The struggle in Oaxaca continues and at least 64 prisoners continue to be held incommunicado and at risk of further torture. Below is more information from Amnesty International about the case and what you can do to help.
The 138 detainees held at the remote prison in Nayarit state are now known to have been released, either on bail or without charge, or moved back to Oaxaca state prisons, on 20 and 21 December. At least 64 are still in custody. They are
in danger of torture or ill-treatment, and at risk of unfair trial.Felipe Sanchez Rodriguez, one of the 64 detainees who works with a community education project in Oaxaca, is still detained at the Tlacolula prison, and at risk of unfair trial. He and a friend were detained on the evening of 25 November by men in civilian clothes while walking toward the main bus station. He was held at gunpoint, bundled into a car and driven to a building where he was interrogated for a day. He was kept blindfolded throughout, so he did not know where the interrogation took place. He was beaten and tortured with electric shocks by his captors, who threatened to rape him. Finally he was taken to prison, and later charged with serious offences including organized criminal activity, sedition, and damages to property (‘‘asociacion delictuosa, sedicion, y danos en propriedad ajena’‘). He claims members of the Federal Preventive Police (Policia Federal Preventiva, PFP) have constructed the case against him using false testimony.
While they were being transported to Nayarit, and while they were held there, the detainees allege they were threatened and intimidated by police and guards. According to at least one of them, a group of male detainees were sexually assaulted by police officers on the bus that took them from the airport to the penitentiary.
On 13 January, relatives of detainees and supporters of the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca (Asamblea Popular del Pueblo de Oaxaca, APPO) held a protest outside Miahuatlan prison. They were reportedly attacked by police, who arrested eight of them and charged them with carrying firearms and drugs, and accused them of attacking a police officer who was filming them. They were released on bail two days later and claim that the charges were based on fabricated evidence in order to break up the demonstration.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In May 2006 teachers went on strike in Oaxaca state calling for improved pay and conditions, and occupied the main square and surrounding streets. State police attempted to clear them from the square by force on 14 June. This made the protesters more determined, and led to the formation of the APPO, an umbrella organization of social and political groups who supported the teachers and all called for the state governor to resign. As the climate of violence in the city increased, armed police in plain clothes started to arbitrarily detain protesters, and reportedly shot dead several APPO supporters. Protesters set up barricades in many neighbourhoods in late August, to keep the police out, and armed men believed to be police officers continued to attack opposition supporters in marches and at the barricades. On 29 October, the PFP went into the city to restore order, arresting many people. There have been repeated violent clashes between police and opposition demonstrators, with some protesters throwing Molotov cocktails, stones and fireworks, and police using teargas, water-cannon, batons and firearms. The last major confrontation took place on 25 November.Amnesty International has received credible reports that federal and state police have ill-treated and tortured many detainees. The organization is not aware of any state or federal investigation to hold those responsible to account or investigate allegations of widespread fabrication of evidence. In December the National Human Rights Commission issued a preliminary report recognising widespread abuses of human rights in the state throughout the crisis.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
– calling on the authorities to ensure that all detainees are protected from any form of torture or ill-treatment, and given guaranteed access to their families and lawyers;
– calling on the authorities to conduct impartial and independent investigations into allegations of ill-treatment and torture by federal and state police officers of those detained on 25 November 2006, including allegations that a group of male detainees were sexually assaulted on 27 November while being transported to the Nayarit federal prison, and for those responsible to be brought to justice;
– calling for an impartial investigation of all cases in which the police allegedly fabricated evidence against detainees to ensure successful prosecution;
– calling on the authorities to ensure that all detainees are given their right to a fair trial in accordance with international human rights standards.
APPEALS TO:Minister of Public Security:
Lic. Genaro Garcia Luna
Secretario de Seguridad Publica,
Secretaria de Seguridad Publica
Reforma No.364, piso 16, Col. Juarez, Del. Cuauhtemoc,
Mexico DF. C.P. 06600, Mexico
Fax: 01152 55 5241 8393
Salutation: Dear Minister/Estimado SecretarioMinister of the Interior:
Lic. Francisco Ramirez Acuna
Secretario de Gobernacion, Secretaria de Gobernacion
Bucareli 99, 1er. piso, Col. Juarez, Del. Cuauhtemoc, Mexico
D.F., C.P.06600, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 55 5093 3414
Salutation: Dear Minister/Estimado SecretarioGovernor of Oaxaca:
Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, Gobernador del Estado de Oaxaca,
Carretera Oaxaca – Puerto Angel, Km. 9.5
Santa Maria Coyotopec, C. P. 71254, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 951 511 6879 (if someone answers, say ‘‘me da tono de fax, por favor’‘)
Salutation: Senor Gobernador/Dear GovernorGeneral Prosecutor of the Republic:
Lic. Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza
Procurador General de la Republica,
Procuraduria General de la Republica
Paseo de la Reforma nº 211-213, Piso 16
Col. Cuauhtemoc, Del. Cuauhtemoc,
Mexico D.F., C.P. 06500, MEXICO
Fax: 01152 55 53 46 09 08 (if someone answers, say ‘‘me da
tono de fax por favor’‘)
Salutation: Senor Procurador General / Dear Attorney GeneralCOPIES TO:
President of the National Human Rights Commission:
Dr. Jose Luis Soberanes Fernandez
Presidente de la Comision Nacional de Derechos Humanos (CNDH)
Periferico Sur 3469, 5º piso, Col. San Jeronimo Lidice,
Mexico D.F. 10200, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 55 5681 7199Ambassador Carlos Alberto De Icaza Gonzalez
Embassy of Mexico
1911 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington DC 20006
Fax: 1 202 728 1698PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Hey, I think it’s great that you are doing this armchair activist series of posts.
A bit of important information is missing that ought to be included with the above action – how to contact the AI Urgent Action office, which you might want to do for a couple of reasons: first, in case you want to respond after the action’s “expiration date” (which seems to be missing above as well); or second, if you get a reply to one of your appeals (which amazingly happened to me with the very first letter I wrote for AI, back in 1988!). Sometimes an official will pick only one or two letters to respond to out of dozens or hundreds that were sent, and the reply may contain new information or help AI target its next action on the case, so please let the UA office know of *any* response.
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Also missing above is the header information which includes the *date* the action was issued (in this case I believe it is Feb 15, 2007).
Generally Amnesty does not want Urgent Actions posted online, but this one is up on their own website, so maybe this one is ok.
There is a very good guide to writing effective letters of appeal available on the Urgent Action website (look on the right sidebar there for the link). In short: be brief, be factual, be polite, be respectful.
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights.