FEARS FOR THE SAFETY OF CIPO-RFM LEADER AND FURTHER HARASSMENT OF THE OAXACAN ORGANIZATION'S MEMBERS
The Social Justice Committee has received urgent reports from the Ricardo Flores Magón Indigenous Popular Council of Oaxaca regarding the arrest of one of a CIPO–RFM member and their fears for the physical safety of one of their leaders.
Today, July 5th, Raul Gatica, one of the leaders of the organization is returning to Mexico from a European tour. He will return to Oaxaca tomorrow and is expected to visit local communities in a number of regions to give CIPO–RFM a report on his tour. The organization is very worried by public statements that have been made attacking Raul Gatica.
- On May 22nd, the newspaper Noticias and other media (including the state radio station) carried paid announcements signed by chambers of commerce, hotels and other tourist businesses, accusing Raul Gatica of being responsible for "destabilizing" the state of Oaxaca and calling for his arrest and imprisonment. The announcements alleged that Raul Gatica was the main "agitator" in rural communities and that his acts of vandalism were driving tourists away from the state of Oaxaca as well as from Oaxaca City.
- On May 26th, there were a series of reported declarations (which appeared in the newspapers Noticias, Imparcial, and Marca ) by some PRI members of the state legislature who have connections with paramilitary groups to the effect that an essential measure to avoid "agitation" and "destabilization" in the state would be to send Raul Gatica to prison.
- Also in the month of May, the Oaxaca State Attorney General, Sergio Santibañez Franco, announced that there were four outstanding arrest warrants against Raul Gatica.
- Since mid–June, Oaxaca state government officials have been repeatedly asking CIPO–RFM members for information regarding when Raul Gatica would be returning to Oaxaca.
- On June 17th, Jacobo Chavez, the municipal president of Tanetze de Zaragoza, who is the paramilitary leader responsible for the kidnapping, torture, and attempted assassination of 46 CIPO–RFM members which took place in January 2002 (see Urgent Actions 981 and 982 – February 2002), was arrested and charged with kidnapping and torture. Despite the fact that persons accused of such crimes are not legally entitled to bail, he was released after six hours – reportedly following the intervention of federal congressman Candido Coheto. Since his release from prison, Jacobo Chavez, has continued to harass CIPO–RFM supporters (physically attacking them and setting fire to their homes) and he has been telling everyone that now it is time to kill Raul Gatica so that "peace will be restored to the communities and there will be an end to agitation and destabilization in the state of Oaxaca."
Additional information regarding the municipal presidency of Tanetze de Zaragoza:
The Oaxaca State Human Rights Commission in its recommendation 15/2002 recommended to the State legislature that the current municipal authorities be divested of their powers, that the local population regain access to the community corn mill, the public telephone, the schools and health clinic, and other public services, and that freedom of transit be restored in the area. As of the end of June 2002, the state Congress had not taken steps to comply with this recommendation.
On June 18th 2002, CIPO–RFM member, Demetrio Villalobos, was arrested as he was leaving his job at the Secondary Technical School 144 in Santa Maria Huatulco. The arrest was conducted with excessive violence and without an arrest warrant. He was released on June 21st – with the warning that he was likely to be arrested again.
Demetrio Villabos and his family have been subjected to constant harassment because of his efforts on behalf of a group of Huatulco residents who in 1990 were displaced from their homes to make way for the international tourist resort that has been built in Huatulco (a description of one of the hotels can be found in Club Med brochures).
At this time, he is accused of stealing a house. In fact, the property in question belongs to CIPO–RFM members who were trying to set up a community–run low–cost hotel for budget tourists and travelers. At the time that the property was purchased, pending the official legal registration of the community group who were its actual purchasers, the property was placed temporarily in the name of a private citizen. This latter person now claims to be the sole owner, and she has succeeded in having the state authorities act on her behalf by charging Demetrio Villalobos with trying to steal her property.
BACKGROUND:
The CIPO–RFM's two thousand members have been subjected to frequent attacks and acts of harassment and intimidation since the organization was formed in 1997. The CIPO–RFM is a grassroots movement whose members work in their local communities in the defence of human rights, on productive projects and environmental conservation, and in the provision of basic social services. It has a strong emphasis on indigenous rights and its programmes also include the training for traditional local authorities on questions such as the protection of indigenous rights under ILO Convention 169. It includes special programmes for women. (There was an important gathering of women CIPO–RFM members in May 2002 – a gathering that was treated with violence by the police.) CIPO–RFM membership is also open to non–indigenous people.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Please write to the Mexican government to express your concern at the continuing harassment of the CIPO–RFM.
Please express your surprise at learning that recommendation 15/2002 of the Oaxaca State Human Rights Commission, regarding the removal of office of paramilitary leader (and Municipal President) Jacobo Chavez and his supporters from the municipal presidency of Tanetze de Zaragoza, has not yet been followed.
Please write to the Canadian government informing them of the harassment to which the CIPO–RFM continues to be subjected and asking them to make known to the Mexican government Canadian concern regarding the illegal harassment of organizations that are engaged in community organizing and peaceful social protest.
ADDRESSES:
Lic. Vicente Fox Quesada
Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Residencia Oficial de ALos Pinos@
Col. San Miguel Chapultepec, Mexico D.F., C.P. 11850, MEXICO
FAX: 011 52 55 522 4117 or 516 9537 or 515 1794 vicente@fox2000.org.mx or
radio@presidencia.gob.mx
If you live in a city where there is a Mexican consulate, they will almost certainly be willing to forward a fax to President Fox's office on your behalf.
Please send a copy of your letter to the Governor of the State of Oaxaca
Lic. José Murat Casab
Gobernado del Estado de Oaxaca
Fax: 011 951 516 3737
gobernador@oaxaca.gob.mx
Sergio Segreste (of the Oaxaca State Human Rights Commission)
cdoax@infosel.net.mx
Mariclaire Acosta
Embajadora de Derechos Humanos y Democracia
macosta@sre.gob.mx
and if possible to the CIPO–RFM at
ciporfm@yahoo.com.mx
as well as to:
Her Excellency María Teresa García Segovia, Embassy of Mexico, 45 O'Connor St., suite 1500, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 14A
Fax: 613 235 9123
infor@embamexcan.com
For Canada:
Hon. Bill Graham
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ont. K1A 0G2
Graham.B@parl.gc.ca
Fax: 613 996 9607