The MexicoBlog of the CIP Americas Program monitors and analyzes international press on Mexico with a focus on the US-backed War on Drugs in Mexico and the struggle in Mexico to strengthen the rule of law, justice and protection of human rights. Relevant political developments in both countries are also covered.
Showing posts with label Zapatistas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zapatistas. Show all posts
Aug 20, 2015
Truth and Justice Will Never, Ever, Come from Above - Zapatista Army for National Liberation Mexico
Enlace Zapatista: As Zapatistas, we have realized that the intellectual authors of the murder of the compañero and teacher Galeano have returned, fat and happy, to their homes in the village of La Realidad. They were supposedly being held prisoner for the murder of our teacher and compañero. We already know that they have been declared innocent of this crime by the same people who financed and supported them: the federal and Chiapas state governments. On August 12 of this year, the self-proclaimed “judge” Victor Manuel Zepeda López, of the criminal court in Comitán de Domínguez, Chiapas, declared that Mr. Carmelino Rodríguez Jiménez and Mr. Javier López Rodríguez are innocent, despite that fact that they and their accomplices in the CIOAC-Histórica know that they are guilty of organizing the crime. They aren’t the only ones responsible, but they are guilty. Read more.
Jul 19, 2013
Indigenous Oaxacan Political Prisoners Caught in the Drug War Prison Boom
My Word Is My Weapon Blog
by Kristin Bricker and Santiago Navarro
After spending nearly 17 years in the same prison cell just outside of Oaxaca City, seven indigenous Loxicha political prisoners were transferred this month—twice. The transfers, which enraged and frightened their families and supporters, were part of a nationwide shuffle of existing prisoners to fill beds at newly opened facilities that were financed by Mexican and United States drug war money.
The prisoners, Agustín Luna Valencia, Eleuterio Hernández Garcia, Fortino Enriquez Hernández, Justino Hernández José, Abraham Garcia Ramirez, Zacarias Pascual Garcia López, and Alvaro Sebastián Ramirez, are Zapotec indigenous men from Oaxaca’s Loxicha region, one of Oaxaca’s poorest and most marginalized regions.
The seven Loxichas are accused of participating in the August 29, 1996, Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR) uprising in la Crucecita, Oaxaca, in which 11 government agents were killed. The indigenous men say they were tortured into signing hundreds of pages of blank paper that were later filled in with confessions. The Loxichas were convicted of murder (of the federal agents), terrorism, and conspiracy, and they were sentenced to up to 31 years in prison. Read more.
by Kristin Bricker and Santiago Navarro
After spending nearly 17 years in the same prison cell just outside of Oaxaca City, seven indigenous Loxicha political prisoners were transferred this month—twice. The transfers, which enraged and frightened their families and supporters, were part of a nationwide shuffle of existing prisoners to fill beds at newly opened facilities that were financed by Mexican and United States drug war money.
The prisoners, Agustín Luna Valencia, Eleuterio Hernández Garcia, Fortino Enriquez Hernández, Justino Hernández José, Abraham Garcia Ramirez, Zacarias Pascual Garcia López, and Alvaro Sebastián Ramirez, are Zapotec indigenous men from Oaxaca’s Loxicha region, one of Oaxaca’s poorest and most marginalized regions.
The seven Loxichas are accused of participating in the August 29, 1996, Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR) uprising in la Crucecita, Oaxaca, in which 11 government agents were killed. The indigenous men say they were tortured into signing hundreds of pages of blank paper that were later filled in with confessions. The Loxichas were convicted of murder (of the federal agents), terrorism, and conspiracy, and they were sentenced to up to 31 years in prison. Read more.
Feb 16, 2013
Them and Us VI. The Gaze 5. To gaze into the night in which we are. (From the new moon to the crescent moon)
Enlace Zapatista
February 15, 2013
Them and Us VI. The Gaze 5.
5.- To gaze into the night in which we are.
(From the new moon to the crescent moon)
Many moons ago: under a new moon, brand new, just barely peeking out, barely enough to make shadows below…
We-are-he arrives. Without needing to consult or check notes, his words begin to draw an image of the gazes of those who rule here, and those whom they obey. When he finishes, we look.
