updated May 1, 2013

It’s been now a few days since a petition has been circulating the internet for signatures to assassinate Mexican Representative Manlio Fabio Beltrones, in which a reward has also been offered to anyone who accomplishes this feat.

This petition was published on "Change.org", where various causes have been supported through this site previously. In just two days, the petition has collected five signatures and even someone mentioned that they would contribute 5,000 pesos (about $400 USD) towards the reward for the murder.

This has been the result of the change that has proposed in Article 27 of the Mexican Constitution- that was passed in the Chamber of Deputies- which will allow foreigners to acquire land on the Mexican shores in the country, if it is approved in the Senate. Beltrones was one of the deputies who supported this change the most.

The controversy in this issue surged after some citizens considered that the measure would only lead to a series of abuses against the country, and also against small business owners in these regions.

The petition to promote the assassination of Beltrones is available here. It was published on April 27 by Mario Quijano, a native of Guanajuato, Mexico.

So far, Beltrones has not issued a statement on the matter, and authorities have not spoken of any special operations or additional strategies for his protection.

This petition has now been removed from change.org, because it violates their Temrs of Serivice and guideline policies that state:

"Friction, debate, and disagreement on our site is inevitable -- we’re a social change platform. However, Change.org is not a platform for bullying or harassment. Predatory behavior, stalking, threats, inciting violence and/or other forms of bullying are not tolerated."

Brenda.Colon@sandiegored.com

Omar.Martinez@sandiegored.com