Guerrero/National/International: CNDH and IACHR Ayotzinapa Reports

Ayotzinapa at Tlachinollan anniversary(@SIPAZ)

On November 27th, three days before the end of the six-year term of office of Enrique Peña Nieto, the president of the National Commission of Human Rights (CNDH in its Spanish acronym), Luis Raul Gonzalez Perez, presented recommendation 15VG/2018 on the events that took place in September 2014, in Iguala, Guerrero, that caused the forced disappearance of 43 students from the Normal Rural School of Ayotzinapa, the death of six people and 42 more wounded. He considered it as a “point of departure and a clear guide to what remains to be done” so that the next government of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will get truth and justice in the case.

At a press conference, he said that, “what happened in Iguala should not be seen as an isolated case, but as a reflection of the situation that covers several regions of the country, and in which the possibility of generating an episode of similar dimensions and characteristics is a latent risk.”

He stressed that “a crime of the dimensions that happened in Iguala could only occur because of the penetration of organized crime in government structures”, while “various authorities, at federal, local and municipal levels, knew that things were rotten and contaminated, but nobody did anything. This would have prevented an outcome like the one that happened.”

He indicated that the investigation showed “that the authorities violated the right to the truth of the victims and of society when formulating or disseminating biased statements or partial or false information, which disorientated, confused and generated uncertainty in public opinion, causing the victims to be victimized again.”

On another note, two years after the Special Follow-up Mechanism was installed, this body of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) presented its final work report, in which it analyzes the main anomalies, deficiencies and omissions detected in the investigation conducted by the Mexican government. It concludes that “despite all the proceedings contained in a dossier of more than 618 volumes, the investigations continue fragmented, and require a comprehensive analysis (…) many of the proceedings seem to be incomplete, are discarded or fail to be procedurally driven.” The IACHR also expressed its concern at the fact that “there is still no change in the official narrative regarding the line of investigation of the Cocula landfill, despite what has been indicated by this Commission, by the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (IGIE), the Office of the High Commissioner of the United Nations for Human Rights (UNHCHR) and the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (AFAT).” It urged the Mexican State “to redouble the efforts to determine the whereabouts of the student teachers, to know the truth of what happened on the night of September 26th and 27th, 2014, to provide comprehensive assistance to families and to ensure that these atrocious events do happen again”.

For more information in Spanish:

RECOMENDACIÓN No. 15VG/2018 « Caso Iguala » (CNDH, 28 de noviembre de 2018)

Toca a AMLO enderezar investigación por caso Ayotzinapa: CNDH al emitir recomendación a Peña (Proceso, 28 de noviembre de 2018)

La CNDH revive “versión histórica” de la PGR en caso Iguala: mínimo 19 personas calcinadas en Cocula (Proceso, 28 de noviembre de 2018)

La CNDH señala que autoridades violaron el derecho a la verdad en el caso Iguala (ADN Politico, 28 de noviembre de 2018)

Informe Final: Mecanismo de Seguimiento al Asunto Ayotzinapa (CIDH, 25 de noviembre de 2018)

Profundizar investigación a militares y policías por caso Ayotzinapa, recomienda CIDH (Informe) (Aristegui Noticias, 28 de noviembre de 2018)

Sin identificar, 19 calcinados en basurero de Cocula: CNDH (La Jornada, 29 de noviembre de 2018)

Caso Ayotzinapa: la CIDH detecta más indicios de federales y militares en ataque a normalistas⁩ (Animal Político, 29 de noviembre de 2018)

Caso Ayotzinapa aún incompleto y sin detención de involucrados: CIDH (Vanguardia, 29 de noviembre de 2018)

Incompleta y fragmentada la “versión histórica” del caso Ayotzinapa; CIDH pide desecharla (Proceso, 29 de noviembre de 2018)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Guerrero/National: Ayotzinapa, Four Years On…  (October 1st, 2018)

