Thursday, July 10, agents from the Federal Agency of Investigations (AFI, Agencia Federal de Investigaciones) entered the offices of Radio Ñomndaa in an attempt to shut down the local radio station. Radio Ñomndaa “La Voz del Agua” is an independent station that broadcasts, without official permission, from Xochistlahuaca in the Montaña region of north-eastern Guerrero and hosts local and cultural programs in both the native language of Ñomndaa and Spanish. The station has been operating since 2002 and has previously received threats of a shut down by the AFI.

At midday on July 10, the AFI along with agents from the Secretary of Communication and Transport (SCT, Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes) and the ministerial police arrived at Radio Ñomndaa with an order to shut down the station and seize their broadcast equipment. Members of the station along with individuals from the community protested the action and put enough pressure on the agents that within a few hours they had left the community without seizing any of the equipment. However they were able to disconnect much of the equipment leaving the radio unable to broadcast.

In a communiqué made public soon after the operation, Radio Ñomndaa expressed its right to broadcast and made a call for support from both the local and national civil society. They also began broadcasting via their web page soon afterwards.

SIPAZ conducted an interview with David Valtierra Arango from Radio Ñomndaa on the afternoon of July 10. To hear the interview in Spanish click the icon below.

More information in Spanish:

Impiden indígenas desmantelamiento de Radio Ñomndaa por la AFI y SCT (La Jornada, 11/07/08)

La AFI intentó desmantelar Radio Ñomndaa (Radio Ñomndaa, 10/07/08)

Intenta AFI desmantelar a la radio comunitaria Ñomndaa (Tlachinollan, 10/07/08)

On June 20, 2008, according to an urgent action released by the Comité 25 de noviembre in conjunction with the Centro Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez, several individuals were wounded during a protest against the governor, Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, who was visiting Zaachila despite the accords of the Community Assembly which prohibit such a visit.

The urgent action relates the incident in which the father of the municipal president of Zaachila, Natalio Pérez Tomás “arrived at the scene with a fire arm shooting at the protestors, who fled, seeking shelter in businesses and nearby houses where they looked on as others resisted the aggression.”

It goes on to denounce that “after the aggression the community was surrounded by agents from the anti-riot division of the state preventative police who attempted to enter the community as a helicopter from the state public security agency circled overhead, creating a sense of intimidation among the inhabitants of the community.”

On July 7, Oaxacan Voices Constructing Autonomy and Freedom (VOCAL, Voces Oaxaqueñas Construyendo Autonomía y Libertad), made public a communiqué in which they denounced having been victim to a media attack supported by the state government. According to the communiqué, the state-run television station, Channel 9, made public photographs of several members of VOCAL and linked the organization with the violent acts that occurred in Zaachila while stating that arrest warrants had been issued for the members.

SIPAZ conducted an interview in Spanish with VOCAL member Silvia Hernández on July 7, 2008. To listen to audio of the interview, click on the icon below.

More information in Spanish:

Petición de solidaridad y apoyo a VOCAL y al movimiento social en Oaxaca (VOCAL, 07/07/08)

Acción Urgente: Preocupación por la integridad física de pobladores de Zaachila, Oaxaca (Comité 25 de noviembre, Centro Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez, 23/06/2008)

Video de los disparos (Oaxaca en Pie de Lucha, 20/06/08)

Pagina web de VOCAL

]]> http://sipazen.wordpress.com/2008/07/11/oaxaca-violence-in-zaachila-and-media-harassment-of-members-of-vocal/feed/ SIPAZ http://sipazen.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/chiapas-sipaz-interview-with-members-of-la-voz-de-el-amate-testimonies-of-violence-and-injustice/ http://sipazen.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/chiapas-sipaz-interview-with-members-of-la-voz-de-el-amate-testimonies-of-violence-and-injustice/#comments Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:51:54 +0000 SIPAZ http://sipazen.wordpress.com/?p=160

CERSS (formerly CERESO) no.14 “El Amate” [Source: Cuarto Poder]

On June 28, members of SIPAZ visited eight detainees at the State Center for the Social Reinsertion of Sentenced Prisoners (CERSS, Centro Estatal para la Reinserción Social de Sentenciados, formerly CERESO) no.14 in Cintalapa who are members of the organization “La Voz del Amate,” and adherents to the Other Campaign.

The detainees, who have declared themselves political prisoners, carried out a hunger strike and fast from March 4 to April 5 of this year and once again on May 24, asserting their innocence and demanding their immediate release. On April 17, as a consequence of their protest, the detainees were subjected to violence by other detainees with no intervention on the part of the prison authorities.

