Chiapas: Two more prisoners join the hunger strike; concentration of family-members at sit-in

Press-conference @ SIPAZ

In a press-conference on 28 October, it was reported that the commission would soon leave to visit Professor Alberto Patishtán Gómez, who was taken to the Federal Center for Social Readaptation (CEFERESO) No. 8 in Guasave, Sinaloa, with the hopes of learning about his present situation, given that his family-members have not been allowed to communicate with him to date.

Cecilia Santiago Vera, representative of the Movement of Solidarity with prisoners on hunger strike, reported that they are awaiting the authorization of the directors of the Guasave prison for the visit of five persons to Patishtán Gómez in the coming days. The commission is comprised by her, a relative of the prisoner, two lawyers from the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Center for Human Rights (CDHFBC), and Sacario Hernández Hernández, who after being imprisoned from 2003 to 2008 was released as a result of undertaking a hunger strike.

The CDHFBC reported that it requested that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) solicit from the Mexican government the establishment of precautionary measures so that Alberto Patishtán be returned to prison in Chiapas. Víctor Hugo López Rodríguez, director of the CDHFBC, said that the IACHR petition also includes a request for precautionary measures in favor of the ten prisoners who continue fasting and on hunger strike since 29 September in the prisons of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Cintalapa, and Motozintla. López Rodríguez indicated that the CDHFBC has requested before the International Committee of the Red Cross that it carry out a visit to the Guasave prison so as to document the conditions in which Patishtán is being held, in addition to visits to the other imprisoned individuals fasting and on hunger strike.

: Sit-in of relatives @ SIPAZ

On last Saturday the 29th, the organizations of the Other Campaign in Chiapas called for a public meeting in the Cathedral Plaza of San Cristóbal de Las Casas. The Group of the Network against Repression “We are not all here” indicated that “dispersion is also a form of psychological torture and a strategy of social and political disarticulation,” referring to the transfer of Patishtán 2000 km from his home. In a public denunciation they declared, “On 29 and 30 October, access to the prison was arbitrarily denied to a brigade for medical attention that includes health personnel from Mexico City who traveled there solely to learn about the health-status of those comrades and to afford support. On Sunday 30 regardless, a day that is for general visits, their entrance was also impeded; moreover, on this same day authorities of the prison prevented by various means the visit to the prison by relatives and friends.” During that afternoon, there was made a call for a new mobilization on 7 November in front of the palace of governance in Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

Of the eleven who are protesting, two who were previously fasting have taken on a hunger strike: Juan Collazo Jiménez, in the Motozintla prison, and Andrés Núñez Hernández, from Cereso 5 in San Cristóbal. These account now then for 8 prisoners on hunger strike for 34 days.

In a public letter that was read at the press-conference, the hunger-strikers express that “Today our comrade Alberto finds himself in the maximum-security federal prison Cefereso No. 8 in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. He was taken in the moment that we found ourselves on hunger strike, he fasting, which we began on 29 September so as to demand justice and our release. Today we cry for help because the government would like to see us die in prison for crimes we have not committed. Today we complete 29 days on hunger strike and we are unsure when we will be granted our liberty.” They added: “Similarly we say that our health-situation is in decline; some of our comrades already suffer from memory loss and dizziness, among other symptoms, as in the case of our comrade Rosario Díaz Méndez, who finds her situation very complicated, given that her glucose levels are excessively high. For our state of health we hold the State responsible.”

