Guerrero: Possible Breakthrough in Ayotzinapa Case

Photo@:SIPAZ

On July 5th, the correspondent for La Jornada in Guerrero, Sergio Ocampo said that, “in La Gavia … the unknown whereabouts of the 43 students of the Normal School of Ayotzinapa, who disappeared in Iguala in September 2014, could be revealed.”

Sergio Ocampo explained that the self-defense groups of the Movement for Peace of San Miguel Totolapan stated that, “between December 2016 and May 2017 they detained several members of Raybel Jacobo de Almonte, El Tequilero’s, gang, among them was a small group of gunmen who are nicknamed “The Matanormalists” [the Student Teacher Killers] […] They claim that under interrogation the killers told how they took about twenty young presumed student teachers in batches, from the municipality of Cocula, adjacent to the one of Iguala, through several towns until arriving at La Gavia, between the night of the 26th and the morning of September 27th, 2014, where they were murdered and buried. […] They even claimed they could point to the exact spot where they were buried.”

According to Sin Embargo, the parents of the 43 disappeared students from Ayotzinapa Normal School and their lawyer Vidulfo Rosales Sierra asked the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Mexican State during the hearing of the Special Follow-up Mechanism The IACHR in Lima, Peru, to open a new line of investigation on this version of Cocula on July 6th.

 For more information in Spanish:

La Gavia, posible clave del caso Ayotzinapa (La Jornada, a 5 de julio 2017)

Nueva pista del paradero de los 43 de Ayotzinapa en México (TeleSur, a 5 de julio de 2017)

Guerrero: periodistas recorren la ex “guarida” el ‘El Tequilero’, observan pueblo fantasma y hallan camioneta robada (Aristegui Noticias, a 6 de julio de 2017)

Padres de los 43 piden investigar si a sus hijos se los entregaron a “Los Tequileros” (SinEmbargo, a 14 de julio de 2017)

 For more information from SIPAZ:

Guerrero: Sesión de seguimiento de la CIDH del caso Ayotzinapa : avances nulos (10 de julio de 2017)

Guerrero/ Nacional: Madres y padres de los 43 consideran no acudir a la reunión con la PGR y la CIDH (20 de abril de 2017)

Guerrero : padres de los 43 participan en audiencia de la CIDH (22 de marzo de 2017)

Chiapas: Las Abejas de Acteal “Roots, Memory and Hope” Tour

First day in Acteal.  Photo: @Sipaz

On July 18th and 19th, as part of its “Acteal, Roots, Memory and Hope Campaign”, Las Abejas de Acteal toured the communities of Acteal and Nuevo Yibeljo to publicize their path as survivors and Victims of the Acteal Massacre and as members of the organization.

“The aim of this campaign, in the framework of the 20 years of struggle against impunity in the Acteal massacre and the 25 years of organization and resistance, and the walk of Las Abejas, is to raise awareness among children, young people, men, women, the elderly, so that our people may continue to walk in the struggle to seek peace, justice and the good life of for society. And make it clear, to never surrender to the programs and projects of bad government that only brings death.”

They shared the history of the foundation of Las Abejas and testimony of some survivors about how the massacre happened on December 22nd, 1997, “implemented by the 3 levels of government, it is a state crime.”

The different working groups such as the choir of Acteal, health promoters, women artisans, communication, theater, savings bank, education, also participated where they gave their different tasks.

The next tour is scheduled for early August.

 For more information in Spanish:

Para seguir trabajando con nuestra campaña, Acteal: Raíz, Memoria y Esperanza. (Las Abejas de Acteal)

 For more information SIPAZ:

Chiapas: Comunicado de Las Abejas de Acteal en el marco de la conmemoración mensual de la masacre

Chiapas: lanzamiento de la campaña Acteal: Raíz, Memoria y Esperanza

Chiapas: Conmemoración de los 19 años de la masacre de Acteal

 

Guerrero: CNDH on Acapulco Massacre Case and Warns of Risk of Torture in Guerrero Prisons

Prisoners’ families outside Las Cruces prison. Photo@: La Jornada

On July 6th, a riot between “opposing groups” for the internal control of Las Cruces prison in Acapulco left 28 people dead and three wounded.

According to Animal Politico, the National Commission for Human Rights (CNDH in its Spanish acronym) had already identified the Acapulco CERESO [prison] as a red spot in Guerrero prisons since last year. It had urged the Astudillo government to “take necessary actions” to optimize the treatment and conditions of detention of persons deprived of liberty in the institution’s detention centers.

Likewise, the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture (MNPT in its Spanish acronym) had issued a recommendation against the PRI government of Hector Astudillo Flores for considering that there are “pressing situations to see to”. According to Proceso, Astudillo publicly stated that he “had no time to comply” with the CNDH and MNPT’s observations to try to reverse the corrupt conditions that led to the massacre in the Acapulco prison.

On July 14th, the CNDH announced that it will resume the case “to investigate human rights violations.”