Guerrero/National: Incoming Government Confirms Creation of Truth Commission for Ayotzinapa Case (Aug. 13th, 12018)

Guerrero/National: Obstruction in Formation of Truth Commission in Ayotzinapa Case Denounced (Aug. 8th, 2018)Guerrero: Classmates of Ayotzinapa 43 Graduate

Guerrero: Classmates of Ayotzinapa 43 Graduate (Aug. 2nd, 2018)

Guerrero/National: Federal Court Orders Creation Truth Commission to Reopen Investigation of Ayotzinapa Case (July 12th, 2018)

Guerrero/Nacional : CNDH informa que se tiene a un preso inocente por el caso Ayotzinapa (22 de junio de 2018)

Guerrero/Nacional/Internacional : Llamados a redigirir investigación en el caso Ayotzinapa (14 de junio de 2018)

 

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National/International: Marches for International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

@CDMCh

On November 25th, as part of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, activities were held throughout the world as well as in several states of Mexico. This day was first promoted by the United Nations (UN) in 2009 to highlight the fact that “violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in the world today and that it is barely reported due to the impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators, and the silence, stigmatization and shame suffered by the victims.” The motto this year was “Orange the World: #HearMeToo”, calling on public opinion to “listen and believe the survivors, to put an end to the culture of silence and that our response be focused on survivors.”

In Mexico, marches were held in eight states. In Oaxaca, two years after the inauguration of Governor Alejandro Murat Hinojosa, women not only marched in the capital but also blocked the entry of the State Attorney General, criticizing that “nothing has changed” and “the simulation in the implementation of the gender alert, by not seeking justice, or attending to the victims.” According to the Consortium for Parliamentary Dialogue and Equity, femicide rates in Oaxaca have increased to 235 up to November 23rd, a fact that shows that “violence increases every day.”

In Guerrero, the protests of organizations, artists, journalists and social activists focused on the case of Valentina Rosendo Cantu with actions that began the day and will continue until December 10th, Human Rights Day. Valentina obtained a sentence against the military that raped and tortured her in July 2002 and continues to defend the rights of women in Guerrero. However, the “State is no guarantee to safeguard our rights,” said the Montaña Tlachinollan Human Rights Center, speaking of “an average of 4.5 cases [of femicides] per month” and that “this escalation of violence against us occurs in the middle of public thoroughfare, the perpetrators shoot their weapons without fear of being arrested and investigated.”

In San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, a march was also held that closed the Sixth Assembly of the Movement in Defense of the Land, the Territory and for the Participation and Recognition of Women in Decisions. In their pronouncement, they demanded that the government “guarantee our right to land and participation in decision-making without mediation and without violence.” According to the Center for Women’s Rights (CDMCh in its Spanish acronym), there were “95 known cases of serious violence against women in Chiapas” between January and July 2018. Since 2015, Chiapas ranks “third place nationwide with the most violence against women.”

For more information in Spanish:

Por qué debemos eliminar la violencia contra la mujer (ONU)

Mensaje de la Secretaria General Adjunta de la ONU y Directora Ejecutiva de ONU Mujeres, 2018 (ONU)

Marchas en ocho entidades para erradicar la violencia contra mujeres (La Jornada, 26 de noviembre de 2018)

Feministas clausuran Fiscalía General de Oaxaca por su desatención a víctimas (Video) (La Minuta, 26 de noviembre de 2018)

Contra la violencia de género… a costa de nuestra vida (El Sur, 26 de noviembre de 2018)

Pronunciamiento 25 de noviembre “Día Internacional por la Eliminación de la Violencia en contra de las mujeres y niñas” (La Bridaga Feminista Lucero, 24 de noviembre de 2018)

Pronunciamiento del Movimiento en Defensa de la Tierra, el Territorio, por la Participación y el Reconocimiento de las Mujeres en las Decisiones (25 de noviembre de 2018)

Violencia contra Mujeres y Feminicidios en Chiapas (CDMCh, 25 de noviembre de 2018)

