Bertha Gisela Gaytán Gutiérrez (6 April 1986 – 1 April 2024) was a Mexican

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

aligned with the Morena party. She was a candidate for

municipal president A ''presidente municipal'' ( English: "municipal president") is the chief of government of municipios in Mexico. This title was also used in the Philippines during the Spanish and American colonial periods; it is comparable to a mayor of the tow ...

of her hometown of

Celaya Celaya (; Otomi: ) is a city and its surrounding municipality in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, located in the southeast quadrant of the state. It is the third most populous city in the state, with a 2005 census population of 310,413. The muni ...

, before being murdered on 1 April 2024.

Biography

Gaytán was born in

Guanajuato Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

on 6 April 1986. As she grew up in a traditional family in the Benito Juárez neighborhood, she stood out early for her service. Gaytán graduated in law from Lasallista Benavente University with a master's degree in Administrative Justice. She has worked both in a personal office and in the Municipal Comptroller's Office.

Career

After graduation, Gaytán became a trial attorney. She was encouraged to enter politics in 2016, initially joining the

Institutional Revolutionary Party The Institutional Revolutionary Party (, , PRI) is a List of political parties in Mexico, political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 as the National Revolutionary Party (, PNR), then as the Party of the Mexican Revolution (, PRM) and fin ...

(PRI). In 2018 she joined Morena. She additionally served as vice president of the Board of Directors of the National Youth Council of the (IMJUVE), and as state advisor of the party in

. In February 2024, she was chosen as Morena's candidate for mayor of Celaya after winning against two male contender candidates. She was the only female candidate in Celaya's 2024 mayoral race. In running for municipal president, Gaytán outlined a platform to fight crime, stop corruption and tackle violence in the community.

Assassination

On 1 April 2024, at the age of 37, Gaytán was shot and killed in the streets of at her first campaign rally for municipal president of

. It occurred shortly before 6:00p.m. as she was surrounded by supporters. She was shot in the middle of the street, as she walked to greet members of the community. As seen in videos published on social media, supporters were chanting "Morena, Morena" before being interrupted by several gunshots. Three other people were also injured in the shooting. One of them, Adrián Guerrero Caracheo, a candidate for ''regidor'' (city councillor), was also declared dead by authorities following the attack, but it was later confirmed he had gone into hiding out of a fear for his life. Prior to Gaytán's assassination, she requested police protection due to threats and intimidation. By the time of her campaign start, she had not received assistance. At the time of her death, the state of

was reported to have the highest number of homicides of any state in Mexico. Within Guanajuato, Celaya was considered one of the most dangerous towns, where 34 police officers have been killed in the last three years. The 2024 election cycle would be the most violent in Mexico's history.

Reactions

Alma Alcaraz, the Morena party's candidate for governor in Guanajuato was the first to respond after news of the assassination broke.

“I am angry, I am short of breath, I am shocked to have to give you such terrible news; a few minutes ago, our candidate from Celaya for Morena, Gisela Gaytán, was murdered. This is something that has us shocked and in mourning.”

Subsequently, National Action Party (PAN) member Libia Dennise García Muñoz Ledo, condemned the crime and sent her condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Gaytán. At a press conference on 2 April, President

Andrés Manuel López Obrador Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican former politician, political scientist, public administrator and writer who served as the 65th president of Mexico from 2018 to 2024. He se ...

sent his condolences to family, friends and colleagues. The

Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection The Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection ( or SSPC) is a cabinet-level agency of the government of Mexico responsible for supervising public safety and security, including the Commission for the Attention of Intentional Homicide, Natio ...

Rosa Icela Rodríguez Rosa Icela Rodríguez Velázquez (born September 5, 1959) is a Mexican politician, journalist, and public servant affiliated with the National Regeneration Movement (Morena). She has been serving as the Secretary of the Interior since October 1 ...

, assured that the federal government had measured in place to protect political candidates from violence. After Gaytán's murder, the Security Ministry offered police protection to 487 candidates running for office. One month after the murder, Alma Alcaraz shared her frustration that no one has been arrested for the crime.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaytan, Gisela 1986 births 2024 deaths 2024 murders in Mexico 20th-century Mexican women 21st-century Mexican women politicians April 2024 in Mexico Assassinated Mexican politicians Deaths by firearm in Mexico Female murder victims Morena (political party) politicians North American politicians assassinated in the 2020s People from Celaya People murdered in Mexico Politicians assassinated in 2024 Politicians from Guanajuato Unsolved murders in Mexico

Biography

Career

Assassination

Reactions

See also

References