Mexico Week In Review: 12.10-12.16

[cisdc]

Mexico Week In Review: 12.10-12.16
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Published since 1994, 'Mexico Week In Review' is a service of the
Committee of Indigenous Solidarity (CIS).  CIS is a Washington, D.C.
based activist group committed to the ongoing struggles of Indigenous
peoples in the Americas.  CIS is actively supporting the struggles
of the Indigenous peoples of Mexico while simultaneously combating
related structures of oppression within our own communities.

To view newsletter archives, visit:
http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/mexico-week/

"Para Todos, Todo; Para Nosotros Nada"
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CHIAPAS: PARAMILITARY VIOLENCE CONTINUES

Land conflicts between communities loyal to the Zapatista rebel
movement and the state's traditional political machine continue to
generate violence in Chiapas, Mexico. The Zapatista Good Government
Junta (JBG) Corazón del Arcoiris de la Esperanza announced that on
Nov. 24, the community of Bolom Ajaw, Autonomous Municipality Olga
Isabel, was attacked by members of the OPDDIC paramilitary group. The
force of some 80 men armed with pistols, rifles, clubs and machetes
arrived when the community's men were working in the fields, with
only women, children and elders at home. They briefly held the
community hostage, beating one ill resident unconscious with clubs.
Sebastián Espinoza Martínez, director of the "Paz y Justicia" peasant
organization - named as a paramilitary group by rights observers -
threatened to organize roadblocks in Chiapas if Gov. Juan Sabines
does not address the organization's land claims.

Meanwhile, rights activists joined with members of the Emiliano
Zapata Campesino Organization (OCEZ) from Venustiano Carranza village
in a march on the state capital Tuxtla to protest the "restructuring
and reforming of paramilitary groups and White Guards" in the region.

Mexico's Congressional Commission on Pacification (COCOPA), convened
ten years ago to broker peace with the Zapatista National Liberation
Army (EZLN), has announced that the long-moribund peace process must
be revived, and that the Commission will be opening an office in San
Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas. COCOPA president Martha Cecilia Díaz
Gordillo said the question of constitutional reform must be
re-opened, and that the issue of indigenous rights represents an
"outstanding debt" of the Mexican state.

Source: http://www.ww4report.com: 12/09

CHIAPAS: ACCUSED MASTERMIND IN ACTEAL MASSACRE DIES

Antonio Vázquez Secum, named by Mexico's Prosecutor General of the
Republic (PGR) as the author of the December 1997 Acteal massacre,
died Nov. 17 at his home in the village of Quextic, Chiapas. Secum,
who was over 70 years old, was freed from Cerro Hueco prison last
year when he contracted pneumonia. The PGR's "white book" on the
affair said he led a group of eight men from Miguel Utrilla Los
Chorros hamlet in the attack on nearby Acteal (both in Chenahló
municipality) in retaliation for the slaying of his son, Agustín
Vázquez. He was among the first arrested for the massacre early in
1998.

According to the investigation findings posted on the website of the
Mexican Presidency, Agustín Vázquez was killed in an ambush by masked
men on Dec. 17, 1997, and the powerful "cacique" families of Chenalhó
identified the perpetrators as residents of Acteal. The Chiapas state
government has opened a new investigation into the Dec. 22, 1997
slaying of 45 unarmed Tzotzil Maya peasants - including children and
pregnant women - at Acteal. The announcement said the investigation
will be "objective, scientific and, above all, without prejudice."
Las Abejas, the Maya Catholic pacifist group targeted in the
massacre, has long been demanding a new investigation.

Las Abejas continue to protest the militarization of the Chiapas
Highlands. Massacre survivor Roberto Pérez recently said that the
permanent military presence has led to a growing incidence of
prostitution among the Maya women of the zone. Las Abejas has
announced that they will be hosting a "National Encuentro Against
Impunity" at Acteal on the anniversary of the massacre this year.

Source: http://www.ww4report.com: 12/09
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EPR UNNOTICED BY MANY MEXICANS

Many Mexicans are not aware of the existence of an illegal armed
group, according to a poll by Ipsos-Bimsa published in El Universal.
Only 36 per cent of respondents are familiar with the Popular
Revolutionary Army (EPR), while 63 per cent know about the Zapatista
National Liberation Army (EZLN). When asked which conditions justify
the formation of a guerrilla movement, 43 per cent of respondents
mention dealing with the population's poverty. Support is lower for
groups that seek to either combat the authoritarianism of an
administration, or create a revolution to topple the government.

