Mexico Urgent Action
March 13, 2002
A Montreal resident who was part of the recent third International Human Rights Observation Commission to southern Mexico has returned with important information from the Regional Indigenous Human Rights Centre (CERIDH) in Oaxaca regarding the situation in San Miguel Copala, Oaxaca, which was the subject of Urgent Action #981 (February 8th 2001).
As was described in a previous action alert, two members of the Triqui indigenous community of San Miguel Copala in the municipality of Putla de Guerrero in the state of Oaxaca, Pedro Hernández Rosas and Pedro Ignacio Hernández Rosas, were abducted on January 27th, 2002, by members of a local paramilitary group and taken to the home of one of their attackers. They were threatened with death if they did not pay a very large ransom. This abduction, the third very serious incident that has taken place in the community during the past three years, was preceded by the ambush of three residents in July, 2001. The only one of the three who survived was able to identify six of his attackers. None of these men have been arrested although warrants have been issued for their arrest. According to witnesses, five of these men were involved in the abduction of Pedro Hernández Bautista and Pedro Hernández Rosas.
According to the information that we have received in the last week, the two men were released after several hours and after having been told that they would be killed if they did not pay the requested ransom money in two weeks. They made an official report (file #19/2002) to local office of the Ministry of Justice (Ministerio Público) regarding their abduction and the threats to which they had been subjected.
On February 1st, 2002, the paramilitary group and a representative of the municipal government called a community meeting at which they informed residents that anybody who was not on their side (that of the paramilitary group) should leave the community or be prepared to face the consequences. The following day six married men, two of them accompanied by their families, left the community. (The two wives in question return to the community occasionally.)
On February 10th, 2002, heavy weapons were fired at the home of one of the men who had been abducted, Pedro Ignacio Hernández Rosas, leaving a hole in the door and one in the asbestos–tiled roof.
On February 16th, 2002, five men broke into the respective homes of Ignacio Leobardo Cruz and Cornelio Nuñez, threatening to rape their wives and demanding payment of 50,000 pesos (more than $8,000 Canadian) within four days. (They went so far as to threaten to burn the wife of Sr. Nuñez to death.)
On February 17th, 2002, two more men, Feliz Cruz Galindo and Albino Cruz Galindo were abducted and taken to the same house as the two men who were abducted in January. Several of their attackers had participated in the January abduction and in the July 2001 ambush described above.
On February 18th, 2002, another resident left with her children who had become terrified by frequent sound of gunfire. Seven other residents who also wanted to leave were warned that if they did so their departure would be permanent; they would be punished if they tried to return.
CERIDH has emphasized that the five paramiitary members who are the alleged perpetrators of the July 2001 ambush in which two persons died have taken an active part in all of the above incidents. This is despite the fact that there are outstanding warrants for their arrest based on criminal file #39/2001. Furthermore, CERIDH has informed us that the following government authorities are fully informed of the situation in San Miguel Copala: the Governor of the state of Oaxaca, the Office of the Attorney–General of the state of Oaxaca, the human rights office of the executive branch of the Oaxaca state government, the National Human Rights Commission (the official governmental federal human rights body).
As was stated in Urgent Action #981, on October 25th 2001, the Inter–American Human Rights Commission requested the Mexican government to take special measures to safeguard the lives and physical and psychological integrity of the residents of San Miguel Copala. It can therefore be assumed that several branches of the Mexican federal government, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are fully cognizant of the situation in San Miguel Copala.
Earlier today, the Social Justice Committee received a message from CERIDH stating that there has still been no action on the part of the authorities and that a delegation from the community is on its way to Mexico City in an attempt to take up this very serious matter with the Ministry of the Interior.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Please write to the Ministry of the Interior to express your shock at learning that no action has been take either to comply with the recommendation of the Inter–American Human Rights Commission for the protection of the residents of San Miguel Copala or to bring before the law the persons who are allegedly responsible for the July 2001 ambush and murder and for whom there are outstanding arrest warrants. Please ask the government to take immediate steps to comply with the recommendation of the Inter–American Human Rights Commission. Please request an immediate investigation into the activities of the paramilitary group that is operating in San Miguel Copala, leading to the disarming and disbanding of the group and the punishment according to the law of those who are responsible for the crimes described above.
Please inform the Canadian government that the situation described in Urgent Action #981 has actually worsened during the past month, due to the inaction of the Mexican government and the state government of Oaxaca.
ADDRESSES:
Lic. Santiago Creel
Secretario de Gobernación
Bucareli 99, primer piso, Col Juarez, Mexico D.F. CP 06699, MEXICO
FAX: O11 52 55 546 5350 or 546 7388 segob@rtn.net.mx
Please send copies to:
Lic. Mariclaire Acosta, Subsecretaria de Derechos Humanos y Democracia
FAX: 011 52 55 117 4334 or 327 3195 afranco@sre.gob.mx
Lic. Murat Casab
Gobernador del Estado de Oaxaca
FAX: 022 951 516 3737 gobernador@oaxaca.gob.mx
Her Exellency Maria Teresa Garcia Segovia
Ambassador for Mexico
45 O'Connor St, suite 1500, Ottawa, Ont. K1P 1A4
FOX 613 235 9123 info@embamexcan.com
Hon. Bill Graham
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada
FAX: 613 996 9607 Graham.b@parl.gc.ca
March 13, 2002
Situation worsens in San Miguel Copola, Oaxaca
A Montreal resident who was part of the recent third International Human Rights Observation Commission to southern Mexico has returned with important information from the Regional Indigenous Human Rights Centre (CERIDH) in Oaxaca regarding the situation in San Miguel Copala, Oaxaca, which was the subject of Urgent Action #981 (February 8th 2001).
