Peace activist Nepomuceno Moreno, 56, was murdered Monday afternoon in Hermosillo, Sonora. Mr. Moreno had publicly accused the local police of kidnapping and killing his son, Jorge Mario, in July of 2010.

An active member of Mexico’s peace movement, Mr. Moreno participated in a dialogue between the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity and members of Felipe Calderón’s administration in October. At one point, as seen in the video below, Mr. Moreno approached Calderón to give him a photo of his son and to denounce the state police of Sonora.

Founder and leader of the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity, Javier Sicilia, responded promptly, placing blame of Nepomuceno Moreno’s murder on the governor and state prosecutor of Sonora. “I hold the governor responsible for the death of this man, this great man,” Sicilia told Milenio in an interview yesterday.

A spokesman for the state prosecutor of Sonora accused Mr. Moreno of gang ties, saying they were investigating all leads, but were looking at an alleged drug-related conviction in the United States in 1979 and an arrest in 2007 for gun possession, for which he was later absolved, as a possible connection to his slaying.

In a recent interview, Mr. Moreno spoke of an encounter with local authorities who suggested he stop making public statements against them or else he’d be killed.

Photo: RompevientoTV