Latest from KIPTIK on the Zapatista Struggle in Mexico

The Court agreed that Article 259 of the Penal Code of the State of Mexico, which refers to the crime of kidnapping does not apply in the case and so the accused can not be convicted of criminal conduct that is not defined legally.  In addition the court  stated that the authorities violated the right to a guarantee of due process and presumption of innocence.

On July 13th two Atenco arrest warrants were cancelled against America del Valle Ramirez and Josefina Medina, daughter and sister, respectively, of the leader of the Peoples’ Front in Defense of the Land, Ignacio del Valle Medina, who had been sentenced to 112 years as an Atenco prisoner.  All had been charged with kidnapping. 

America del Valle had requested, on 23 June, political asylum from the Venezuelan government inside it's Embassy in Mexico City.  She had been on the run since the events of May 3rd and 4th 2006 when the police took violent revenge on Atenco, because the community successfully stopped the building of an airport on their land in 2002.  Two youths were killed, there were more than 200 arbitrary arrests, there were severe human rights violations of the detainees involving police brutality, irregularities in the process and the torture and sexual abuse of thirty female detainees. 

Ignacio del Valle and Felipe Álvarez still have cases pending on charges of aggravated robbery, injury, damage to public bins and plunder, but their defence has promoted an injunction in federal court and is waiting for it to be resolved.

Please show your support for Justice For Atenco by signing the statement below and sending it to:

Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza, Mexican Ambassador to UK:
16 St. George St, Mayfair, London W1S 1FD
Tel: +44 (0)20 7499 8586,
Fax: +44 (0)20 7495 4035
Email: medinamora@sre.gob.mx

WORLDWIDE DAY AGAINST THE IMPUNITY IN ATENCO JULY 21st 2010

For over four years the 12 political prisoners of Atenco have had to bear an unjust imprisonment.

For over four years they have had to endure sermons from those who claim “legality” and “attachment to the rule of law” in a country of thieves where all that reigns is impunity and injustice.

Their resistance and courage has been an inspiration to us as well as a very powerful reason to keep fighting.

The freedom of our incarcerated brothers is not underserved forgiveness. It is proof that they should have never been in prison.

There are still dozens of accused on bail that continue to be put through illegal legal processes. 

There is still no punishment for every one of the repressors including Vicente Fox and Enrique Peña Nieto and the other perpetrators of the crimes against humanity committed against the communities of Texcoco and Atenco. 

There is still no justice for the assassinations of Alexis Benhumea and Javier Cortes, the sexual torture of women and the police brutality.

The impunity has not gone away in Atenco. 

We know that the liberation of the 12 former political prisoners was not a triumph of justice, since it does not exist in Mexico, but one of the organizing and mobilization of all of our sisters and brothers of the People’s Front in Defense of the Land, and of our Zapatista sisters and brothers in Chiapas, of our compañer@s of The Other Campaign, and of our compañer@s of good hearts in Mexico and in all parts of the world.

We want you to know that we are now, more than ever, with Atenco in the struggle that awaits us; until the day we achieve true justice in the world.

Yours, in solidarity with the people of Atenco,

JBG La Garrucha reports:

- increase in army patrols and helicopter overflights
- government-backed paramilitary activity in the communities
- attempts to take back land recuperated by the Zapatistas in 1994
- government attempts to buy loyalty with building materials
- government intention to divide communities
- government intention to provoke Zapatista supporters to retaliate and thus provide a justification for military intervention
- evictions of communities in Montes Azules to make way for luxury tourism and biopiracy
- plans for a hydroelectric dam on the Jatate River.

"Hiding behind environmental pretexts, they clear the way for the entry into the jungle of the big investors, the exploitation of the area for luxury tourism, and the appropriation of biological resources for patenting".

The Zapatistas say the army has resumed its patrols in La Garrucha They accuse the government of also managing paramilitary actions.

Operations by air and by land increased 15 days ago

Hermann Bellinghausen, La Jornada, Tuesday July 13, 2010, p. 18 (originally published in Spanish, translation by UK Zapatista Solidarity Network)

San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, July 12.

The Zapatista Good Government Junta (JBG) of La Garrucha has denounced the Federal Army's return to operating intimidating patrols by day and night, using trucks and armoured vehicles. "Their helicopters are flying low over the communities. These operations have increased over the last 15 days".