On May 27 the plantón (permanent protest encampment) erected by members of la Voz del Amate was dismantled when the authorities transferred to other prisons as a result of their decision to carry out the one day hunger strike and protest against their imprisonment. On June 26 members of the la Voz del Amate decided to resume the plantón in a different area of the prison. All of the members of la Voz del Amate live and sleep in the camp that was originally erected January 5, 2006.

More information:

Brief overview of each of the cases of the members of La Voz del Amate

For more information in Spanish including interviews with members of La Voz del Amate, see the SIPAZ blog en español.

President Felipe Calderón addressing the X Tuxtla Presidential Summit (Source: La Jornada)

At the suggestion of Mexican President Felipe Calderón, Plan Puebla-Panama was abandoned in favor of the new “Mesoamerica Project.” The decision was approved on Saturday June 28 at the 10th Tuxtla Summit, site of the meeting of the leaders of Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia and Costa Rica. Also present were the governors of the Mexican states of Puebla, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Tabasco, Guerrero, Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Campeche and Chiapas.

According to those in attendance, the new project eliminates some 95% of the development and infrastructure projects originally planned for in the Plan Puebla-Panama since its inception in 2001. The remaining plans concentrate on highways and infrastructure, and energy, electrical and information networking. In addition, there will also be a focus on plans to establish mechanisms for joint purchases of food stuffs and fertilizers, as well as working together on the issues of biofuels, fuel prices and climate change.

The leaders also reiterated their pledge to fight organized crime, noting that with the approval of the Mérida Initiative a foundation is now in place to start a Security Plan between Mexico and Central America that will include bilateral and multilateral strategies. It is estimated that there will be some USD 953 million slated for concrete measures within the plan.

As of the time of writing, there has been no response from the Mexican or international civil society on this issue.

More information:

• Press Statement by President Felipe Calderón after Signing of Villahermosa Declaration and Closing of Summit (28/06/08)
• President Calderón Announces Social Housing Program for Central America (28/06/08)
• Presidents Consolidate Mesoamerican Integration and Development Project (28/06/08)
• The New Phase of the Plan Puebla Panama in Chiapas (CIEPAC)
  • Part 1 (22/05/08)
  • Part 2 (27/05/08)
  • Part 3 (30/05/08)

On the morning of June 30, US President Bush signed into law the Iraq Supplemental Funding Bill which includes an amendment allotting USD465 million to Mexico and Central America for anti–drug-trafficking and anti-terrorism measures, also know as the Mérida Initiative. At the signing President Bush commented that the initiative is a “national priority” for the United States. The signing comes four days after the law was approved by the Senate on June 26.

The initiative was originally criticized by the Mexican government for the human rights conditions it included, claiming that they imposed on Mexico’s national sovereignty. After an interparliamentary meeting between the United States and Mexico earlier this month, the bill was revised in Congress and much of the language defining these conditions was softened. The conditions that do remain include a report from the US Secretary of State on the progress of the Mexican judicial system in terms of human rights, an emphasis on police and military cooperation with civil trials for those who have been accused of human rights violations, and the creation of a mechanism for human rights consultation within the context of the initiative. Up to 15% of the funding could be withheld if these measures are not met.

Both international and Mexican social organizations have been critical of the weakened human rights conditions in the initiative and a lack of emphasis on arms trafficking and the narcotics market in the United States. As of the time of writing, there has been no reaction from the Mexican government.

More information:

Bush Signs War Supplemental (CBS 30/06/08)

U.S. includes rights language in Mexico anti-drug aid (International Herald Tribune 28/06/08)

WOLA Sees Shortcomings and Questions Priorities in Mérida Plan (27/06/08)

US/Mexico: Conditions placed on Mérida Initiative to be softened (SIPAZ 14/06/08)

US/Mexico: US Congress to vote on Merida Initiative (SIPAZ 13/05/08)

A Primer on Plan Mexico (Laura Carlsen 05/05/2008)

Wilson Center: Mérida Initiative Portal

More information in Spanish:

Bush promulga ley para financiar plan Mérida; 400 mdd son para México (La Jornada 30/06/08)

Firma Bush ley que aprueba recursos para Iniciativa Mérida (El Universal 30/06/08)

Critica HRW reticencia de México para aceptar supervisión sobre garantías (La Jornada 27/06/08)

Local social organizations take part in the state social forum “Guerrero: Where Poverty is Punished and Social Protest is Criminalized” [Source: Theres Hoechli]

On June 20 and 21, the Human Rights Center of the Montaña Tlachinollan celebrated its 14th anniversary with a statewide forum titled “Guerrero: Where Poverty is Punished and Social Protest is Criminalized.”

