UABJO Law Faculty Coordinator released after firearm arrest

Salvador Hernández Bustamante, known as “Chava Taquero,” has been released following his arrest in San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca. Hernández, the general coordinator of the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences at the Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca (UABJO) and leader of the Alianza Universitaria de Maestros y Alumnos (AUMA), was detained by State Police for the possession of a firearm without a permit from the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena).

Authorities seized a .22 caliber Ruger Mayodan pistol with four live cartridges and a 2017 grey Ford pick-up truck. While he was initially placed at the disposal of the Federal Attorney General's Office (FGR) for the federal crime of firearm possession, he was released before the formal investigation file was integrated.

Reports indicate that the rector of UABJO, Farid Acevedo López, intervened on his behalf. Hernández has a history of legal issues, including a 2010 arrest for an armed assault against a journalist, and a subsequent arrest in 2021.