In November 1993 General Jose Francisco Gallardo Rodriguez (pictured being greeted on his release from prison by his granddaughter) was sentenced to 28 years imprisonment after publishing an article criticising human rights abuses in the Mexican armed forces. His detention was in direct violation of Article 19 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, which proclaims that everyone has the right to freedom of expression. After continuous campaigning on his behalf by human rights organisations such as Amnesty International, over 35,000 letters and cards were sent to him during his detention, he was released in February 2002.