On receiving the Brigade of European Solidarity in the Caracol of Resistance towards a New Dawn, the JBG of the Tzeltal jungle region added that "the government manages the actions of the paramilitaries", and said: "there is constant conflict In the territory of the Caracol . The bad government seeks nothing other than to put an end to the construction of autonomy. It offers money to divide the communities, and above all gives money to people from the political parties and the paramilitary organisation Opddic to provoke the Zapatista supporters".

The autonomous authorities explained: "The government gives a bit of support (money) to women, children, old people. They offer sheet roofing, cement, planks. This makes the bad government appear good. But they offer nothing but crumbs. They want to buy the dignity of our supporters, but the Zapatistas know their tricks well".

"Right now, they only give money to people from the political parties in order to provoke violence. They are trying to steal the land the Zapatistas recovered in 1994. They give money to destroy our organization, but as you can not buy the Zapatistas, they support the paramilitaries to do their dirty work and send their armies to harass the autonomous municipalities. "

The JBG reported that this has created "great tension" in Peña Limonar and Amaitik , in the autonomous municipality of Ricardo Flores Magon. In Amaitik, the paramilitaries killed two autonomous authorities with impunity in 2002.
"Time
passed and the JBG promoted a dialogue of reconciliation with the PRI. Their leaders rejected it and the autonomous council deprived the nine people involved of their land, under ejido law". Seven years later, these paramilitaries returned to Amaitik protected by papers which had been given to them by the government. "

The council tried again to dialogue, and the paramilitaries rejected it. The Good Government Junta proposed to transfer 70 hectares to them, but they rejected it. On the 16th of June they had to come to dialogue, but did not attend, reports the brigade. The Zapatistas are aware that that the paramilitaries are trying to provoke them, so as to give the government a pretext to intervene. "The taking over of the autonomous school by these PRI members confirms the suspicions of the Junta".

In Arroyo Granizo they always worked their cattle collectively, until the militarization of the area increased massively and the PRI members abandoned the work. Now, armed, they try to seize the cattle and pastures worked collectively by the Zaparista supporters; three government teachers act as leaders of the paramilitaries, and refuse to dialogue".

In the Montes Azules biosphere reserve, the government "has caused the exodus of many communities." Hiding behind environmental pretexts, they clear the way for entry into the jungle of the big investors, the exploitation of the area for luxury tourism, and the appropriation of biological resources for patenting.

The families of Zapatista supporters who rejected the eviction were expelled by force and many men are in prison. Their lands are now being watched over by private guards. Laguna San Pedro, Laguna El Paraiso and Laguna Suspiro are under threat and preparing to resist.

The news that they will build a hydroelectric dam on the river Jatate, on the communal lands of Rómulo Calzada, said the brigade, has set off alarms in the JBG. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Mitzitón: God's Army must leave now.

"They are guilty of the crimes of murder, torture, kidnapping, rape, illegal felling of trees, and trafficking in migrants. We demand the government relocates the criminal delinquent paramilitaries"

Mitzitón is a small Tzotzil community, located in woodland near to San Cristóbal de Las Casas. The majority of the inhabitants are adherents to the Other Campaign, and grow and care for the local trees. There have been problems in this community for the past thirteen years, since members of an evangelical group, Alas de Aguila, Eagle Wings, part of a larger paramilitary organisation, Ejército de Dios, the Army of God or God's Army, came to live in Mitzitón. They have, since 1997, the year of the Acteal massacre, refused to take part in any of the collective work of the community or to contribute to its costs. To the great concern of the majority, members of the organisation have been indiscriminately cutting down the trees which are loved and nurtured by the rest of the inhabitants.

The community say that the aggressive actions of the Eagle Wings have been getting worse and more frequent. As well as squandering the scarce timber and water resources, they operate with complete impunity within the community, issuing threats, kidnapping, beating, raping, using high velocity firearms, and wearing military uniforms. They are basically living off the profits they make from trafficking illegally in timber and in migrant people from Central America.

There has been a long succession of violent incidents. In June 2009 one of the paramilitaries deliberately drove over a group of people with a lorry, killing one and injuring five. The guilty party was freed after 3 months. In February 2010, a group of the community authorities were kidnapped by the paramilitaries who kept them overnight, tying them up and dousing them with petrol, despite the presence of 200 members of the security services.

All these crimes have the support of the 'bad government', because this government wants Mitzitón's land. They want to build a new highway through it. More than 2,000 people live in the community and the majority do not want to sell their communal land, and do not want the highway. This is why God's Army can operate with impunity and have government protection. At the beginning of June they threatened to commit 'a worse massacre than that of Acteal'.