The message from the people is clear, short, simple, blunt. As orders should be.
February 15, 2013
Them and Us VI. The Gaze 5.
5.- To gaze into the night in which we are.
(From the new moon to the crescent moon)
Many moons ago: under a new moon, brand new, just barely peeking out, barely enough to make shadows below…
We-are-he arrives. Without needing to consult or check notes, his words begin to draw an image of the gazes of those who rule here, and those whom they obey. When he finishes, we look.
The message from the people is clear, short, simple, blunt. As orders should be.
Feb 5, 2013
Mexico: Voices from 'Below and to the Left' Say it's the Time of Hope and Action for Movements
Written by Desinformémonos
Translation by Dorset Chiapas Solidarity Group
Upside Down World
"History cannot be silenced. The roar of the silence of our Zapatista brothers and sisters has re-lit the fire of hope in even the most incredulous," the philosophers Fernanda Navarro and Luis Villoro said, in a message sent to the Third International Seminar of Reflection and Analysis, "Planet Earth: anti-systemic movements."
"After the silence they invite us, encourage us to walk the word, their word, to show what they have achieved resisting and building a world in which everything that has life is loved and respected, because it has heart," they said in an emotional greeting in the final moments of the seminar.
Framed by three communiques issued by the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) on the night of December 30 - one to civil society, one to the PRI and another to Louis H. Alvarez and the Panista government - the space for dialogue was developed at the premises of CIDECI-Unitierra, from December 30, 2012 to January 2, 2013. Certainly, the common reference point for attendees and speakers was the massive silent demonstration of the Zapatistas, held last December 21, the date on which they reappeared after more than a year of having no public actions. Read more.
Translation by Dorset Chiapas Solidarity Group
Upside Down World
"History cannot be silenced. The roar of the silence of our Zapatista brothers and sisters has re-lit the fire of hope in even the most incredulous," the philosophers Fernanda Navarro and Luis Villoro said, in a message sent to the Third International Seminar of Reflection and Analysis, "Planet Earth: anti-systemic movements."
"After the silence they invite us, encourage us to walk the word, their word, to show what they have achieved resisting and building a world in which everything that has life is loved and respected, because it has heart," they said in an emotional greeting in the final moments of the seminar.
Framed by three communiques issued by the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) on the night of December 30 - one to civil society, one to the PRI and another to Louis H. Alvarez and the Panista government - the space for dialogue was developed at the premises of CIDECI-Unitierra, from December 30, 2012 to January 2, 2013. Certainly, the common reference point for attendees and speakers was the massive silent demonstration of the Zapatistas, held last December 21, the date on which they reappeared after more than a year of having no public actions. Read more.
The EZLN Announces Upcoming Meetings in its Territory
Written by Desinformémonos
Translated for Upside Down World
February 4, 2013
They also announce the characteristics of those who will (and won’t) accompany its new initiatives
The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) ended "a phase on the path" of the Sixth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle and announced the start of its next political steps, which include upcoming meetings (encuentros) in its territory and the explicit selection of those who will accompany future initiatives, that will have as its main objective: "to be in direct contact with the Zapatista support bases in the way that, in my long and humble experience, is the best: as students," said Subcomandante Marcos.
In this next phase, say the rebels from Chiapas, "we will endeavor to apply some of what we learned in the last seven years, and, yes, we will make changes in the pace and speed, but also in those who accompany us." And they warn that one of their "major flaws" is “we remember when and who was where, what they said, what they did, what they kept quiet, what they messed up, what they broke, what they wrote, what they erased. We recall calendars and geographies." Read more.
Translated for Upside Down World
February 4, 2013
They also announce the characteristics of those who will (and won’t) accompany its new initiatives
The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) ended "a phase on the path" of the Sixth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle and announced the start of its next political steps, which include upcoming meetings (encuentros) in its territory and the explicit selection of those who will accompany future initiatives, that will have as its main objective: "to be in direct contact with the Zapatista support bases in the way that, in my long and humble experience, is the best: as students," said Subcomandante Marcos.