For more information from SIPAZ:

National/International: “Green Tide” – Activists March for Free and Safe Abortion; Threatened across Republic (October 9th, 2018)

Oaxaca: Nine Femicides after 28 Days of Gender Violence Alert – Some Municipalities Yet to Implement Declaration (Oct. 2nd, 2018)

Oaxaca: Segob decrees Gender Violence Alert in Oaxaca for unfullfillment of governor Murat  (Sept. 18th, 2018)

Nacional : OSC denuncian omisiones en investigación y combate a feminicidios (Aug.16th, 2018)

National/International: “Final Observations on the Ninth Periodic Report from Mexico, the Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women” Published  (August 6th, 2018)

Chiapas : Reunión de evaluación de la Alerta de Violencia de Género sin participación de las organizaciones peticionarias (June 19th, 2018)

Guerrero: Femicides Rocket Despite Gender Violence Alert (July 12th, 2018)

Guerrero: Femicides on the Rise in 2017 (Jan. 26th, 2018)

Oaxaca: Special Comission to Investigate Femicidal Violence Set Up after Delays  (January 24th, 2018)

 

National: Faced with Rejection of National Guard, AMLO Proposes New Consultation

@Guillermo Solguren, La Jornada

On November 21st, President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) reported that on March 21st the formation of the National Guard, in addition to asking about the possibility of trial of former presidents for alleged acts of corruption and on the formation of the business advisory board will be tentatively put to consultation. He said that this consultation would take place until this date so that the amendment to Article 35 of the constitution is approved, which would allow the National Electoral Institute (INE in its Spanish acronym) to organize it.

Since the presentation of the security plan of the next government and what would be the National Guard, national and international organizations have questioned this option. “Lopez Obrador commits a colossal error that could thwart any hope of ending the atrocities that have caused so much suffering in Mexico in recent years,” Human Rights Watch said, referring to allegations of human rights violations committed by the military that have been occurring since 2006 (such as extrajudicial executions, torture and disappearance of people). “Lopez Obrador should commit to improving the country’s civilian police forces, a task that, however complex, is essential to sustainably end the violence and abuses that have proliferated in Mexico,” it said.

“It is extremely serious that the next federal government is committed to a militarized security model, as announced last week with the proposal to create a National Guard,” the National Network of Civil Human Rights Organizations said. All Rights for All” (TDT Network, made up of 87 organizations in 23 states of the Republic), expressed its “great concern” over “the political speed and inconsistency” with which the deputies of MORENA have presented various initiatives for constitutional reform that would allow the creation of the National Guard: “Even more so than the binned Law of Internal Security, the new initiative intends to raise military participation in public security tasks to constitutional rank, as it seeks to attach elements of the Secretariats of National Defense and the Navy to this institution in the work of public security and procurement of justice. In addition to this, its organic link with the Public Ministry puts at risk the advances that the model of delivery of justice is having in Mexico.”

On another note, a letter endorsed by 128 groups and 544 people, organized by Common Cause, makes a strong and urgent call to the president-elect to stop the constitutional reform announced to integrate the National Guard and opt, instead, for the development and strengthening of civilian security institutions. The text supports the reinforcement of the Federal Police, since although it is admitted that “it was abandoned during recent years, it considers that it has research, technological and operative capacities that allow contemplating a civil option for the attention of high impact crimes.”

AMLO, for his part, says he made this decision because the police bodies have no capacity to guarantee the country’s security. “The fact that the National Guard is attached to SEDENA in operational terms does not mean that the military personnel are responsible for security,” he says. “They will have a training process different from the military one, training to perform the tasks of public security,” including topics on the new criminal justice system and respect for human rights among others, he said.

