Dear Friends:
The following is an open letter written on behalf of Epigmenio León and Gerardo Sifuentes, two young Mexican writers who were arrested in Mexico City without cause a few weeks ago and have been in prison since. If you agree that the corruption and brutality that pass for public safety in Mexico City (and elsewhere -- think Patriot Act, for starters) are utterly vile and inhuman, and/or if you simply believe that innocent people should not be hunted down on the streets by so-called peace officers out to make a quick buck, please sign this letter and send it to everyone you know.
If you would like further information about this situation specifically, or about the morally bankrupt politics of Mexico City governor Manuel López Obrador, who reportedly has a keen interest in becoming Mexico's next president, please contact Dolores Dorantes ([EMAIL PROTECTED]). You may write to her in English or Spanish.
If your name is the 200th, 300th, or any hundredth signature on the list, please send the list to Carlos Oliva ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), who is compiling signatures.
If you have media contacts that you think would be interested in further publicizing this story, please contact me ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) or Dolores.
Peace, Jesse
*
February 21, 2004
Mexico City
Open Letter
On February 12, 2004 at around 3:00 a.m., Gerardo Sifuentes Marín (writer and current recipient of a grant from the National Fund for Culture and the Arts [FONCA, Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes]) and Epigmenio León Martínez (writer and head of the Distribution Offices of Tierra Adentro [a project of CONACULTA, the National Council for Culture and the Arts]) were arrested by two officers of the Mexico City Municipal Police, approximately 30 feet from Sifuentes’ home. With no justification other than the smell of alcohol on their breaths, León and Sifuentes were illegally taken to Delegación Cuauhtémoc Precinct Headquarters #3. A few hours later, the same officers accused them of having stolen two rear-view mirrors.
Since November 2003, the crime of stealing auto parts is a non-bailable offense; therefore, Sifuentes and León were “automatically” taken into custody. Accordingly, they were detained at Precinct Headquarters for close to 48 hours, until the night of Friday February 13, when they were moved to the Reclusorio Norte (North Prison). On Friday February 20, Judge Julia Ortiz Leandro of Reclusorio Norte Court 42, despite the fact that she had access to evidence of the writers’ innocence provided by witnesses who were present when this outrage occurred, formally filed a bench warrant against them for aggravated robbery.
The impunity and corruption of the municiapal police is the only reasonable way to explain this injustice; it is well known that there is a reward system whereby police officers are offered $2500 pesos (just under $250 U.S.) for each “transient” they capture. Gerardo and Epigmenio both have stable, respectable jobs that have nothing whatsoever to do with the auto parts business. They both occupy “privileged” positions in our extremely impoverished, battered society. No one who knows them could possibly believe that they even have the necessary skills to perform a mechanical operation like the one alleged against them, much less that they woud be stupid enough to do such a thing in front of one of their houses.
This disgrace, perpetrated by servants of “justice” and “peace” officers, illuminates the mechanisms of corruption that function to create the illusion of a diminishing crime index, and indicates what might well be the fate of anyone who is imprudent enough to commit the “crime” of walking at night in a city where the police are able not only to illegally and with impunity detain, accuse and implicate anyone in a criminal act, but also actually receive remuneration for doing so. Beginning this year, the Department of Public Safety, under the leadership of Marcelo Ebrard, has as its injunction “to prevent any premature liberation of individuals arrested in the criminal area comprised of fifty dangerous neighborhoods and so-called crime-ridden zones, given that the index of recurrence is very high.” The neighborhood where Sifuentes and León were arrested is within that area.
Given all of the above, we demand that Gerardo and Epigmenio’s case be resolved immediately, that they be released from their imprisonment as soon as possible, and that immoral policies that institutionalize corruption be summarily eliminated.
Signed,
1. Carlos Oliva Mendoza (Premio Nacional de Ensayo José Revueltas).
2. Carlos Antonio de la Sierra (escritor y maestro universitario).
3. Tryno Maldonado de la Torre (escritor y subdirector de Finisterre).
4. Pedro Ángel Palou (escritor y Secretario de Cultura del Gobierno del Estado de Puebla, premio Xavier Villaurrutia).
5. César Albarrán Torres (escritor, jefe de redacción de Cine Premiere).
6. Édgar Valencia (poeta, profesor de la Universidad Iberoamericana).
7. Mónica Denisse Arreola Casillas (arquitecta y fotógrafa).
8. Federico Campbell
9. Carlos Martínez Rentería
10.Asociación de Escritores de México
11.Fernando Lobo
12.Martín Corona
13.Fulgencio Bustamante
14.Sergio Valero
15.Pepe Rojo (escritor).
16.Alberto Chimal (escritor, Premio Nacional de cuento San Luis Potosí).
17.Bernardo Fernández BEF (escritor, artista gráfico).
18.Mario Bellatin (escritor, Premio Nacional Xavier Villaurrutia).
19.José Guitierrez Peralta (escritor y dibujante).
20.Ruy Xoconostle Wayne (escritor y editor de Editorial Televisa).
21.Luis Benítez Padilla (músico, guitarrista).
22.Lidia García
23.Vivian Abenshushan Cano (escritora, Premio Nacional de Literatura Gilberto Owen).
24.Rafael Lemus (escritor y crítico literario).
25. Rogelio Villarreal (escritor y periodista).
26.José Segura (fotógrafo).
27.Guillermo Fadanelli (escritor y editor de Moho).
28. Mónica Lavín (escritora y maestra de la Escuela de la SOGEM).
29.Jorge Harmodio Juárez (escritor).
30.Martín Solares (escritor).