As was described in a previous action alert, two members of the Triqui indigenous community of San Miguel Copala in the municipality of Putla de Guerrero in the state of Oaxaca, Pedro Hernández Rosas and Pedro Ignacio Hernández Rosas, were abducted on January 27th, 2002, by members of a local paramilitary group and taken to the home of one of their attackers. They were threatened with death if they did not pay a very large ransom. This abduction, the third very serious incident that has taken place in the community during the past three years, was preceded by the ambush of three residents in July, 2001. The only one of the three who survived was able to identify six of his attackers. None of these men have been arrested although warrants have been issued for their arrest. According to witnesses, five of these men were involved in the abduction of Pedro Hernández Bautista and Pedro Hernández Rosas.
According to the information that we have received in the last week, the two men were released after several hours and after having been told that they would be killed if they did not pay the requested ransom money in two weeks. They made an official report (file #19/2002) to local office of the Ministry of Justice (Ministerio Público) regarding their abduction and the threats to which they had been subjected.
On February 1st, 2002, the paramilitary group and a representative of the municipal government called a community meeting at which they informed residents that anybody who was not on their side (that of the paramilitary group) should leave the community or be prepared to face the consequences. The following day six married men, two of them accompanied by their families, left the community. (The two wives in question return to the community occasionally.)
On February 10th, 2002, heavy weapons were fired at the home of one of the men who had been abducted, Pedro Ignacio Hernández Rosas, leaving a hole in the door and one in the asbestos–tiled roof.
On February 16th, 2002, five men broke into the respective homes of Ignacio Leobardo Cruz and Cornelio Nuñez, threatening to rape their wives and demanding payment of 50,000 pesos (more than $8,000 Canadian) within four days. (They went so far as to threaten to burn the wife of Sr. Nuñez to death.)
On February 17th, 2002, two more men, Feliz Cruz Galindo and Albino Cruz Galindo were abducted and taken to the same house as the two men who were abducted in January. Several of their attackers had participated in the January abduction and in the July 2001 ambush described above.
On February 18th, 2002, another resident left with her children who had become terrified by frequent sound of gunfire. Seven other residents who also wanted to leave were warned that if they did so their departure would be permanent; they would be punished if they tried to return.
CERIDH has emphasized that the five paramiitary members who are the alleged perpetrators of the July 2001 ambush in which two persons died have taken an active part in all of the above incidents. This is despite the fact that there are outstanding warrants for their arrest based on criminal file #39/2001. Furthermore, CERIDH has informed us that the following government authorities are fully informed of the situation in San Miguel Copala: the Governor of the state of Oaxaca, the Office of the Attorney–General of the state of Oaxaca, the human rights office of the executive branch of the Oaxaca state government, the National Human Rights Commission (the official governmental federal human rights body).
As was stated in Urgent Action #981, on October 25th 2001, the Inter–American Human Rights Commission requested the Mexican government to take special measures to safeguard the lives and physical and psychological integrity of the residents of San Miguel Copala. It can therefore be assumed that several branches of the Mexican federal government, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are fully cognizant of the situation in San Miguel Copala.
Earlier today, the Social Justice Committee received a message from CERIDH stating that there has still been no action on the part of the authorities and that a delegation from the community is on its way to Mexico City in an attempt to take up this very serious matter with the Ministry of the Interior.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Please write to the Ministry of the Interior to express your shock at learning that no action has been take either to comply with the recommendation of the Inter–American Human Rights Commission for the protection of the residents of San Miguel Copala or to bring before the law the persons who are allegedly responsible for the July 2001 ambush and murder and for whom there are outstanding arrest warrants. Please ask the government to take immediate steps to comply with the recommendation of the Inter–American Human Rights Commission. Please request an immediate investigation into the activities of the paramilitary group that is operating in San Miguel Copala, leading to the disarming and disbanding of the group and the punishment according to the law of those who are responsible for the crimes described above.
Please inform the Canadian government that the situation described in Urgent Action #981 has actually worsened during the past month, due to the inaction of the Mexican government and the state government of Oaxaca.
ADDRESSES:
Lic. Santiago Creel
Secretario de Gobernación
Bucareli 99, primer piso, Col Juarez, Mexico D.F. CP 06699, MEXICO
FAX: O11 52 55 546 5350 or 546 7388 segob@rtn.net.mx
Please send copies to:
Lic. Mariclaire Acosta, Subsecretaria de Derechos Humanos y Democracia
FAX: 011 52 55 117 4334 or 327 3195 afranco@sre.gob.mx
Lic. Murat Casab
Gobernador del Estado de Oaxaca
FAX: 022 951 516 3737 gobernador@oaxaca.gob.mx
Her Exellency Maria Teresa Garcia Segovia
Ambassador for Mexico
45 O'Connor St, suite 1500, Ottawa, Ont. K1P 1A4
FOX 613 235 9123 info@embamexcan.com
Hon. Bill Graham
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada
FAX: 613 996 9607 Graham.b@parl.gc.ca