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Date: Wed, 16 May 2007 14:38:51 -0500 (CDT)
From: SIPAZ WEBADMIN <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: En;[SIPAZ] San Salvador Atenco One Year After ..
San Salvador Atenco One Year After:
Impunity for Authorities and the Criminalization of Social Protest
On May 3rd and 4th, 2006, there was a severe confrontation between
demonstrators and police in the municipality of Atenco in the state of Mexico,
that left the following toll: the detention of 207 people, two civilians
killed, dozens wounded (among the demonstrators as much as the police), 5
foreigners thrown out of the country, tortures, illegal searches of homes and
sexual abuses against at least 27 women. The numerous and grave human rights
violations committed during the police operative provoked concern and contempt
in Mexico as much as in the international community and played a leading role
in the country's political life for weeks.
One year after, there is still plenty of cause for concern. Despite the fact
that even the National Commission for Human Rights (CNDH) and various judges
from the National Supreme Court of Justice (SCJN) have recognized human rights
violations, there is almost absolute impunity among the responsible
authorities and the police involved: only 21 agents have been prosecuted, and
only for minor crimes. Various internal proceedings have ended with mere
administrative sanctions. The investigations into the deaths of the youths
Javier Cortes Santiago and Alexis Benhumea have not shown major advances:
nobody has been prosecuted for their homicides. With respect to the numerous
rapes and sexual abuses committed during the transportation of detainees from
the place of detainment to the jails, there is only one condemnation for
"libidinous acts." The World Organization Against Torture has criticized the
existing impunity of the numerous sexual crimes committed by aut!
horities.
At the same time, and although Amnesty International and the International
Civil Human Rights Observation Commission (CCIODH) denounce serious
irregularities in the prosecution, Ignacio del Valle Medina, Felipe Alvarez
Hernandez and Hector Galindo Gochicua, leaders of the Peoples Front in Defense
of the Land (FPDT) from San Salvador Atenco, were sentenced May 5th to 67
years and 6 months apiece in prison upon finding them guilty of armed
kidnapping of functionaries. This sentence has been considered excessive by
many, who view it as one more step towards the criminalization of social
protest by the Mexican State. At the end of April, the Don Sergio Mendez
Arceo Foundation and more than 40 NGO's gave the National "Don Sergio Mendez
Arceo" Human Rights Award to Ignacio del Valle and to the People's Front in
Defense of the Land, recognizing their just struggle and in order to denounce
the torture they have suffered and his unjust incarceration.
In addition, of the 207 people detained in May of 2006, 165 still face
prosecution and 24 remain in preventative prison, despite having completed a
year in prison without a sentence, the maximum set by the Mexican
Constitution. One of these prisoners is Magdalena Garcia Duran, an indigenous
Mazahua, whose detention is "politically motivated and totally unjustified"
according to a report by Amnesty Internation, who, for those reasons,
considers her to be a prisoner of conscience.
SIPAZ adds its voice to the concerns expressed by human rights defenders in
light of the extreme gravity of the situation, which appear to confirm to
perpetuation of impunity in the cases of human rights violations in Mexico,
and the tendency to criminalize social struggle.
Links:
Press Bulletin from the World Organization Against Torture
Comuniques from the International Civil Comisión for Human Rights Observation
(CCIODH):
Anniversary of the Events
Following the sentence of FPDT members
Communique from Amnesty International
Reports and recommendations from the National Human Rights Comission Informe y
recomendaciones de la Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos sobre los hechos en
Atenco
^^^TOP
SIPAZ.ORG - CR SIPAZ 1995 / 2007
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San Salvador Atenco One Year After:
Impunity for Authorities and the Criminalization of Social Protest
On May 3rd and 4th, 2006, there was a severe confrontation between
demonstrators and police in the municipality of Atenco in the state of Mexico,
that left the following toll: the detention of 207 people, two civilians
killed, dozens wounded (among the demonstrators as much as the police), 5
foreigners thrown out of the country, tortures, illegal searches of homes and
sexual abuses against at least 27 women
(http://www.sipaz.org/documentos/atenco06/actatenco_e.htm) . The numerous and
grave human rights violations committed during the police operative provoked
concern and contempt in Mexico as much as in the international community and
played a leading role in the country's political life for weeks.
One year after, there is still plenty of cause for concern. Despite the fact
that even the National Commission for Human Rights (CNDH) and various judges
from the National Supreme Court of Justice (SCJN) have recognized human rights
violations, there is almost absolute impunity among the responsible authorities
and the police involved: only 21 agents have been prosecuted, and only for
minor crimes. Various internal proceedings have ended with mere administrative
sanctions. The investigations into the deaths of the youths Javier Cortes
Santiago and Alexis Benhumea have not shown major advances: nobody has been
prosecuted for their homicides. With respect to the numerous rapes and sexual
abuses committed during the transportation of detainees from the place of
detainment to the jails, there is only one condemnation for "libidinous acts."
The World Organization Against Torture has criticized the existing impunity of
the numerous sexual crimes committed by authorities.
At the same time, and although Amnesty International and the International
Civil Human Rights Observation Commission (CCIODH) denounce serious
irregularities in the prosecution, Ignacio del Valle Medina, Felipe Alvarez
Hernandez and Hector Galindo Gochicua, leaders of the Peoples Front in Defense
of the Land (FPDT) from San Salvador Atenco, were sentenced May 5th to 67 years
and 6 months apiece in prison upon finding them guilty of armed kidnapping of
functionaries. This sentence has been considered excessive by many, who view
it as one more step towards the criminalization of social protest by the
Mexican State. At the end of April, the Don Sergio Mendez Arceo Foundation and
more than 40 NGO's gave the National "Don Sergio Mendez Arceo" Human Rights
Award to Ignacio del Valle and to the People's Front in Defense of the Land,
recognizing their just struggle and in order to denounce the torture they have
suffered and his unjust incarceration.
In addition, of the 207 people detained in May of 2006, 165 still face
prosecution and 24 remain in preventative prison, despite having completed a
year in prison without a sentence, the maximum set by the Mexican Constitution.
One of these prisoners is Magdalena Garcia Duran, an indigenous Mazahua, whose
detention is "politically motivated and totally unjustified" according to a
report by Amnesty Internation, who, for those reasons, considers her to be a
prisoner of conscience.
SIPAZ adds its voice to the concerns expressed by human rights defenders in
light of the extreme gravity of the situation, which appear to confirm to
perpetuation of impunity in the cases of human rights violations in Mexico, and
the tendency to criminalize social struggle.
Links:
* Press Bulletin from the World Organization Against Torture
(http://www.omct.org/index.php)
* Comuniques from the International Civil Comisión for Human Rights
Observation (CCIODH):
* Anniversary of the Events
(http://cciodh.pangea.org/cuarta/070502_comunicado_aniversari)
* Following the sentence of FPDT members
(http://cciodh.pangea.org/cuarta/070507_comunicado_sentencia_)
*
Communique from Amnesty International
(http://web.amnistia.org.mx/prensa/section.php)
* Reports and recommendations from the National Human Rights Comission
Informe y recomendaciones de la Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos sobre los
hechos en Atenco (http://www.cndh.org.mx/lacndh/informes/informes.htm)
^^^TOP (#ARRIBA)
SIPAZ.ORG (http://www.sipaz.org) - CR SIPAZ 1995/ 2007
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