31.Cristina Rivera-Garza (escritora, Premio Nacional José Rubén Romero).
32.Isaí Moreno (escritor).
33.Alfonso Morcillo (escritor).
34.Sergio Téllez-Pon (escritor y crítico literario).
35.Norma Lazo (director editorial revista Complot y del
proyecto de t.v. La caja negra).
36.Carlos Cuarón (escritor y guionista cinematográfico).
37.Román Revueltas (columnista de Milenio Diario).
38.Francisco Javier Alcaraz Medina (poeta, Premio Nacional Elías Nandino).
39.Víctor del Real Muñoz (editor y profesor universitario).
40.Alejandro Ortiz González (escritor y periodista).
41.Minerva Hernández Trejo (fotógrafa y videoasta, investigadora del CENART).
42.Luis Humberto Crosthwaite (escritor, miembro del Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte).
43.José Agustín (escritor).
44.Ernesto Aroche Aguilar (editor del diario Síntesis).
45.Carla Faesler (poeta, Premio Nacional Gilberto Owen).
46.Vicente Herrasti (escritor y editor).
47.Will Rodríguez (escritor y promotor cultural).
48.Ricardo García Muñoz (escritor y catedrático).
49.Lorena Wolffer (artista y activista cultural).
50.Rogelio Sosa (compositor).
51.Daniel Obregón Nava (escritor).
52.Armando Pinto (director de la Revista Crítica de la Universidad
Autónoma de Puebla).
53.Julio Trujillo (poeta, jefe de redacción de Letras Libres).
54.Julián Herbert (escritor).
55.Gustavo Sainz (escritor, profesor universitario, Premio Colima, Premio Narrativa México-Québec).
56.Sandra Escutia Díaz (España. Traductora, coordinadora de Tertulias Iberoamericanas, Casa de América).
57.José Mariano Leyva Pérez Gay (historiador y escritor).
58.Jaime Muñoz Vargas (escritor y maestro).
59.Rodolfo Jiménez (escritor, editor de El Guardagujas).
60.Juan José Rodríguez (escritor, Premio Nacional Gilberto Owen).
61.Amaranta Caballero Prado (poeta).
62.Rafael Medina Dávalos (escritor).
63.Edith Oropeza Roldán.
64.Carlos Monsiváis (ensayista).
65.Elia Domenzain Matinez (actriz, poeta supervisora en CONACULTA).
66.Pablo Lombó Mulliert (estudiante de doctorado del COLMEX).
67.Guillermo Vega Zaragoza (escritor, periodista y profesor universitario).
68.Carlos Monsiváis (ensayista).
69.Alejandro Aura (escritor y promotor cultural).
70.Heriberto Yépez (escritor, Premio Nacional Abigail Bojórquez).
71.Horacio Cerutti Gulberg (Profesor e investigador UNAM).
72.René Roquet (escritor y promotor cultural).
73.Deyanira Torres (psicoanalista y articulista).
74.Mayra Valadez Estrada (pintora y diseñadora gráfica).
75.Rodrigo Flores Sánchez (poeta, editor de Oráculo).
76.Juan Beat (psicólogo, escritor revista Generación).
77.Francisco Vidargas (crítico de arte y promotor cultural).
78.Lilia Martínez (ingeniera en sistemas electrónicos).
79.David Miklos (escritor, editor de Hoja x Hoja).
80.Marcela Saiffe (escritora y publicista).
81.Guillermo Vega Zaragoza (escritor, periodista y profesor universitario).
82.Jorge Fernández Granados (escritor, Premio Nacional de Poesía Aguascalientes).
83.Francesca Gargallo (escritora y ensayista).
84.Gabriel Balandrán (licenciado en comercio exterior).
85.Raúl Yépez Serna (escritor).
86.Agustín Fest (medios publicitarios, estudiante).
87.Ignacio Mondaca Romero (cantante, ensayista y periodista cultural).
88.Bernardo Esquinca (escritor, periodista, co-editor Heraldo de México)
89.Carlos Lenkersdorf
90.Julieta García (escritora y editora).
91.Luis Gatica (actor).
92.Tanya de Fonz (poeta y actriz).
93.Marco Fonz(poeta).
94.Efraín Ascencio (fotógrafo).
95.Concepción Avendaño (poeta).
96.Roberto Rico (poeta).
97.Mario Nandayapa (poeta).
98.Gustavo Ruiz Pascacio (poeta).
99.David Molina (poeta).
100.Martín Piña Olaya (escritor, maestro univeritario).
101.Francisco Luna Preciado (escritor, amestro universitario).
102.Iván Figueroa (escritor).
103.Luis Enrique del Ángel (escritor y editor).
104.José Sordo Guitiérrez (director de Aldus).
105.Ernesto Lumbreras (escritor y editor).
106.Margarita Pizarro (diseñadora de Aldus).
107.Mayra Ibarra
108.Marisol Jiménez Becerra (compositora).
109.Jorge Volpi (escritor y ensayista)
110.Dolores Dorantes
111. Jen Hofer, Los Angeles CA
112. Jesse Seldess, Chicago, IL
113. Jonathan Skinner, Buffalo, NY
114. Mark Weiss (poet, translator, editor), San Diego CA USA
115. Bibiana Padilla Maltos, AVTEXTFEST, Mexicali, BC
*************************** BIBIANA PADILLA MALTOS AVTEXTFEST general coordinator Paseo de Vista Hermosa #625 Mexicali, B.C., 21240 MEXICO 233 Paulin Ave. PMB. 7263 Calexico, Ca., 92231-2646 U.S.A. + 52 686 206 5478
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