Chiapas: Second Encounter in Zapatista Territory of Women who Struggle Cancelled

@pozol

On February 11th, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN in its Spanish acronym) announced the cancellation of the second Encounter of Women who Struggle that was planned for March. In the first meeting that took place on March 8th, 9th and 10th, 2018 in the context of International Women’s Day, some ten thousand women participated, coming from all the Zapatista caracoles, from 27 Mexican states as well as from various countries around the world.

In their communiqué, the Zapatista women mentioned as reasons for the cancellation, among others, the risk involved in their struggle against the “megaprojects” of the new government: “The truth is that they go against everything against the indigenous peoples, their communities, their lands, their mountains, their rivers, their animals, their plants and even their stones. That is, they are not only against us the Zapatistas but against all the women who call themselves indigenous. And also against men.” They stated that “we are going to receive them fighting and see if they learn what Zapatista women are, that thye do not sell themselves, do not give up and do not surrender.”

They also criticized the behavior of some participants from last year: “When it was the Encounter of Women who Struggle last year, we made a great effort for you to be content, happy and safe, compañera and sister. And from this we got a good dose of criticism that you left us: that the bed is very hard, that you do not like the food, that it is very expensive, for this reason and that reason. We are informing you now of how we worked and the criticisms we received.”

However, they called the women of the world not to stop struggling, “even if those damn capitalists and their new bad governments get away with it and annihilate us, because you have to keep fighting in your world. Because well we agreed in the meeting that we are going to fight so that not a single woman in any corner of the world is afraid of being a woman.”

For more information in Spanish:

Carta de las zapatistas a las mujeres en el mundo que luchan (Enlace Zapatista, 11 de febrero de 2019)

Suspenden Encuentro Internacional de Mujeres que Luchan (La Jornada, 11 de febrero de 2019)

For more information from SIPAZ:

National: First National Encounter of Women Convened by CNI (August 10, 2018)

Chiapas: First International Gathering for Politics, Art, Sport and Culture for Women in Struggle (March 27, 2018)

Oaxaca: Fourth Encounter of Women Activists and Human Rights Defenders in Oaxaca (June 23, 2017)

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National: “Walkabout for the Life and Freedom of Women”

Walkabout for Life (@Pie de pagina)

On February 1st, the initiative “Walkabout for the Life and Freedom of Women” and against femicidal violence was carried out following a call launched by the movement “Take the Night and the Streets. “

The main objective was to raise awareness about the attacks that women continue to suffer in public spaces. It was started in response to the controversial proposal of the deputy from Veracruz, Miriam Ferraez Centeno, to establish a curfew as a solution to the femicides that affect the country and to “safeguard” the integrity of women.

It is worth remembering that in the first 28 days of 2019 there were 133 feminicides in Mexico, despite the fact that 18 states have decreed gender-based violence alerts against women.

For more information in Spanish:

Para enfrentar el miedo, apropiación de la calle y la noche (Pie de Página, 2 de febrero de 2019)

Ciclistas organizan rodada en CdMx para exigir un alto a la violencia contra las mujeres (Sin Embargo, 1ero de febrero de 2019)

Toman mujeres acciones de autodefensa (NVI Noticias, 4 de febrero de 2019)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Oaxaca: 28 feminicidios más ocurrieron desde la declaratoria de Alerta de Violencia de Género y sólo ha habido “simulación” por parte de las autoridades, denuncia Consorcio (14 de diciembre de 2018)

Nacional : OSC denuncian omisiones en investigación y combate a feminicidios 16 de agosto de 2018.

Chiapas: Indigenous Reject Janet Cruz Gomez as State Delegate for National Institute of Indigenous Peoples

(@Diario de Chiapas)

At a press conference held in San Cristobal de Las Casas on January 30th, indigenous people from various municipalities of Chiapas (Chenalho, Tenejapa, Las Margaritas and Huixtan among others) expressed their disagreement with the possible appointment of Janet Cruz Gomez as delegate of the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI) in the state. They said that her repudiation is not “because she is a woman, but because of the background, since she is a professor at the Intercultural University of Chiapas (UNICH), Las Margaritas campus, where she is from, and there is an old conflict.” “We do not agree because she has a history of generating conflicts in the work spaces in which she has been,” they said, adding that “she does not represent us, because we do not know her, and with her background we would not want a delegate representing conflict.”

For this reason, they asked the general director of the INPI, Adelfo Regino Montes, to hold a forum or a consultation before the said appointment: “What we are asking President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in this fourth transformation that we applaud, is that a citizens’ consultation is made with all the indigenous peoples of the state to name the person who takes charge of the INPI.”

Finally, they will not accept the imposition of a person who “generates conflicts and situations of ungovernability”: “if this person is named, we will protest and, if necessary, we will travel to Mexico City to make our protest known.”