In this next phase, say the rebels from Chiapas, "we will endeavor to apply some of what we learned in the last seven years, and, yes, we will make changes in the pace and speed, but also in those who accompany us." And they warn that one of their "major flaws" is “we remember when and who was where, what they said, what they did, what they kept quiet, what they messed up, what they broke, what they wrote, what they erased. We recall calendars and geographies." Read more.
Feb 4, 2013
Call for Solidarity: For Kuy, in Coma Following Mexican Presidential Inauguration Protest
My word is my weapon by Kristin Bricker
February 1, 2013
In a recent communique, the Zapatista National Liberation Army called upon their supporters to donate money to help with the medical expenses of Juan Francisco "Kuy" Kuykendall, who was injured by a police projectile during the protests against Enrique Peña Nieto's presidential inauguration on December 1, 2012. Kuy is in a coma and has undergone multiple surgeries. He's lost portions of his brain due to the attack and subsequent surgeries, including a recent one where surgeons had to cut out infected brain tissue. Read more.
February 1, 2013
In a recent communique, the Zapatista National Liberation Army called upon their supporters to donate money to help with the medical expenses of Juan Francisco "Kuy" Kuykendall, who was injured by a police projectile during the protests against Enrique Peña Nieto's presidential inauguration on December 1, 2012. Kuy is in a coma and has undergone multiple surgeries. He's lost portions of his brain due to the attack and subsequent surgeries, including a recent one where surgeons had to cut out infected brain tissue. Read more.
Apr 5, 2012
López Obrador calls for reconciliation with EZLN to move the country forward
Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) presidential candidate Andres Lopez Obrador became the first candidate to publicly reach out to the militant EZLN movement in Chiapas. AMLO made headlines by declaring that if he were Mexico's next president, his administration would abide by the San Andres Accords- agreements that the EZLN had arrived at with the Mexican government in 1996 but which have never been respected. The San Andres Accords offer official recognition of indigenous peoples, their cultures, and their rights. AMLO, the leftist candidate, had been criticized by Zapatista leader Subcomandante Marcos in the lead-up to the 2005 elections.
La Jornada: From the Plaza de la Paz, Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador called on the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional), or EZLN, for reconciliation in order to move Chiapas and the country forward. “I extend my hand in a sign of respect, in admiration, for those who fight for justice.”
I want to call on those who, “in 1994, due to violence, authoritarianism, and poverty, rose in rebellion; I call on all those involved in the Zapatista movement to look for ways to unite, to work together, to reconcile and look above all to improve living and working conditions in Chiapas and throughout the country,” he said in his speech.
“I also extend my hand in a token of reconciliation, to seek unity amongst all to move our people, our country, forward,” said López Obrador, eliciting loud applause.
“I repeat three words: reconciliation, progress, justice, and as justice is concerned, my commitment is to comply with the San Andrés Larráinzar accords.”
It was the first time in the campaign that any presidential candidate has reached out to the EZLN, a group with which the PRD has had differences since 2005 when Subcomandante Marcos criticized López Obrador.
Neither PAN candidate Josefina Vázquez Mota or PRI candidate Enrique Peña Nieto made any reference to the rebel group in their recent visits to the area.
Don’t forget to love thy neighbor
In front of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, López Obrador said he had mixed feelings being in such an emblematic place for Chiapas, remembering the great bishop of Chiapas, Samuel Ruiz García, who died in 2011.
López Obrador asked the almost 10,000 people, including indigenous supporters and party activists promoting his candicacy (PRD, PR, and the Citizen’s Movement) to not forget to love their family or their neighbor, “to avoid falling into individualism, to always think of others, and to not turn away from suffering. That is real solidarity, real brotherhood.”
He also made it clear that he had no problem with the governor of Chiapas, Juan Sabines, with whom he did not meet during his visit, unlike Peña Nieto and Vázquez Mota.
“I’m not seeing him due to a scheduling conflict; we have no quarrel with anyone, and Governor Sabines is no different.”
