contest a ruling favorable to the company Alto Verde Portenta. The President announced she will work with Morelos Governor Margarita González Saravia to review the legal status of the contested development.

Local authorities and social organizations are demanding the identification of both the material perpetrators and the intellectual authors of the crime. The victim, a former local deputy, was known for his advocacy regarding municipal resources and environmental protection.