For more information in Spanish:

Rechazan indígenas a candidata a delegada del INPI en Chiapas (La Jornada, 1ero de febrero de 2019)

Proponen consulta para designar a delegada del INPI (Cuarto Poder, 31 de enero de 2019)

Indígenas rechazan designación de delegada del INPI en Chiapas (Diario de Chiapas, 31 de enero de 2019)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Nacional: Indígenas obtienen amparo contra creación de INPI por falta de consulta (24 de enero de 2019)

Oaxaca/Nacional: Gobierno federal presenta el programa nacional de los Pueblos Indígenas. (28 de diciembre de 2018)

Nacional : Por iniciar consultas sobre el Instituto Nacional de Pueblos Indígenas (5 de noviembre de 2018)

Nacional : AMLO anuncia estructura y responsable de asuntos indígenas en su gobierno (18 de agosto de 2018)

Chiapas: Already Five Femicides in January

@Sandra de los Santos/Chiapas Paralelo

Chiapas has already registered five femicides so far in 2019. The bodies of the victims were found in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Comitan, Amatenango del Valle, and San Cristobal de Las Casas (two). Four of the five femicides occurred in a space of three days, from the thirteenth to the fifteenth of January.

From November 18th, 2016, a Gender Violence Alert against Women (GVAW) was activated in Chiapas. It includes its own budget, and is specifically focused on the municipalities of Comitan, Chiapa de Corzo, San Cristobal, Tapachula, Tonala, Tuxtla Gutierrez, and Villaflores. Despite this alert, Chiapas registered 23 femicides in 2018. All this raises doubts about the effectiveness of this form of intervention to stop violence against women. Currently the GVAW is active in 18 states in Mexico with results that are not very convincing either.

On January 26th, activists held a march in the center of Tuxtla Gutierrez against femicide and other types of violence against women to protest the lack of public policies that effectively stop these trends.

For more information in Spanish:

Se Registran Cuatro Feminicidios en las Últimas 72 Horas, en Chiapas El Universal, 15 de enero de 2019.

En lo que va del 2019 suman cuatro feminicidios en Chiapas La Prensa, 23 de enero de 2019.

Un feminicidio más en Chiapas Alerta Chiapas, 25 de enero de 2019.

Realizan caminata mujeres en protesta por falta de políticas públicas para detener violencia Chiapas Paralelo, 26 de enero de 2019.

For more information from SIPAZ:

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

Chiapas/National: Femicides on the Rise (May 24th, 2018)

Chiapas: Another Femicide at the Start of the Year (February 4th, 2018)

 

Oaxaca: Suspect in Murder of Human Rights Defenders in San Juan Copola in 2010 Arrested

(@Amnesty International)

On January 22nd, almost nine years after the murder of Bety Cariño Trujillo and Jyri Antero Jaakkola (Finnish), human rights defenders who were murdered in San Juan Copala in 2010 while participating in a humanitarian mission, in 2019, Daniel Martinez Lopez was arrested in the municipality of Juxtlahuaca for his alleged participation in the case.

Omar Esparza, Bety Cariño’s husband, said he did not know whether the detainee is involved in the case or not, becaause, since the Prosecutor Ruben Vasconcelos Mendez arrived, “he has not dealt with us, attention is null and what we know is what is happening in the media … There is no information from the State Government and even less from the Prosecutor. We no longer know how many detainees there are, how many arrest warrants are pending and how many were released.” He reported that for the same reason an interview was requested with the Undersecretary of Human Rights of the Interior, Alejandro Encinas, for the following week to learn about the advances in this case.

According to media, with this last arrest, “four still need to be arrested, and one was killed in Copala, while the former leader of the Social Welfare Union of the Triqui Region (UBISORT in its Spanish acronym), Rufino Juarez was recently acquitted.”

For more information in Spanish:

Detienen a un hombre por el crimen de los activistas Bety Cariño y Jyri Jaakkola (Proceso, 23 de enero de 2019)

Cae por crimen de activistas Alberta Cariño y Jiry Jaakola (NVI Noticias, 23 de enero de 2019)

Detienen a otro implicado en asesinato de activistas de Copala (El Imparcial de Oaxaca, 23 de enero de 2019)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Oaxaca: MEPs Highlight Lack of Political Will Regarding Murder of Jyri Jaakkola and Bety Cariño (February 26th, 2018)

Oaxaca/National: Another Suspect Implicated in the Murder of Defenders Bety Cariño and Jyri Jaakola Arrested (September 6th, 2017)

Oaxaca: Seven Years of Impunity in Bety Cariño and Jyri Jaakkola Case (May 4th, 2017)

Oaxaca: European Parliamentarians Again Denounce Impunity in Bety Cariño and Jyri Jaakkola Murder Case (March 6th, 2017)

Oaxaca/International: Fifth Person Arrested in Bety Cariño and Jyri Jaakkola Murder Case (October 19th, 2016)

 

Oaxaca: “Simulation” of Gender Parity – Women Threatened and Forced to Renounce Posts: National Electoral Institute

(@IEEPCO)

During the first week of January, at least three cases have been reported in which elected municipal presidents did not assume their political office, such that the posts were occupied by men. According to Proceso, “these are the municipal presidents of Santiago Tamazola, Anayeli Huerta Atristain, of the PRI-PVEM-Nueva Alianza coalition; of San Miguel Ahuehuetitlan in the Mixteca area of Oaxaca, Fidelia Bernarda Cuenca Fermin, and of San Juan Bautista Tlacoatzintepec, Martha Regules Mendoza (Morena).”

