The Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Human Rights (CDHFBC) center has been added to the list of the many state and national organizations denouncing the criminalization of social movements and social action by the Mexican government. On June 16th, CDHFBC release a communiqué denouncing the continuing harassment of Center employees. On June 14th and 15th, a car without plates carrying two people was seen outside the home of the Center’s director, Diego Cardenas Gordillo, and again a street away from the Center’s office. At this latter sighting, the Director approached the car (which he identified as the one he had seen outside his house the day before) and asked: “Why are you following me?”. The passenger of in the car responded: “I am not following you, I am waiting for my sister.” Diego then asked: “Are you from the CISEN [Center for Investigation and National Security]?” to which the passenger laughed and said “no.” Diego Cadenas and another employee of CDHFBC “tried to take pictures with their cell phones of the three men in the car who then covered their faces with their hats while the driver took out his camera and started taking pictures as well.”
This harassment takes place directly after CDHFBC received the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Award in Spain and during the meeting of the Directive Council of the same. We remind our readers that harassment of human rights workers is a grave violation of human rights and that several international organizations are following these violations. For many years, Mexico has received observation commissions to document the political climate, the criminalization of social protest, the state of human rights, and the culture of peace that should flower in a nation that truly respects its national and international responsibilities.
For more information, please visit:
Vigilancia a integrantes del Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas (16/06/2009)
Chiapas: Denuncian hostigamiento contra director del Centro Fray Bartolomé, La Jornada (17/06/2009)
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