López Obrador arrived at 4:30pm, just in time to lead the rally in San Cristobal de las Casas. When he got off the flight from Mexico City to Tuxtla Gutierrez, he hadn’t eaten anything and as soon as the event ended, he traveled to Palenque, where he will rest at his farm with his family for the Holy Days from Thursday through Sunday.
In his speech, he noted that the National Regeneration Movement (Movimeitno Regeneración Nacional) “wants justice, not revenge. That is why we fight. Not to hate, not to hold grudges. We must unite and strengthen our moral and spiritual values, that is the ‘loving republic.’”
Again, López Obrador blasted Peña Nieto - to the satisfaction of the attendees, many of whom were indigenous people who were dressed in traditional garb, reflecting their overwhelming poverty. He said, “he says he is the one who you want to elect as Mexico’s president, although that is yet to be seen. Do you really think that, given the way things are in this country, this candidate fabricated by broadcasters, who introduce him like they’re on an infomercial, will be able to solve these large and serious national problems? You need no more than see him. He embodies corruption, frivolity, and banality. Who else would think to come to one of the poorest areas of Mexico in a helicopter?”
He also criticized PVEM candidate Manuel Velasco, who is supported by the PRI to be governor of that state. “But that,” said the leftist candidate, “is also yet to be seen.”
Accompanying the PRD candidate on stage was former PRI member and current Senator María Elena Orantes, although she could not speak on stage because she is currently in the veda electoral (an electoral suspension period where campaigning is prohibited.) The Senator disagreed with the PRI process for selecting Manuel Velasci. López Obrador also demanded political and social unity between the religions residing in the state. See Spanish original
Translation by Michael Kane, Americas Program
La Jornada: From the Plaza de la Paz, Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador called on the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional), or EZLN, for reconciliation in order to move Chiapas and the country forward. “I extend my hand in a sign of respect, in admiration, for those who fight for justice.”
I want to call on those who, “in 1994, due to violence, authoritarianism, and poverty, rose in rebellion; I call on all those involved in the Zapatista movement to look for ways to unite, to work together, to reconcile and look above all to improve living and working conditions in Chiapas and throughout the country,” he said in his speech.
“I also extend my hand in a token of reconciliation, to seek unity amongst all to move our people, our country, forward,” said López Obrador, eliciting loud applause.
“I repeat three words: reconciliation, progress, justice, and as justice is concerned, my commitment is to comply with the San Andrés Larráinzar accords.”
It was the first time in the campaign that any presidential candidate has reached out to the EZLN, a group with which the PRD has had differences since 2005 when Subcomandante Marcos criticized López Obrador.
Neither PAN candidate Josefina Vázquez Mota or PRI candidate Enrique Peña Nieto made any reference to the rebel group in their recent visits to the area.
Don’t forget to love thy neighbor
In front of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, López Obrador said he had mixed feelings being in such an emblematic place for Chiapas, remembering the great bishop of Chiapas, Samuel Ruiz García, who died in 2011.
López Obrador asked the almost 10,000 people, including indigenous supporters and party activists promoting his candicacy (PRD, PR, and the Citizen’s Movement) to not forget to love their family or their neighbor, “to avoid falling into individualism, to always think of others, and to not turn away from suffering. That is real solidarity, real brotherhood.”
He also made it clear that he had no problem with the governor of Chiapas, Juan Sabines, with whom he did not meet during his visit, unlike Peña Nieto and Vázquez Mota.
“I’m not seeing him due to a scheduling conflict; we have no quarrel with anyone, and Governor Sabines is no different.”
López Obrador arrived at 4:30pm, just in time to lead the rally in San Cristobal de las Casas. When he got off the flight from Mexico City to Tuxtla Gutierrez, he hadn’t eaten anything and as soon as the event ended, he traveled to Palenque, where he will rest at his farm with his family for the Holy Days from Thursday through Sunday.
In his speech, he noted that the National Regeneration Movement (Movimeitno Regeneración Nacional) “wants justice, not revenge. That is why we fight. Not to hate, not to hold grudges. We must unite and strengthen our moral and spiritual values, that is the ‘loving republic.’”