In addition, the National Electoral Institute (INE in its Spanish acronym) reported in a statement about three other cases in San Juan Colorado, Santa Maria Teopoxco and Pinotepa de Don Luis where mayors are being threatened to resign their positions.

Counselor Adriana Favela denounced that “we cannot allow them to continue to be used by political parties only to cover a quota, it is not enough that parity is in the law, we must get women to occupy their positions without any kind of simulation.”

Favela called on the governor and the authorities of the state of Oaxaca to stop political violence against women and ensure that vacant positions are taken over by women. If necessary “the INE will use this situation to appoint women”, the counselor assured.

For more information in Spanish:

Condena INE violencia política de género que sufren presidentas municipales de Oaxaca (Comunicado de prensa del INE, 9 de enero de 2019)

Violencia política de género contra alcaldesas en Oaxaca debe ser investigado y castigado: INE (Proceso, 9 de enero de 2019)

Pide IEEPCO al Congreso garantizar libre cargo de alcaldesas (El Universal, 8 de enero de 2019)

Presidenta municipal de San Juan Colorado sin bastón de mando (El Imparcial de la Costa, 4 de enero de 2019)

Renuncia Fidelia Cuenca, alcaldesa de San Miguel Ahuehuetitlán (SDP Noticias, 4 de enero de 2019)

Alcaldesa de Santiago Tamazola, Oaxaca, renuncia y deja cargo a su cuñado (El Universal, 3 de enero de 2019)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Chiapas: investigation of resignations of women candidates elected as mayors or deputies whose positions would be occupied by men (September 20th, 2018)

Oaxaca: 17 Men Pose as Transgender to Register as Candidates (May 14th, 2018)

National: Historic Elections in Mexico – Historic Record of Political Violence (July 17th, 2018)

National/International: Inter-American Court Rules Mexico Responsible for Sexual Torture of Women in Atenco

(@Centro ProDH)

On December 21st, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) determined that the Mexican State was responsible for the sexual torture of which 11 women were victims during a 2006 police operation in San Salvador Atenco, Mexico State.

It should be recalled that on May 3rd and 4th, 2006, police forces carried out an operation in San Salvador Atenco supposedly to “re-establish order” during a series of protests by the inhabitants over the construction of an airport. More than 200 people were arrested during the raids. 50 of them were women, 31 of whom later reported sexual assaults by the police.

“The use of force by the police authorities when arresting them was not legitimate or necessary, but it was also excessive and unacceptable due to the sexual and discriminatory nature of the aggressions suffered. The Court concluded that the indiscriminate use of force by the State in this case, as a result of an absence of adequate regulation, a lack of training of the agents, inefficient supervision and monitoring of the operation, and a misconception that violence of some justified the use of force against all”, the Court said.

It should be emphasized that the judgments of the IACHR are binding for Mexico, and therefore the State is obliged to comply with all the measures ordered by the Inter-American Court. The Miguel Agustin Pro Juárez Human Rights Center declared that, “with this historic sentence, the State has the possibility to put an end to impunity in the emblematic case of Atenco and to take concrete measures to prevent such violations of human rights from being reproduced in other contexts. The full and prompt compliance with the sentence announced by the Court today will be a clear sign of the new government’s commitment to human rights. Moreover, in a context in which the security model is under discussion in Mexico, with the intention of creating a militarized National Guard, the sentence issued by the Court in the Atenco case – as with the resolution published yesterday regarding the Alvarado case – obllige the Mexican Legislative Power to review the legislation that it intends to pass in light of the standards set by the Inter-American Court, which reinforce the perspective of citizen security of a civil nature and external supervision of security institutions.”

For more information in Spanish:

Comunicado MÉXICO ES RESPONSABLE POR TORTURA SEXUAL DE MUJERES EN ATENCO (Corte IDH, 21 de diciembre de 2018)

En sentencia histórica, Corte Interamericana ordena al Estado mexicano sancionar represión y tortura en Atenco (Centro ProDH, 21 de diciembre de 2018)

Ilegítimo e innecesario, el uso de la fuerza en Atenco: Corte Interamericana al notificar sentencia al Estado mexicano (Aristegui Noticias, 21 de diciembre de 2018)

Culpa Corte IDH al Estado por tortura de mujeres de Atenco (La Jornada, 21 de diciembre de 2018)

Responsabilidad internacional del Estado mexicano en actos de tortura contra 11 mujeres de Atenco: CoIDH (Proceso, 21 de diciembre de 2018)

Corte IDH: El Estado mexicano violó DDHH de mujeres en Atenco, cuando Peña gobernaba Edomex (Sin Embargo, 21 de diciembre de 2018)

CIDH responsabiliza al Estado por tortura sexual de 11 mujeres en Atenco (Radio Fórmula, 21 de diciembre de 2018)

For more information from SIPAZ:

National: Hearing of Cases of Sexual Torture in San Salvador Atenco at IACHR Court (November 29th, 2017)

Mexico: IACHR Demands Investigation into Case of Female Victims of Sexual Abuse in Atenco in 2006 (October 10th, 2016)