Tonight’s Film: ‘Presumed Guilty’ With Special Guest Mary Jo Leddy

julie — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:00:41 +0000

Tonight’s film, Presumed Guilty, will be introduced by Mary Jo Leddy, Director of Romero House and Adjunct Professor, Regis College, University of Toronto. She is pictured above at Romero House with Governor General Michaëlle Jean.

Ms. Leddy was founding editor of Catholic New Times, an independent national Catholic newspaper. She has written several books and is a frequent radio and TV commentator. An active member of the Ontario Sanctuary Coalition and PEN Canada, she has also lectured on human rights and peace both nationally and internationally. Ms. Leddy is a recipient of the Order of Canada.

Presumed Guilty narrates the story of José Antonio Zúñiga Rodriguez, who was mistakenly accused of murder and condemned to 20 years in jail for being poor and in the wrong place at the wrong time. His case would have been one of many unfortunate stories, but lawyers Roberto Hernández and Layda Negrete decided to get involved and publicize the injustice. Hernández and Negrete uncover a frustrating, labyrinthine legal system defended by mediocre civil servants and corrupt police officers. At a time when there is a strong push for the death penalty in Mexico, Presumed Guilty is important not only as a document of the system’s flaws, but as a vehicle for change.

Presumed Guilty is the closing film of the 7th Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival. A very few tickets are still available to the Closing Night Reception (which includes a ticket to the film.) Please call the Human Rights Watch Canada office at 416-322-8448, if you would like to purchase tickets.

Presumed Guilty: Program Notes

julie — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 22:37:39 +0000

In the Mexican penal system, one is guilty until proven innocent. This leads to a very uncomfortable reality: prisons full of people serving time for crimes they didn’t commit.

Presumed Guilty narrates the story of José Antonio Zúñiga Rodriguez, nicknamed Toño, who was mistakenly accused of murder and condemned to 20 years in jail for being poor and in the wrong place at the wrong time. His case would have been one of many unfortunate stories, but lawyers Roberto Hernández and Layda Negrete decided to get involved and publicize the injustice.

Presumed Guilty shows how Toño’s strength and creativity help him through nearly three years of wrongful imprisonment. Courtroom scenes chillingly call to mind Kafka’s The Trial, so absurd is the mindless bureaucracy in the judicial process. Toño is retried by the same judge who condemned him. The prosecutor is concerned only with the previous case file and has no interest in new information.

Hernández and Negrete uncover a frustrating, labyrinthine legal system defended by mediocre civil servants and corrupt police officers. At a time when there is a strong push for the death penalty in Mexico, Presumed Guilty is important not only as a document of the system’s flaws, but as a vehicle for change.

Program Notes by Diana Sanchez

Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival » Presumed Guilty

Tonight’s Film: ‘Presumed Guilty’ With Special Guest Mary Jo Leddy

Presumed Guilty: Program Notes