The community is suffering at the hands of a group of criminal intruders, who do not contribute in any way, and who in fact try to sell the community's land to the government for the building of a road the majority oppose. This group threatens, intimidates, attacks and injures the residents on a daily basis, making their lives intolerable.

The Other Campaign adherents, most of the population, now say they have had enough of living in fear. Those who suffer worst are the women and children, constantly threatened by armed men wearing military uniforms, who walk the community at night firing shots, showing no respect for the people, the land, the trees or the water.

For this reason, on 2nd July 2010, the people of Mitzitón set up a roadblock on the highway from San Cristóbal to Comitán, demanding that the government relocate the paramilitaries, away from the community. "They are setting our children a bad example, teaching them to rob and kill......We want to live in peace, we want our children to be educated well..." "We are tired of denouncing the aggression and violence we are suffering, over and over again ...... and nothing is done"

The first response from the government was to say they if the roadblock was not lifted, the entire community would be relocated, 'and a forest reserve set up in the area'. Negotiations in Tuxtla were suggested; the people of Mitzitón insisted on any dialogue taking place in the community, so everyone could be present. It was finally agreed that a government commission would visit Mitzitón on 5thJuly, the visit to be moderated by Diego Cadenas, director of the Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Human Rights Centre.

Following this visit, the roadblock was temporarily lifted. The assembly gave the government a period of one month to relocate the paramilitaries of God's Army, Eagle Wings, or further measures would be taken. They made clear that the struggle is not over, "we are going to continue to defend our land, because without it we cannot live".

At this time the 'European Brigade of Solidarity with the Zapatistas' arrived in Chiapas. Many Zapatista communities are enduring continual threats and attacks, and the brigade aims to offer friendship and support to their Zapatista companer@s, find out about their situation, share their reality, and compile and spread information about what is happening in their lands.

The work of the Brigade has been made more difficult following the assassination on 27 April 2010 of Finnish activist Jyri Jakkola, who was a member of a humanitarian aid convoy to San Juan Copala in Oaxaca. The Mexican government then informed many foreign ambassadors that any international activists present in Mexico who were not in possession of a DDHH FM3 visa would be immediately expelled from the country.

The first community visited by the Solidarity Brigade, along with members of CIEPAC and Frayba, was Mitzitón. The ejidal authorities told the visitors of their concerns about the political and economic cover given by the government to the paramilitaries, and about how much the people of Mitzitón have to endure at their hands. The Europeans spoke of the 'daily paramilitarisation, corruption and impunity' faced by indigenous peoples, and of their fears that the government would deprive the people of their ejidal lands in order to build the new highway. They denounced the government protection given to paramilitary groups, and offered the Brigade's support to the people of Mitzitón.

This story is not over. People of good conscience are asked to watch the situation closely.

The JBG of Oventic has denounced a brutal attack made on the 21st June by 240 people belonging to the political parties PRD and PRI, organised in four groups, in the community of El Pozo, San Juan Cancuc. The attackers were armed with sticks, stones, tools and machetes, and were reportedly under the influence of drugs and alcohol, "stimulated by alcohol, drugs and government support". The aim of the aggression was to force nine families, Zapatista bases of support, to pay for water and electricity services, despite being in resistance.

Several (at least nine) compas were seriously wounded in the attack, especially two who suffered skull fractures. One compa was reported missing, presumed injured. An indigenous PRI supporter was killed during the confrontation. Three health promoters who were trying to come to the aid of the wounded were arrested by the police and taken to San Cristobal de las Casas, where they were charged with homicide. The Zapatista families sought refuge in the autonomous municipality of San Juan Bautista Cancuc.

The attack has been denounced as another attempt by the three levels of the bad government, along with the army and paramilitaries, to put an end to the process of autonomy in the Zapatista communities, by provoking the communities to respond with violence, thereby legitimising an attack by the army, "to provoke a confrontation that will break their truce and their silence". The Network against Repression and for Solidarity called a national and international day of solidarity with the Zapatista communities in Chiapas following this attack.

Below is a report of the events by Sipaz. It remains unclear who used firearms.

Chiapas: San Juan Cancuc clash leaves 1 dead
July 5, 2010

On June 21st, indigenous people of the community El Pozo, of the municipality San Juan Cancuc in the Chiapas highlands, clashed in a shootout that left one dead and 9 others injured (4 by gunshot wounds). The confrontation occurred when inhabitants of El Pozo tried to suspend the supply of potable water and electricity to Zapatista sympathizers, who are in resistance and refuse to pay for these services. Amidst the aggression 28 year-old Sebastián Hernández Pérez was killed.

