Salvadoran Woman Is Killed by Police in Tulum After Being Pinned With Knee on Her Neck

[dropcap size=big]W[/dropcap]hen people think of Tulum, Mexico, more often than not, the first thing that comes to mind is cenotes, beaches, nice hotels, and social media influencers raving about all the places you can visit when you go there. But most recently, Tulum has become the center of international attention not for its beautiful views but for the killing of a Salvadoran woman.

Ironically, just as International Women's History Month comes to a close, women in Mexico continue to demand justice for yet another woman who was killed at the hands of police over the weekend. According to El Universal, the woman was identified as Victoria Esperanza Salazar Arrianza, originally from Sonsonate, El Salvador. 

In a video that went viral overnight, four officers are seen at the foot of a patrol car surrounding the victim, handcuffed and pinned to the floor by a female officer. The officer had her knee on Arrianza’s neck. According to the Government of Tulum, a call was made on Saturday, March 27, about an "alteration in the public highway," where it was said that there was a woman "attacking workers and passersby" in an OXXO store located in the Tumben Ka neighborhood. 

However, when municipal police arrived at the scene, they said the woman was not drunk. According to police, Arrianza was aggressive, which they said is why all four officers subdued her. In the video, the woman who is face down on the ground is heard complaining about the officer’s knee on her neck, and soon after, her body goes limp. 

“Later she fainted, they took her to the Unit, and on the way, she began to convulse; they took off her handcuffs and transferred her to the health center; they took time to admit her and, when the ambulance arrived, they declared her without vital signs,” the report indicated. 

According to reports by the Associated Press News on Monday, an autopsy report confirmed that Arrianza’s neck was broken by the officer whose knee was pressed against her neck. 

Now feminist groups all over Mexico and the U.S. are demanding for justice to be served. This just three weeks after countrywide protests erupted on International Women’s Day in Mexico, where mujeres of all ages protested violence against women. 

The number of women murdered in Mexico on account of their gender increased heavily throughout the pandemic, with 939 femicides reported in 2020. 

“Ni Una Más y No Soy Un Número'' are often slogans that protestors have used when at demonstrations, yet people wonder if the killing of innocent women will ever stop. As the trial begins for Derek Chauvin, people online drew a comparison of George Floyd’s murder by police to that of Arrianza. With the similarity being that both were restrained and killed by police, and both had a knee placed on their neck. 

In the meantime, the incident continues to be investigated, and no officers have been charged with Arrianza's death so far.