For more information in Spanish:

AMLO prevé consultar en marzo sobre Guardia Nacional, juicio a expresidentes y consejo empresarial (Proceso, 22 de noviembre de 2018)

AMLO anuncia consulta sobre juicio a expresidentes, la Guardia Nacional y el consejo empresarial (Animal Político, 21 de noviembre de 2018)

Organizaciones de DH cuestionan plan de seguridad militar de AMLO (La Jornada, 20 de noviembre de 2018)

AMLO: las críticas al controvertido plan de seguridad en México presentado por López Obrador (BBC, 20 de noviembre de 2018)

ONGs y especialistas piden a AMLO dar marcha atrás en Guardia Nacional (Forbes, 20 de noviembre de 2018)

Guardia Nacional, el gran error de AMLO (Sin Embargo, 19 de noviembre de 2018)

For more information from SIPAZ:

National: Supreme Court Invalidates Security Law; AMLO Announces National Peace and Security Plan 2018-2024  (November 27th, 2018)

National: CNDH Asks SCJN to Declare Interior Security Law Unconstitutional (November 7th, 2018)

National: Reactions to Minister for Supreme Court’s Proposal on Interior Security Law (November 7th, 2018)

National: AMLO “The Army and the Navy will continue on the streets in internal public security tasks” (September 15, 2018)

 

Guerrero/National: 13th Meeting of MAPDER in Cacahuatepec

13th Meeting of MAPDER, Guerrero (@Mario Marlo)

The 13th Meeting of the Mexican Movement of People Affected by Dams and in Defense of the Rivers (MAPDER in its Spanish acronym) was held in the community of Salsipuesdes, in the Communal Property of Cacahuatepec, near Acapulco, in the state of Guerrero, from November 16th to 18th, within the framework of its 15 years of resistance. The objective of the meeting was “to share experiences and knowledge from the different resistance movements, affected and organizations that compose MAPDER, analyze MAPDER’s political proposal for the next political scenario, strengthen and provide solidarity to members of the Council of Ejidos and Communities Opposed to La Parota Dam (CECOP in its Spanish acronym).” Social organizations and defenders from Colombia and Brazil were also present at the event.

They recalled that hydroelectric projects have displaced people and caused environmental devastation in the name of progress. They also denounced “the deepening of the neoliberal model with a project to facilitate the control of territory by big capital, as are the special economic zones that the new government intends to continue promoting.”

They told the new government that they will not accept “the imposition of dams and hydroelectric projects as well as other extractive models that have led to confrontation, repression and criminalization of those who for many years have defended our lands, the rights of peoples and territories.” They said that “the so-called Agrarian Development Law which aims to abrogate the Agrarian Law, goes in that same direction, it is the law left pending by the Peña government and gives continuity to the Salinist reform of Article 27, which opened the Mexican countryside to national, foreign private capital, and if they intend this to be change, they will soon come up against the people who elected them.”

In particular, they called for an end to harassment against CECOP members, immediate release of 19 of its members and all political prisoners in the country, as well as the departure of the state police from the territory of Cacahuatepec. In addition to justice for the murder of the defenders of territory in the northern mountains of Puebla and the presentation alive of the defender Sergio Rivera; as well as the definitive cancellation of the projects of the dams, La Parota in Guerrero, Las Cruces in Nayarit, the Purgatory in Jalisco, Paso de la Reyna Oaxaca, the Naranjal in Veracruz, Milpillas in Zacatecas; and the immediate dismantling of the El Zapotillo dam in Jalisco and an audit of the restoration project of the Rio Verde basin.