For more information in Spanish:


CNDH atrae caso de la masacre en Acapulco y alerta por riesgo de tortura en penales en Guerrero (Proceso, a 12 de julio de 2017)

Riña entre grupos rivales deja 28 muertos y 3 heridos en la cárcel de Acapulco, Guerrero (Animal Político, a 6 de julio de 2017)

Sube a 28 la cifra de muertos por motín en penal de Acapulco (La jornada, 6 de julio de 2017)

Guerrero: Follow-up Session of IACHR on Ayotzinapa Case Reports No Progress

Photo @ SIPAZ

On July 6th, the Ayotzinapa hearing was held at the 163rd session of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in Lima, Peru. The IACHR expressed its concern about poor progress.

According to the Tlachinollan Mountain Human Rights Center, the stagnation of the investigations, the use of technology to spy on victims and members of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (IGIE) and the inconsistencies of the historical truth were exposed, given that it was recognized that nine of the students’ phones were active after September 26, 2014.

Given this lack of progress, the relatives of Ayotzinapa informed the IACHR that they had to protest to demand truth and justice, but the response has been criminalization, threats, physical attacks, defamation campaigns and even spying. They also recalled that there are lines of investigation that the State agreed to resolve in June but to date have not presented results.

For more information in Spanish:


Estado mexicano exhibe ante la CIDH resultados en caso Ayotzinapa (Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña Tlachinolla, a 7 de julio de 2017)

Celulares activos tras desaparición de los 43 (La Jornada Maya, 6 de julio de 2017)
Analiza CIDH caso Ayotzinapa (La Jornada, 6 de julio de 2017)

Evaluará la CIDH los avances de mecanismo para el caso Ayotzinapa, este jueves en Lima, Perú (El Sur de Acapulco, a 4 de julio de 2017)

For more information from SIPAZ:


Guerrero / Chiapas: Llega la Caravana de Ayotzinapa a San Cristóbal de las Casas (3 de julio de 2017)

Guerrero/ Nacional: Madres y padres de los 43 consideran no acudir a la reunión con la PGR y la CIDH (20 de abril de 2017)

Guerrero : padres de los 43 participan en audiencia de la CIDH (22 de marzo de 2017)

Guerrero/Chiapas: Ayotzinapa Caravan Arrives to San Cristobal de Las Casas

Press conference of the relatives of the 43 disappeared student teachers from Ayotzinapa in Cathedral Square, San Cristobal de Las Casas.  Photo @ Sipaz

On July 1st, the South Southeast Caravan of relatives and students of the 43 disappeared student teachers from Ayotzinapa (2014) arrived to San Cristobal de Las Casas on the last stage of their journey. The caravan was welcomed by students from the Jacinto Canek Intercultural Normal School, members of the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE in its Spanish acronym), as well as various groups and social organizations. The objective of the caravan was to make known the “four essential roads for truth and justice” of the case:

– open a thorough investigation into elements of the Mexican Army present during the night of September 26th, 2014.

– the arrest of members of the federal, municipal, ministerial and State police that carried at least 25 Huitzuco students.

– analyze the students’ cell phone activity and their geographical location and hand over the results to the relatives.

– to investigate the transfer of the drugs from Iguala to Chicago as a motive for the aggression.

At a press conference, Felipe de la Cruz, a spokesman for relatives, revealed that, “two telephones of the 17 student taechers continued to function and a message was sent from Military Camp Number 1 in Mexico City and another from the Center Research and National Security (CISEN in its Spanish acronym). And through investigations of independent bodies, it is known that the students Julio Cesar Ramirez Nava and Daniel Solis Gallardo, were killed with bullets manufactured by the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA in its Spanish acronym).”

At the end of the press conference, Felipe Cruz said that “the State crime committed in Ayotzinapa cannot be forgotten because if we stop fighting today it will happen again and other Mexican families will live that nightmare.”

 For more information in Spanish:

Reciben en San Cristóbal de las Casas a padres de los 43 (La Jornada, Sabado 01 de julio de 2017)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Nacional/ Guerrero : Caravana en el Sur Sureste en búsqueda de los desaparecidos de Ayotzinapa (27 de junio de 2017)

Guerrero/ Nacional: Madres y padres de los 43 consideran no acudir a la reunión con la PGR y la CIDH (20 de abril de 2017)

Guerrero : padres de los 43 participan en audiencia de la CIDH (22 de marzo de 2017)

National: Senate Approves Law against Torture

On April 25th, the Senate unanimously approved the Law against Torture initiatve and sent the document to the Federal Executive for its promulgation. This legislation was under discussion for almost a year in the Chamber of Deputies, while “from December 1st, 2006 to December 31st, 2014, the National Human Rights Commission received 104 complaints and issued 79 recommendations on the subject of torture. This is compounded by the 4,440 complaints filed before the agency by the commission on cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in the same period, of which, 1,000 correspond to cases related to the Army and Navy. According to figures obtained by the Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights, the Attorney General’s Office received 4,555 complaints of torture, and reported that only 1,884 cases are under investigation. Of these, only 11 were recorded, and only five sentences for this crime are known in the period referred to.”

