José Manuel Mireles Valverde facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
José Manuel Mireles Valverde
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| Born | 24 October 1958 Michoacán, Mexico
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| Died | 24 November 2020 (aged 62) |
| Other names | Doctor Mireles |
| Occupation | Medical surgeon Former Autodefensa leader |
| Spouse(s) | Ana Valencia Chavez (Divorced) |
| Allegiance | self-defense groups |
José Manuel Mireles Valverde (born October 24, 1958 – died November 25, 2020) was a Mexican medical doctor. He became a well-known leader and founder of special self-defense groups. These groups worked to protect their communities from powerful criminal organizations, like the Knights Templar Cartel, in the state of Michoacán and other parts of Mexico.
Mireles became an important figure in these self-defense groups in late 2013. At that time, these groups were actively working against the Knights Templar Cartel in Apatzingán and other towns along the Michoacán coast. He explained that he joined these armed groups because he and his family had been harmed by the cartel. He said he was once kidnapped by them, and some of his family members were killed. This led him to take action to defend his community of Tepalcatepec.
On November 25, 2020, a Mexican government agency confirmed that Mireles, who was 62 years old, had passed away. His death was caused by complications from COVID-19.
Contents
Early Life and Career
José Manuel Mireles Valverde was born in Michoacán, Mexico. He trained to become a medical doctor and worked as a surgeon.
He also spent some time in the United States, where he was involved in social activism. When he returned to Mexico, he became interested in politics. In 2006, he even ran for a seat in the Mexican Senate.
Joining the Self-Defense Groups
Mireles explained that he joined the self-defense groups to protect his family. He said this was after he was kidnapped by the Knights Templar Cartel, who demanded money for his release. He also mentioned that several of his relatives had been killed by the cartel.
On January 4, 2014, Mireles was hurt in a small plane crash. He was traveling to the community of Zicuiran at the time.
About two weeks later, the Mexican government started to get involved. They wanted to control the increasing violence in Michoacán. They sent the Army to deal with both the cartels and the self-defense groups.
At first, a video was released showing a wounded Mireles. In this video, he seemed to ask the self-defense groups to put down their weapons and work with the Army. However, he later appeared in a different video. In this second message, he said that the self-defense groups would only put down their weapons after the Army had made sure their communities were safe. This meant stopping the Knights Templar Cartel's activities and capturing or stopping their top leaders.
Mireles later said in an interview that the first message was not entirely his own idea. He claimed government officials asked him to read a message they had written. He said they then edited it to make it look like his own opinion. However, the Mexican Secretary of State, Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, denied that the government had anything to do with the first message.
In March 2014, some members of the self-defense council started to distance themselves from Mireles. They stated that he was no longer a leader or the official spokesperson for the self-defense groups in Michoacán. His previous duties were taken over by his former bodyguard, Estanislao Beltrán Torres, also known as "Papá Pitufo."
However, some other self-defense members remained loyal to Mireles. They did not accept Beltrán's leadership, especially after they learned he planned to join the Government Rural forces.
Arrest and Release
On June 27, 2014, Mireles was arrested along with 45 other people in Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán. Mexican authorities arrested them for carrying weapons without official permission. The government had previously announced that they would arrest any civilians who were armed and not part of the official "Rural Force" police.
This arrest happened one week after a TV interview with Mireles was suddenly stopped. During that interview, Mireles was speaking about problems in Michoacán.
While he was in prison, Mireles sent messages to the public through his former lawyer and a YouTube channel called Grillonautas. In a message from 2015, he said that he and other self-defense members were innocent. He argued they had to carry weapons to protect their homes, families, and property because there was no one else to help them.
In 2016, Mireles issued an apology to the government and his family. He said he was sorry for any disrespect he had shown to official institutions in the country. In a video message, he stated, "I want to apologize... to the Mexican government and its official and unofficial institutions... for disrespecting them with words or actions, for offending them with my omissions and civil disobedience." Even though some actions against him were stopped by the Attorney General, Mireles remained in jail.
Release from Prison
On May 11, 2017, after nearly three years in prison, a federal judge allowed Mireles to be released on parole. He paid a bond of 30,000 pesos (Mexican currency) and agreed not to leave the state of Michoacán or the country.
Mireles was officially cleared of charges in 2018.
In the Media
Mireles was featured in the 2015 American documentary film Cartel Land. This film explored the lives of people involved in the drug war in Mexico.
A character named Asav in the 2017 action-adventure video game Uncharted: The Lost Legacy was inspired by Mireles. Like Mireles, Asav was also a doctor before he became the leader of a powerful military group in the game.
Images for kids
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José Manuel Mireles Valverde
See also
In Spanish: José Manuel Mireles Valverde para niños