In the accord that was manifested at the end of the forum, 20 organizations from Guerrero and other states demanded among other things:

- an end to the criminalization of social struggle

- a stop to the militarization in indigenous regions

- the punishment of the military and civilian authorities that have committed grave human rights violations

- the immediate release of the cinco members of the OPIM, originally from the town of El Camalote, who are being held at the municipal jail in Ayutla de Los Libres

- compliance with the recommendations made by the Special Rapporteurs to the United Nations and the public human rights commissions

The human rights center also issued an abstract of their 14th annual report on the same theme. Among the issues highlighted between June 2007 and May 2008 are the 201 penal cases brought against social leaders within the state:

- 73 penal cases brought against social leaders

- 75 pending arrest warrants

- 9 closed proceedings with favorable resolutions

- 44 preliminary inquiries of social leaders in progress

The full report from the Human Rights Center of the Montaña Tlachinollan will be published in the coming months.

More information:

Human Rights Center of the Montaña Tlachinollan

CERESO No.5

June 26, SIPAZ members visited six detainees at the Center for the Social Reinsertion of Sentenced Prisoners (CERSS, formerly know as CERESO) in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, all of whom are members of the organization “The Voice of the Llanos” (La Voz de Los Llanos), adherents of the Other Campaign.

The detainees, who refer to themselves as political prisoners, carried out a hunger strike/fast between March 4 and April 5 of 2008 and again on May 24 declaring their innocence and demanding their immediate release. On April 17, as a consequence of the strike, they were made victims of violence perpetrated by other detainees who were not prevented from doing so by the authorities.

They stated that, “We know that our cases, in which we are considered guilty, are under revision. We want them to take notice of our struggle and protest. We want our release as soon as posible. Our cases are based on false accusations and crimes attributed under torture. The government has raised an iron fist against us. We are asking for freedom without violence, through a peaceful struggle, in the Voz de Los Llanos and the Voz del Amate. We want a solution to this problem we are faced with, we want freedom.”

On June 27, the spokesperson for the Voz de Los Llanos, Tiburcio Gómez Pérez, contacted SIPAZ by phone in order to make public their communiqué. You can hear the communiqué in Spanish below.

More information in Spanish:

• Breve resumen de los casos de los integrantes de la Voz de Los Llanos

• Acción Urgente - Represión a presos indígenas en el CERESO 5 (Frayba, 22/04/2008)

Mexican Interior Minister, Juan Camilo Mouriño Terrazo [Source: Ecos de la Costa]

On June 26 the US Senate approved the amendment, slated for the current fiscal year, that was passed by the House on June 19, 2008. The initiative puts aside USD400 million for Mexico and USD65 million for Central America in training and equipment to fight drug-trafficking and terrorism. The amount approved is some USD85 million less than President Bush proposed initially. The amendment will now be sent to the president for approval, which should occur in the next few days. The Mérida Initiative forms part of the Iraq Supplemental Funding Bill, amounting to USD162 billion in spending.

The amendment establishes a “shared responsibility” between the US and Mexico in the fight against drug trafficking, designating USD215.5 million to support programs initiated by the Mexican government to combat drug trafficking as well as USD116.5 million for “military cooperation” between the two countries. Another USD20 million will go towards the “building of institutions and support for the civil society.” In addition USD5 million is slated for “human rights training” among the police, public prosecutors and prison administrators as well as USD3 million in “support of NGOs and civil society.”

The original initiative, which was criticized by Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s government, was revised to cut the unilateral human rights “conditions” imposed by the US. No explicit demands in regards to conditions or “certification” mechanisms appear in the final version of the initiative.

In a press conference held by the Mexican Interior Minister, Juan Camilo Mouriño Terrazo, he denied that the initiative implies the presence of US police or military agents within Mexico. He also stated that “The Mexican government congratulates the US Legislature on their decision and reiterates the pledge to prioritize the fight against organized crime, with the understanding that international cooperation is a fundamental component.”

In the last 18 months the Mexican government has spent some USD7 billion in programs to fight drug-trafficking and drug cartels in Mexico that move cocaine from Colombia to consumers in the US. In the past year in Mexico 1400 people have been killed in drug-trafficking related violence.

More information:

• Mexico welcomes approval of US drug aid (AP 28/06/08)
• US Senate approves war funds bill (BBC 27/06/08)
• US/Mexico: Conditions placed on Mérida Initiative to be softened (SIPAZ 14/06/08)
• US/Mexico: US Congress to vote on Merida Initiative (SIPAZ 13/05/08)
• A Primer on Plan Mexico (Laura Carlsen 05/05/2008)
• Wilson Center: Mérida Initiative Portal

More information in Spanish:

• Avala el Senado de EU el plan para lucha antinarco en México (La Jornada 27/06/08)
• La Iniciativa Mérida vendría a incrementar las violaciones a las garantías individuales (La Jornada Michoacan 26/06/08)
• Da México bienvenida a la Iniciativa Mérida (Excelsior 27/06/08)
• Acepta México términos de la Iniciativa Mérida (El Universal 27/06/08)

SIPAZ presentation at the Guerrero state social forum “Guerrero: Where poverty is punished and protest is criminalized” [Source: Theres Hoechli]

Between June 18 and 21, three delegates –Marina Pagès (France), Monica Wooters (USA) and Theres Hoechli (Switzerland)– conducted a four-day visit to the State of Guerrero as a follow up to the March delegation coordinated by the International Service for Peace (SIPAZ) which included the participation of representatives of 11 NGOs (nongovernment organizations) from six countries.