For more information in Spanish:

No aceptarán la imposición de presas en el gobierno de AMLO, dicen ambientalistas (El Sur, 19 de noviembre de 2018)

Llaman activistas a mantener la lucha contra construcción de presas (La Jornada de Guerrero, 18 de noviembre de 2018)

Activistas de 3 países piden a pueblos seguir su lucha contra proyectos hidroeléctricos (La Jornada, 18 de noviembre de 2018)

Movimiento Mexicano de Afectados por las Presas prepara encuentro en Salsipuedes, Guerrero (Somos el medio, 15 de noviembre de 2018)

CONVOCATORIA AL 13° ENCUENTRO NACIONAL DEL MAPDER (MAPDER, octubre de 2018)

For more information from SIPAZ:

National: XI National Meeting of the Mexican Movement of Those Affected by Dams and in Defense of Rivers (MAPDER) in Olintla, Puebla (September 15th, 2014)

Guerrero: national and international organizations visit prisoners of the CECOP and the CRAC-PC (October 10th, 2018)

Guerrero: 50 arrest warrants against members of CECOP (September 24th, 2018)

Guerrero : Detienen a otro integrante del Consejo de Ejidos y Comunidades Opositoras a La Parota (CECOP) en medio de presiones de fuerzas civiles armadas (September 5th, 2018)

Guerrero: Nine of 25 Detainees from Confrontation in La Concepción in January Released
(September 17th, 2018)

Guerrero / National: Nestora Salgado announces campaign for the freedom of political prisoners  (September 16th, 2018)

Guerrero : Cancelación definitiva de la Parota y libertad de presos, pide CECOP en su 15 aniversario (31 de julio de 2018)

Guerrero: Extrajudicial Executions and Arrests of Community Police and Members of CECOP  (January 22nd, 2018)

 

 

National: Supreme Court Invalidates Security Law; AMLO Announces National Peace and Security Plan 2018-2024

Photo @ Animal Politico

On November 15th, with a vote of nine ministers in favor and one against, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN in its Spanish acronym) rejected as unconstitutional the Internal Security Law (LSI in its Spanish acronym) in force since December 21st, 2017.

The law, which sought to regulate the participation of the armed forces in tasks of security and combating crime at the national level, was approved by the previous Congress with the support of the government of Enrique Peña Nieto.

During the vote, the nine ministers of the SCJN who spoke in favor of the invalidation did so with different arguments.

Minister Fernando Franco said that, “the Internal Security Law establishes a link with the National Security Law, as if it were one more on this issue, in addition to providing for some public safety activities. (…) The law was issued with the title of Internal Security, which means that the Congress of the Union does not have express powers to legislate, nor can this competence be upheld by National Security.”

Minister Luna considered that “the LSI is unconstitutional due to irregularities in the process of formulation and approval in Congress, which was done hastily such that some deputies and senators could not even know the ruling to analyze it.”

Regarding this issue, according to the BBC, President-elect Lopez Obrador mentioned several times during his election campaign that if he won the race, he would withdraw the military from the public security tasks they carry out. He reneged on this when elected togovernment, recognizing that “the truth is there is a lot of rot in the policing bodies.”

The “National Plan for Peace and Security 2018-2024” of the president-elect has as its main proposal the creation of a National Guard, which would be composed of between 120 and 200 thousand members. The first 50 thousand are expected to be in operation in 2021, and would be formed by units of the military, naval and federal police. Then, by the military of the Army and the Navy, and finally by the convocation that seeks the integration of up to 50 thousand young people. For its equipment, deployment and operation, it will have its own budget, as do the Army, the Air Force and the Navy.

As soon as this plan was presented, it began to be questioned by different human rights organizations. For example, Amnesty International considered that Lopez Obrador’s plan is “worrying”, as it “essentially repeats the failed militarized security model”, which has allowed serious human rights violations to be committed at the hands of the armed forces.

