Guerrero: return of CECOP spokesperson to Guerrero prison

Marco Antonio Suastegui (@Tlachinollan 2012)

On 31 March, Marco Antonio Suástegui Muñoz, spokesperson of the Council of Ejidos and Communities Opposed to the La Parota Dam (CECOP), was transferred to the La Unión prison in Guerrero state from the maximum-security prison of Tepic, Nayarit, where he had been held since June 2014. María de Jesús, Muñoz’s wife, indicated that her husband experienced poor conditions for ninth months, lacking medical attention after having been tortured, but she affirmed that “justice was done, because he is innocent and only struggles in favor of his ideals. We will not rest until he returns free.”

The Tlachinollan Mountain Center for Human Rights, which represents the CECOP spokesperson, denounced in a communique that the “Guerrero state government took an inordinately long time to transfer Marco Antonio to Guerrero by imposing an extraordinary review via the General Director for Social Reinsertion in Guerrero State which was then suspended; still, the Collegiate Tribunal had already admitted it had assessed the case. These extraordinary legal actions, which contrast with the public messages communicated by the state executive against CECOP, show clear evidence of the lack of political will and the arbitrary use of the juridical system on the part of the Guerrero state government, toward the sole end of continuing the criminalization of human-rights defenders.”

Tlachinollan also demanded that “the state government of Guerrero guarantee the security of Marco Antonio Suástegui within La Unión prison and full access to his relatives and defense-team, as well as to abstain from taking any other action that would violate his rights to an adequate legal defense.”

For more information (in Spanish):

Regresan a Marco Antonio Suástegui al reclusorio de La Unión, procedente de Tepic (El Sur, 1ero de abril de 2014)

Fue torturado en Acapulco y en Tepic nunca tuvo atención médica, denuncia Suástegui (El Sur, 3 de abril de 2014)

Trasladan a penal de Guerrero a defensor comunitario criminalizando por la defensa del territorio (Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña, Tlachinollan, 1ero de abril de 2015)

México debe proteger a Marco Antonio Suástegui Muñoz quien ha sido trasladado a un penal en Guerrero (Amnistía Internacional , abril de 2015)

Traslado a Guerrero de Marco Antonio Suástegui (Front Line Defenders, abril de 2015)

For more information from SIPAZ (in English):

Guerrero: Marco Antonio Suastegui, opponent to the La Parota dam, is ordered to return to a Guerreo state prison (30 de enero de 2015)

Guerrero: The Navy has tried to arrest him, denounces brother of CECOP spokesperson (30 December 2014)

Guerrero: Attack on CECOP members leaves 5 dead (6 December 2014)

Guerrero: Arrest of María de la Cruz Dorantes, CECOP member (25 October 2014)

Guerrero: demand for release of political prisoners in observance of the eleventh anniversary of CECOP (2 September 2014)