This second trip included a stop in Ayutla de los Libres where the delegates met with the Tlachinollan Human Rights Center of the Montaña, the Organization of the Me’phaa Indigenous Peoples (OPIM, Organización del Pueblo Indígena Me’phaa) and interviewed five members of the OPIM in the municipal prison where they have been detained since April 18, 2008. In Chilpancingo, a meeting was conducted with the president of the State Commission for the Defense of Human Rights (Comisión Estatal de Defensa de los Derechos Humanos), Juan Alarcón Hernández, as well as the Secretary General of (State) Government, Ramírez Ramos.

Concluding the trip, the delegates attended the forum “Guerrero: Where poverty is punished and protest is criminalized,” organized by Tlachinollan Human Rights Center of the Montaña as part of its 14th anniversary celebrations. On the first day of the forum, soldiers from the Mexican Army established a roadside checkpoint at a distance of 50m from the event. This was interpreted by forum participants as a clear act of intimidation.

More information:

Full Evaluation of the SIPAZ Follow-up Visit to Guerrero (25/06/08)

Tlachinollan celebrates fourteen years of constant struggle in defence of human rights (18/06/08)

More information on the past SIPAZ delegation:

SIPAZ Delgation to Guerrero: Conclusions (05/08)

Guerrero: SIPAZ and Tlachinollan Human Rights Center of the Montaña launch international mission to document human rights violations (SIPAZ 14/03/08)

Guerrero: SIPAZ and CDHM Tlachinollan promote international mission to document human rights violations (SIPAZ 07/03/08)

More information on Guerrero:

Tlachinollan Human Rights Center of the Montaña

Guerrero: Human rights defenders in Ayutla held in prison for nearly two months (SIPAZ 13/06/08)

More information in Spanish:

Los derechos humanos no son prioritarios para el gobierno de Guerrero, afirma Sipaz (El Sur 20/06/08)

Comienza el Sipaz visita a Guerrero (La Jornada 08/03/08)

Policía Comunitaria de la Costa Chica y Montaña de Guerrero

Radio Ñomndaa - La Palabra del Agua

CODDEHUM de Guerrero

Gobierno estatal de Guerrero

]]> http://sipazen.wordpress.com/2008/06/27/guerrero-evaluation-of-sipaz-follow-up-visit/feed/ SIPAZ http://sipazen.wordpress.com/2008/06/25/chiapas-attempt-to-reforest-the-zapatista-community-protected-area-and-ecological-reserve-of-huitepec/ http://sipazen.wordpress.com/2008/06/25/chiapas-attempt-to-reforest-the-zapatista-community-protected-area-and-ecological-reserve-of-huitepec/#comments Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:17:58 +0000 SIPAZ http://sipazen.wordpress.com/?p=147

Source: Fray Bartolome de Las Casas Human Rights Center

On June 15, the rural municipal agency of San Cristóbal de las Casas attempted to complete an “annual reforestation” of the 112ha area of the Protected Natural Area Huitepec-Los Alcanfores. Since March 2007 the territory has been recovered by the EZLN and converted into the “Zapatista Community Protected Area and Ecological Reserve of Huitepec.” Subsequently the state government created the protected natural area. According to denunciations, the local community was not consulted but instead was threatened with eviction.

In the early morning of June 15, the Zapatistas posted at the Huitepec Reserve refused entry to those who arrived in response to the invitation made by the auxiliary rural municipal agent to participate in the reforestation of 2000 saplings. The new arrivals were registered by the agent as if they were participating in the federal government program “Opportunities”; they could then take as many saplings as they wished for their personal use. Subsequently, the Reserve was emptied without any reforestation being conducted.

Members of the State Preventative Police (PEP, Policía Estatal Preventiva) attended the meeting on two occasions.

Read more about the reserve and eviction threats in SIPAZ’s blog.

Circular of the Auxiliary Rural Municipal Agency:

Communiqué (in Spanish) of the Good Government Council of Oventic:

More information:

• Evitan los zapatistas ingreso de grupo oficialista a reserva ecológica en Chiapas (La Jornada, 17/06/08)