For more information in Spanish:

ONU-DH pide el retiro completo de las Fuerzas Armadas de seguridad pública (Proceso, 16 de noviembre de 2018)

La Suprema Corte declara inconstitucional la Ley de Seguridad Interior (Proceso, 15 de noviembre de 2018)

Corte invalida Ley de Seguridad por el riesgo que implica convertir a militares en policías (Animal Político, 15 de noviembre de 2018)

Plan de AMLO contradice recomendaciones internacionales para México de retirar el Ejército y fortalecer la policía civil (Animal Político, 15 de noviembre de 2018)

Presidencia de AMLO en México: 5 puntos clave del Plan Nacional de Paz y Seguridad de López Obrador para combatir la violencia y pacificar el país (BBC, 15 de noviembre de 2018)

Organizaciones de DH celebran anulación de LSI (La Jornada, 15 de noviembre de 2018)

Sedena, pilar de la estrategia de seguridad de Lopez Obrador (Proceso, 14 de noviembre de 2018)

For more information from SIPAZ:

National: CNDH Asks SCJN to Declare Interior Security Law Unconstitutional (November 7th, 2018)

National: Reactions to Minister for Supreme Court’s Proposal on Interior Security Law
(November 7th, 2018)

National: AMLO “The Army and the Navy will continue on the streets in internal public security tasks” (September 15, 2018)

National: Two Judges Declare Interior Security Law Unconstitutional (May 24th, 2018)

Chiapas: Organizations injunction on Interior Security Law (April 2nd, 2018)

National: EPN Enacts Interior Security Law. CNDH Declares it Unconstitutional
(January 14th, 2018)

Nacional: Senado aprueba Ley de seguridad interior (December 16th, 2017)

Nacional: Ante rechazo a la Ley de Seguridad Interior, EPN pide ampliar “los espacios de diálogo y acercamiento con las distintas organizaciones de la sociedad civil” (December 11th, 2017)

National: Interior Security Law Passed amidst Protests (December 7th, 2017)

 

Chiapas: Reporters Without Borders (RWB) and the Committee to Protect Journalists Describes State as “Red Flag” for Freddom of Press and Expression

“Justice for Mario” (@APECOCH)

From November 9th to 13th, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) visited Chiapas to monitor the progress that has been made in the investigation of reporter Mario Gomez’s murder, which occurred last September 21st in the municipality of Yajalon and to document the situation of freedom of the press and expression in the state. They conducted interviews with relatives and acquaintances of the El Heraldo de Chiapas correspondent, journalists from local and national media based in Chiapas, human rights defenders organizations and state authorities, as well as with the State Attorney General’s Office and the transition team of the Governor-elect Rutilio Escandon.

At the end of their visit, they affirmed that Chiapas is already a “red flag” in terms of freedom of the press and of expression, with Yajalon, Chilon, Tapachula, Comitan and the entire border strip being the areas with the greatest risk to practice journalism, due to the presence of organized crime. They documented intimidations, threats, lawsuits and physical aggressions, as well as a strong job precariousness. “This violence has provoked self-censorship among reporters that cover issues such as corruption, social conflicts, abuses of power by authorities, organized crime and its relationship with the authorities,” they said.

In the case of what happened to Mario Leonel Gomez Sanchez, they acknowledged that although there are advances, it is necessary to inquire who were the intellectual authors who gave the order to execute the journalist. They asserted that there are sufficient elements to consider that the murder of Mario Gomez was linked to his journalistic work.

“It is urgent that the incoming government of the governor-elect Rutilio Escandon develop comprehensive public policies of prevention, protection and combatting impunity, in order to guarantee the free exercise of journalism in the state,” stressed both organizations among several other recommendations.

It should be remembered that according to figures from RWB and CPJ, Mexico is the deadliest country for journalism in the Western Hemisphere, with at least nine private reporters losing their lives this year to date.

For more information in Spanish:

Chiapas es ya “un foco rojo” en materia de libertad de prensa y de expresión: RSF y CPJ (Proceso, 13 de noviembre de 2018)

Chiapas foco rojo en agresiones contra periodistas: Reporteros Sin Fronteras (Heraldo de México, 13 de noviembre de 2018)

Exigen dar con verdaderos responsables de asesinar a Mario Gómez, en Chiapas (Excelsior, 13 de noviembre de 2018)

Organizaciones internacionales declaran a Chiapas “foco rojo” en materia de libertad de prensa y de expresión (Chiapas Paralelo, 13 de noviembre de 2018)