For more information (in Spanish):

Convocatoria nacional e internacional en solidaridad con la huelga de hambre en Chiapas. 7 de noviembre (Enlace Zapatista, 2 November 2011)

34 días en huelga de hambre y ayuno presos de Chiapas (Chiapas Denuncia Pública, 1 November 2011)

Denuncia a 33 días de huelga de hambre y ayuno en penal No. 5, Chiapas (Chiapas Denuncia Pública, 31 October 2011)

CGT entrevista al Plantón de familiares de presos polític@s en Chiapas tras un mes en huelga de hambre indefinida (CGT Chiapas, 31 October 2011)

Denuncia desde el penal nº5 de San Cristóbal a 33 días de huelga de hambre y por impedimento de visita medica (Enlace Zapatista, 31 October 2011)

Cumple un mes el ayuno en penal de San Cristóbal de las Casas (La Jornada, 30 October 2011)

Pide Frayba a la CIDH interceder para regresar a Patishtán a prisión de Chiapas (La Jornada, 29 October 2011)

Lanza central obrera española campaña por liberación de indígenas en Chiapas (La Jornada, 29 October 2011)

Se suma otro preso a huelga de hambre total en demanda de libertad en Chiapas (La Jornada, 30 October 2011)

Conferencia de Prensa Familia Patishtan (Chiapas Denuncia Pública, 28 October 2011)

PATISHTÁN GÓMEZ, TRASLADO ARBITRARIO DESDE CHIAPAS HASTA SINALOA (Escrutinio Público, 28 October 2011)

El Frayba invita a conferencia de prensa para informar de la visita que realizará al compañero Patishtán, 28 de octubre (Enlace Zapatista, 28 October 2011)

En el día 31 de la huelga de hambre, ayuno y movilización por la libertad de los presos en la Suprema Corte, 29 de oktubre (Enlace Zapatista, 28 October 2011)

La RvsR Chiapas invita a la concentración por la liberación de l@s pres@s en huelga de hambre, 29 de octubre 5 pm (Enlace Zapatista, 28 October 2011)

CGT lanza su Campaña por la libertad de Alberto Patishtán y la de todos los presos polític@s de La Otra Campaña y anarquistas (CGT Chiapas, 27 October 2011)

RvsR Chiapas: Solidario de la Voz del Amate se declara en huelga de hambre (Enlace Zapatista, 28 October 2011)

Acciones del 23 al 28 de octubre por los pres@s políticos de Chiapas en huelga de hambre indefinida (CGT Chiapas, 30 October 2011)

27 y 29 de octubre: Movilización y ayuno global en solidaridad con los presos de Chiapas en huelga de hambre (CGT Andalucía, 27 October 2011)

Pronunciamiento de las organizaciones co-convocantes del reconocimiento Jtatic Samuel Jcanan Lum (25 October)

Carta pública del Movimiento por la Paz con Justicia y Dignidad (25 October)

Resienten debilidad presos chiapanecos en huelga de hambre: vocero(La Jornada, 25 October)

Chiapas: impiden autoridades que médico revise a los presos en huelga de hambre (La Jornada, 26 October)

Situación de los presos en huelga de hambre y ayuno en Chiapas.(Grupo de Trabajo No Estamos Todxs, Red contra la Represión y por la Solidaridad, 25 October 2011)

Reporte de la situación de la huelga de hambre y ayuno desde el interior del Ceress 5 (24 October)

Denuncia de Presos en Huelga de hambre -26 días (24 October)

Piden regresar a Chiapas a indígena reubicado en penal de Sinaloa (Proceso, 21 October)

Audio:

Denuncian que las autoridades de la cárcel no permitieron la entrada del médico para ver como están de salud en estos 32 días de huelga de hambre y ayun o (Chiapas Denuncia Pública, 31 October 2011)

Transmisión desde el plantón de familiares de Presos Políticos de Chiapas (Koman Ilel, 30 October 2011)

Entrevista de radio a la CGT a 28 días de la huelga de los presos polític@s en Chiapas (CGT Chiapas, 30 October 2011)

For more information from SIPAZ (in English):

Chiapas: National and international support for Patishtán and the prisoners fasting and on hunger strike (26 October 2011)

Chiapas: New denunciation by Las Abejas (28 October 2011)

Chiapas: 20 days into hunger strike and 11 days into sit-in of relatives, 2 prisoners are released (27 October 2011)

Chiapas: 15 days of hunger strike and days of sit-in (17 October 2011)