On November 28, Obtilia Eugenio Manuel and Cuauhtémoc Ramírez Rodríguez, respectively president and director of the Organization of the Me’phaa Indigenous People (OPIM), received new death threats at their home. Both have been campaigning to hold accountable the soldiers responsible for the rape of two Me’phaa indigenous women, Inés Fernández and Valentina Rosendo, in 2002. The threat-letter was written by hand, saying, in fragments: “Hello Obtilia. Now we know where you live because the case of Ines and Valentina bothers you too much to stop fucking around in the matter of the sentencing for the two women…calm your people from the organization or else you are going to be fucked…calm down Cuahtémoc because they are going to fuck him up…stop fucking around with the government compliance with the sentencing which has made the government angry therefore we are here stop fighting the sentencing of ines and valentina” [sic]. On December 2, Amnesty International released an Urgent Action about the situation. Supporting the Urgent Action, federal deputy of the PRD, Filemón Navarro Aguilar, urged the government of the Guerrero state and federal authorities to deploy cautionary measures for the defense of Obtilia’s safety.
Also, on November 26, the Chamber of Deputies approved the inclusion of resources for the construction of the La Parota hydroelectric dam near Acapulco in the Expenditure Budget of the Federation for 2011, despite widespread rejection of the project throughout the area of its intended location. Providing resources to the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) for the construction of La Parota ignores the existence of four judgments issued by the agrarian courts in 2007, which also prevent the federal and state government from working in the zone where the dam is supposed to be built. It also ignores the decision made at an August 12, 2007 meeting when, after hearing the arguments for and against the project, landowners determined to reject it. Also on July 1, the head of the Agrarian Tribunal (TUA), Martha Leticia Gracida Jiménez, granted a suspension measure, which will prohibit work that involves the implementation of the hydroelectric project until all instances of the nullification lawsuit are resolved. The lawsuit is still on the first instance.
Lastly, on December 17 to 20, 2010, the community of Suljaa’, in the Costa Chica of the Guerrero state, will celebrate the sixth anniversary of the autonomous radio project, Radio Ñomndaa – the Word of the Water. The socio-cultural event will contain various discussions about popular media and the defense of communication for the people among other topics.
For more information:
Urgent action – Nuevas amenazas a activistas indígenas
http://www.amnesty.org/es/library/asset/AMR41/086/2010/es/26063fcb-bc9d-428e-a8d8-948a302f70f5/amr410862010es.pdf (December 2)
Continúan amenazas en contra de defensores y defensoras de derechos humanos en Guerrero
http://www.protectionline.org/Cuauhtemoc-Ramirez-Rodriguez-y.html (Protectionline, November 30)
Demanda diputado del PRD al gobierno del estado proteger a Obtilia Eugenio tras amenazas de muerte
http://el-suracapulco.com.mx/nota1e.php?id_nota=76919
Presupuesto para la construcción de la Parota: cheque en blanco a los violadores de derechos humanos
http://www.cencos.org/de/node/25604 (CENCOS, November 27)
Según CFE, la construcción de La Parota iniciará el 5 de julio de 2011
http://el-suracapulco.com.mx/nota1e.php?id_nota=90694 (El Sur Acapulco)
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