Comunicado conjunto de CPJ y RSF sobre la visita que ambas organizaciones acabamos de realizar en el estado de #Chiapas (CPJ Américas, 13 de noviembre de 2018)

Urgen políticas públicas a favor de periodistas (Cuarto Poder, 14 de noviembre de 2018)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Chiapas: Fourth Suspect Arrested One Month after Murder of Journalist Mario Gomez (November 1st, 2018)

Chiapas: Three Arrested for the Murder of Journalist Mario Gomez (October 8th, 2018)

Chiapas: Julión Alvarez Threatens to Sue Media and Frayba; Chiapas Paralelo Denounces “Erosion of Freedom of Expression” (October 1st, 2018)

Chiapas: Heraldo de Chiapas Journalist Murdered in Yajalon (September 27th, 2018)

National: Defenders and Journalists Denounce Insufficient Resources for Continuity of Protection Mechanism (September 26th, 2018)

National: UN-HR urges Mexico to guarantee resources for the protection of journalists and human rights defenders (September 17th, 2018)

Nacional: Relatores sobre libertad de expresión de la CIDH y la ONU presentan informe después de visita a México (June 21st, 2018)

Chiapas: Voice of Amate Supporter Moved to High Security Prison

Pilgrimage for the release of prisoners, 2016 (@SIPAZ)

On November 15th, Alejandro Diaz Santiz, a supporter of The Voice of Amate group and adherent of the Sixth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle, was transferred from the San Cristobal de Las Casas jail to the federal maximum security prison located in Villa Comaltitlan.

A prisoner for 19 years for the crime of homicide, this transfer is because he has been demanding his release and better care in San Cristobal prison, according to his former fellow prisoner, Alberto Patishtan Gomez, who was pardoned in 2013 by President Enrique Peña Nieto. He affirmed in a press conference that “We did not expect this to be done to compañero Alejandro, because just in December he had been returned after almost two years of punishment [in the same place], because he has always fought for his freedom and rights, and for denouncing mistreatment in the prison.” Patishtan Gomez demanded the dismissal of Candelaria Jimenez, currently director of the San Cristobal prison, “because not only has Alejandro been treated badly, he has done the same to others; the prisoners do not denounce for fear of transfers.”

For more information in Spanish:

Los Solidarios de la Voz del Amate exigen el regreso de Alejandro Díaz Santis al CERSS número 5 (Solidarios de la Voz del Amate, 16 de noviembre de 2018)

Previo a su salida, Velasco Coello nuevamente encarcela a indígena tsotsil, en penal de máxima seguridad (Radio Pozol, 16 de noviembre de 2018)

Traslado arbitrario de nuestro compañero Alejandro Díaz Santis (Grupo de Trabajo No estamos Todos, 15 de noviembre de 2018)

Chiapas: trasladan a activista a penal de máxima seguridad (La Jornada, 15 de noviembre de 2018)

Denuncian malos tratos en el penal de San Cristóbal y traslao de presos (Gaby Coutiño – Periodistmo en libertad, 15 de noviembre de 2018)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Chiapas : Roberto Paciencia Cruz, ex injustamente preso llama a la solidaridad con Alejandro Díaz Santíz (September 14th, 2017)

Chiapas: Alejandro Diaz Santiz Reiterates His Demand for Freedom (September 12th, 2016)

Chiapas: Alejandro Diaz Santiz Reports Mistreatment of Prisoners (June 8th, 2016)

Chiapas: Alejandro Diaz Santiz Fasts to Mark 17 Years in Prison (May 14th, 2016)

Chiapas: Day of Action for the Liberation of Alejandro Diaz Santiz and Political Prisoners (April 23rd, 2016)

Chiapas: Calls for release of Alejandro Diaz Santiz (March 19th, 2016)

Chiapas: Alejandro Díaz Sántiz and 386 other prisoners transferred to high-security prison (October 8th, 2015)