Three arrests in the case of murdered mayor Luis Yat Zapeta bring hope that the crime will not go unpunished. Almost three months after hooded gunmen broke into Yat's house and shot him dead, police have arrested their first suspects. Yesterday agents picked up former Santa Cruz mayor Silverio Perez de Leon, and the town treasurer Cayetano Alvarez Valasquez. Confessions by Santa Cruz trustee Justo Lopez, who was taken into custody two weeks ago, reportedly led to the breakthrough in the case. Yat, who was killed last May 6, had replaced Perez de Leon as acting mayor, after accusations of corruption forced the elected mayor's resignation.
Police say they are still looking for a fourth suspect in the case.
Almost one in five cases of Labor Code infractions reported to the authorities involves some kind of violence, according to a report by the daily El Periodico. One third of the violations registered by the ministry office of inspection involve violence. In addition to slaps and punches, violent abuse includes threats, obscene gestures, unrelenting criticism and sexual harassment. The victims are usually young adults between 20 and 30 years of age, and most are women, El Periodico reports. The private sector is particularly notorious for mistreating its workers.