Again, López Obrador blasted Peña Nieto - to the satisfaction of the attendees, many of whom were indigenous people who were dressed in traditional garb, reflecting their overwhelming poverty. He said, “he says he is the one who you want to elect as Mexico’s president, although that is yet to be seen. Do you really think that, given the way things are in this country, this candidate fabricated by broadcasters, who introduce him like they’re on an infomercial, will be able to solve these large and serious national problems? You need no more than see him. He embodies corruption, frivolity, and banality. Who else would think to come to one of the poorest areas of Mexico in a helicopter?”
He also criticized PVEM candidate Manuel Velasco, who is supported by the PRI to be governor of that state. “But that,” said the leftist candidate, “is also yet to be seen.”
Accompanying the PRD candidate on stage was former PRI member and current Senator María Elena Orantes, although she could not speak on stage because she is currently in the veda electoral (an electoral suspension period where campaigning is prohibited.) The Senator disagreed with the PRI process for selecting Manuel Velasci. López Obrador also demanded political and social unity between the religions residing in the state. See Spanish original
Translation by Michael Kane, Americas Program
Sep 20, 2011
Human Rights: Former President Zedillo Sued For 1997 Acteal Massacre
Latin American Dispatch: "Family members and survivors of the 1997 attack in the Mexican state of Chiapas that killed 45 indigenous people sued former President Ernesto Zedillo for his alleged complicity in the massacre.
The 53-page lawsuit (filed in Connecticut, where Zedillo now lives) obtained by CNN states that the massacre in the village of Acteal was part of an alleged plan called Chiapas 94, which hoped to bring an end to the insurgency of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) in southern Mexico. The slaughter occurred on December 22, 1997 when a group of men entered the village and killed 45 people, including weapon and children."
The 53-page lawsuit (filed in Connecticut, where Zedillo now lives) obtained by CNN states that the massacre in the village of Acteal was part of an alleged plan called Chiapas 94, which hoped to bring an end to the insurgency of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) in southern Mexico. The slaughter occurred on December 22, 1997 when a group of men entered the village and killed 45 people, including weapon and children."
Mexico Peace Movement Meets Zapatistas
Good article on the Movement for Peace's Caravan to the South of Mexico, including the states of Oaxaca, Chiapas, Tabasco and Veracruz
IPS ipsnews.net: "The Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity, headed by Mexican writer Javier Sicilia, travelled through southeastern Mexico and reached the heart of the territory controlled by the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN), bringing a message of solidarity.
Sicilia and other relatives of victims of the wave of violence triggered by the militarisation of the war on drugs by the government of Mexican President Felipe Calderón visited the "autonomous community" of Oventic, in the southern state of Chiapas, Friday Sep. 16. "
IPS ipsnews.net: "The Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity, headed by Mexican writer Javier Sicilia, travelled through southeastern Mexico and reached the heart of the territory controlled by the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN), bringing a message of solidarity.
Sicilia and other relatives of victims of the wave of violence triggered by the militarisation of the war on drugs by the government of Mexican President Felipe Calderón visited the "autonomous community" of Oventic, in the southern state of Chiapas, Friday Sep. 16. "
May 10, 2011
Movement for Peace with Justice: 20,000 Zapatistas March in Chiapas for Peace in Mexico
Latin American Herald Tribune - 20,000 Zapatistas March for Peace in Mexico: "Some 20,000 masked Indians took to the streets of San Cristobal de Las Casas, a city in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, for a march organized by the Zapatista National Liberation Army, or EZLN, to show support for poet Javier Sicilia’s national march for peace."
Apr 13, 2011
¡No Mas Sangre!: War on drugs aims to normalize "horror," Mexican dissident says - Fox News Latino
Zapatista Subcomandante Marcos speaks out on the drug war.
'No solution to the disaster of the National State is possible without changing the system responsible for the ruin and for the nightmare that inhabits the entire country,' the spokesman for the Zapatista National Liberation Army, or EZLN, said in a letter to news outlets."
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