On the 23rd of June, the Good Government Council (JBG) Central Heart of the Zapatistas Before the World of the caracol of Oventic published a communique explaining that "it was not a clash as the media manipulations have made it out to be. Nor was it an aggression provoked by Zapatista support bases, as the media has also accused. In response to the aggressions, the compañeros had to defend themselves somehow, utilizing last resort measures in their legitimate defence".

They explained that on June 21st at about 10:30 am, PRI and PRD supporters "organized themselves into four groups, each one of 60 people with aggressive attitudes and armed with machetes, stones, sticks, hoes, pickaxes, shovels and clippers for cutting the service of light and water to nine Zapatista support base families. " They recognized: "in this aggression, one of the aggressors who was leading the assault was left dead. Our support bases had to defend themselves". They also commented: "How is it possible that the bad government acts in this way, detaining our compañeros while our support bases were attacked, beaten and several were seriously wounded and injured."

On June 23rd, the Attorney General of Chiapas stated that there were detentions of three people involved in the clash. On the same day, the municipal president of San Juan Cancuc, Cirilo Vázquez Cruz (of the PRD), who allegedly spoke for fear of being assaulted, said that 25 support base families fled their homes in the community of El Pozo. He said the situation in El Pozo is calm, but there remain some 15 agents of the State Preventative Police (PEP) whose presence is supplemented by Municipal Police as well.

He denied that the bloody events June 21 will affect the elections of July 4th, while still affirming, "the candidate of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) wants to use them, saying that the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) is supporting the Zapatistas, but the community has rejected them because they know that the compañeros of the Zapatista National Liberation Army have nothing to do with the election and they are not a political party. "

For more information (in Spanish):

Two dead in reported confrontation in Zapatista zone (La Jornada, 21 June)

Commotion in Chiapas leaves one dead (El Universal, 21 June)

Chiapas Attorney General's Office investigates conflict between groups of San Juan Cancuc (Milenio, 21 June)

Attorney General's Office finds three responsible for homicide in "El Pozo", San Juan Cancuc (PGJE statement, 23 June)

Complete communiqué of the Junta de Buen Gobierno de Oventic (23 June)

JBG repudiates El Pozo attack (Cuarto Poder, 23 June)

In El Pozo we were only defending ourselves, claim Zapatistas (La Jornada, 24 June)

Zapatista communities flee for fear of violence (La Jornada, 24 June)

_______________________________________________________________________________________

BAR
HUMAN RIGHTS
COMMITTEE OF ENGLAND AND WALES

Recalling the Rule of Law:
A report on the protection of
human rights defenders and the rule of law in the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca, Mexico
 
Thursday, 15 July 2010
6pm - 8pm
Committee Room 2, 1st Floor,
House of Lords

 
 
The recent reports of
attacks on
international observers highlight more starkly than before the deteriorating situation for human rights defenders in Mexico, and the attention required by the international community to ensure that the fundamental principle of the rule of law is upheld to in these difficult times.
 
The Bar Human Rights
Committee
(BHRC)
will launch a report on the findings of a high-level delegation of human rights lawyers who were sent to the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca to investigate this worrying situation. The delegation carried out an independent and impartial audit of the human rights situation relating to the protection of human rights defenders and lawyers, pre-trial and pre-charge detention, and military jurisdiction.
 
Hosted by:
 
Lord
Brennan, Labour Peer and
Bar representative on
the Council of the International Bar Association
 
Report
presented
by:
 
Ajanta
Kaza, Executive
Committee Member, Bar Human
Rights Committee and representative of the delegation of lawyers, and Adam Hiddleston, Member of the English Bar and representative of the delegation of lawyers
 
Addresses
by:
 
Santiago
Aguirre, Tlachinollan
Human Rights Centre, a human rights lawyer
who has
represented cases before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and met with the delegation in Mexico met with the delegation during their visit to Mexico and Lisa Maracani, Mexico Project Coordinator, Peace Brigades International
 
 
1.5 CPD
available to
barristers
All
welcome:
please feel
free to circulate
 
For further
information, please contact Ms Sally Longworth, BHRC Project Coordinator
(Tel: +44 207
993
7755 / Email: bhrc@compuserve.com)