Ernesto Ruffo Appel Detention Triggers International Advocacy Committee by Somos México

Mexico's newly formed political party Somos México announced the creation of a plural committee to defend former Baja California governor Ernesto Ruffo Appel, who was detained on July 16 in Ensenada on organized‑crime and fuel‑theft charges. The party says the 74‑year‑old former governor is a political prisoner and should be placed under house arrest, citing his age and health problems such as sleep apnea and the lack of basic services in the maximum‑security El Altiplano prison.

The committee, which includes Ruffo’s daughter Verónica Ruffo Sánchez, former human‑rights commissioner Emilio Álvarez Icaza, ex‑foreign secretary Jorge Castañeda and activist Mariclaire Acosta, plans to appeal to international bodies. It will petition the United Nations representation in Mexico, the Inter‑American Commission on Human Rights, Amnesty International and foreign embassies, and will set up state and municipal sub‑committees to broaden the campaign.