This general law is intended to enable the prevention, investigation and punishment of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In the case of committing the crime of torture, in order to “obtain information or confession, for purposes of criminal investigation, as an intimidating means, as personal punishment or as a means of coercion, causing pain or suffering to another person”, a penalty of ten to 20 years imprisonment, as well as 500 to 1,000 days of a minimum wage penalty, for the public servant who incurs such a crime. When the victim of torture is a child, girl or teenager, the sentence will be increased to 30 years in prison. The same shall apply if a pregnant woman, a person with a disability, or an older adult is subjected to any form of sexual violence, if the person has the status of migrant, Afro-descendant or belongs to an indigenous community.

The law also proposes “to apply the same sanctions to hierarchical superiors, accomplices and collaborators in acts of torture and as a temporary measure the removal of public officials appointed or investigated for this crime is foreseen, with the aim of not obstructing the investigation against him.”

The Mexico Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights celebrated the approved law given that it completely forbids torture, “punishes the behavior throughout the country under the same definition in accordance with international treaties, excludes evidence obtained through torture and other violations of human rights and establishes clear rules to combat impunity.“ It also considered that another step forward in the legislation is that it “distributes powers among the three levels of government, creates a national registry of cases of torture and includes measures for the assistance, care and reparation of victims.”

For its part, Amnesty International said it represents a step forward in addressing the human rights crisis prevailing in the country, but that “unless the Mexican authorities make a real effort to guarantee the trial of all those responsible for the thousands of cases of torture reported every year throughout the country, this law will be nothing more than words on paper. We should not allow this to continue.”

 For more information in Spanish:

Por unanimidad, aprueba el Senado Ley contra la Tortura (La Jornada, a 27 de abril de 2017)

Aprueba Senado ley contra tortura: penas de hasta 30 años (Aristegui Noticias, a 26 de abril de 2017)

Senado aprueba por unanimidad ley para prevenir, investigar y sancionar la tortura (Proceso, 26 de abril de 2017)

Y ONU-DH urge a Peña Nieto promulgarla (Proceso, 26 de abril de 2017)

‘Un paso adelante’, nueva ley contra la tortura en México: AI (MVS, 26 de abril de 2017)

La ONU-DH felicita al Congreso de la Unión por la aprobación de la ley general de tortura (La Oficina en México del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos (ONU-DH), a 26 de abril de 2017)

Sociedad civil insta al Senado a aprobar Ley General contra la Tortura esta semana (Tlachinollan, a 24 de abril de 2017)

Ley general contra la tortura (La Jornada, a 6 de febrero de 2016)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Nacional: Dudas de organismos de la sociedad civil por la iniciativa de Ley contra la Tortura (9 de febrero de 2016)

Nacional: Organizaciones sociales se pronuncian sobre ley de tortura (31 de mayo de 2016)

Nacional/Internacional : « la tortura y los malos tratos siguen siendo generalizados en México» Juan E. Mendez (7 de marzo de 2017)

 

Guerrero/National: Federal Police Use Tear Gas on Parents of the 43

Father of one of the “43” fater being sprayed with tear gas. Photo@: Tlachinollan

On April 25th, one day before the the completion of 31 months since the forced disappearance of the 43 student teachers from the Raul Isidro Burgos Normal Rural School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero, their relatives were violently evicted by the Federal Police from the facilities of the Ministry of the Interior (SEGOB) with tear gas cannisters. They were waiting to be met by the Secretary of the Interior, Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, to find out and demand advances in the investigations that aim to reveal the whereabouts of the students, as well as the research lines marked by the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (IGIE). Five parents were injured by the effects of tear gas ccording to the Tlachinollan Mountain Human Rights Center. Their eyesight and other organs could be at risk according to early medical reports. Tlachinollan denounced that, “in addition to facing the forced disappearance of their children, they face the absence of access to justice and knowledge of the truth.”

It is worth mentioning that during its second official visit to Mexico held from April 19th to 21st, 2017, the Follow-up Mechanism on the Ayotzinapa case noted “the lack of speed in reaching conclusions, both in the search activities and in the effective elucidation of the different lines of research identified by the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (IGIE).” The Monitoring Mechanism also stated that “the issuance of public statements by high authorities validating the hypothesis that the 43 students were incinerated in the municipal garbage dump in Cocula is of concern to the Commission”, since the IGIE of the Inter-American Commission itself concluded in its first report that “the minimum fire necessary for the incineration of 43 bodies was not scientifically possible given the evidence found.”

 For more information in Spanish:

Rocían con gas lacrimógeno a padres de normalistas frente a la Secretaría de Gobernación (Animal Politico, 25 de abril de 2017)

Ayotzinapa: La luz que no se apaga (Centro de Derechos Humanos de la montaña Tlachinollan, 24 de abril de 2017)

Vocación represora desaparece 43 y agrede a los padres de familia (Centro de Derechos Humanos de la montaña Tlachinollan, 25 de abril de 2017)

Reprueban ONG agresión contra padres y madres de Ayotzinapa Centro de Derechos Humanos de la montaña Tlachinollan, 24 de abril de 2017)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Guerrero/ Nacional: Madres y padres de los 43 consideran no acudir a la reunión con la PGR y la CIDH (20 de abril de 2017)

Guerrero : padres de los 43 participan en audiencia de la CIDH (22 de marzo de 2017)