The EPR was assembled in 1996, and operates mainly in the state of
Guerrero. Throughout 2007, the armed group has claimed responsibility
for several attacks against state-owned oil facilities and pipelines,
as well as a bombing in a department store located in the state of
Oaxaca. On Dec. 8, Mexico's interior secretary Francisco Ramírez
Acuña dismissed the EPR's claims of a targeted government campaign
against activists, saying, "There is no persecution of social
leaders. (...) We must act responsibly so the people can know the
truth and be able to assess what the social movements are doing, and
what the government has to do."

In January 1994, the EZLN declared its intention to overthrow the
Mexican government, headed at the time by Carlos Salinas de Gortari.
The group took control of several municipalities in Chiapas during a
two-week uprising. There have been no new clashes between the
Zapatistas and the Mexican armed forces in more than 13 years. During
the presidential term of Vicente Fox, the Zapatistas marched to
Mexico City and presented their case to the Mexican Congress. The
legislative branch eventually endorsed an indigenous rights bill, but
the final document did not satisfy the Zapatistas. The EZLN has since
established 32 "autonomous settlements" in Chiapas without the
support of the Mexican government.

Polling Data

Are you familiar with the following guerrilla groups? ("Yes" responses only)

Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN)  63%

Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR)  36%

Under which of these conditions is a guerrilla movement justified?
("Yes" responses only)

To deal with the population's poverty      43%

To combat the authoritarianism of an administration 33%


To create a revolution and topple the government 20%

Source: Ipsos-Bimsa / El Universal Methodology: Face-to-face
interviews with 1,000 Mexican adults, conducted in December 2007.
Margin of error is 3.5 per cent.

Source: Angus Reid Global Monitor: 12/11
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UN DENOUNCES RACISM AGAINST INDIGENOUS WOMAN

The Mexican chapter of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
revealed that indigenous women in the states of Guerrero, Chiapas and
Oaxaca suffer sexual, work, educational and health discrimination. A
statement by UN representative Louis Arbour recommended the adoption
of legislative, administrative, budgetary and judicial measures to
overcome this situation.

Arbour explained that racism and sexism are great work loads for
indigenous women, as well as is immigration of women to farm fields
in northern Mexico and the United States and the abandonment of
widows and minors. Cases of sexual abuse or physical mistreatment by
teachers, as well as discrimination in indigenous school shelters,
have been reported among the child population, he noted. The UN body
added that regarding health, this population segment is also hit by
malnutrition, mother and child mortality and an increasing presence
of HIV AIDS.

Source: Prensa Latina: 12/11
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GUNMEN KILL CRIME REPORTER

Mexican reporter Gerardo Israel García Pimentel was assassinated as
he was entering the hotel where he lived in Uruapan, the second
largest city in the central state of Michoacán. The Committee to
Protect Journalists is investigating possible links between Garcia's
death and his work as a journalist. On Saturday (12/08) afternoon,
unidentified individuals chased García on his motorcycle through
Uruapan, according local press reports. García sought refuge at the
Hotel Ruán. As he entered the hotel, two gunmen shot him at close
range at least 20 times, police told local reporters on Saturday
evening. Police added that some 50 shell casings, nearly all from
AR-15 semiautomatic rifles, were found at the scene. Michoacán state
police have yet to announce possible motives for the murder. Calls to
the federal special prosecutor for crimes against journalists were
not immediately returned.

García, 28, worked for five years as a reporter for La Opinion de
Michoacán, the largest daily newspaper in Uruapan. He covered
agriculture and sometimes stepped in to report on crime, García's
colleagues told CPJ. Reporters at other newspapers in Michoacán told
CPJ that García was considered a low-key reporter, not likely to
aggressively pursue sensitive stories or those related to organized
crime.

"We are saddened by the death of Gerardo Israel García Pimentel,"
said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. "We call on the authorities
to conduct a speedy and thorough investigation into García's murder
and to bring all those responsible to justice. Journalists in
Michoacán are under serious threat-it is time for the authorities to
step up and provide protection so that reporters can do their work
without fear."

Mexico's drug cartels are battling for control of regions key to
trafficking South American cocaine and other drugs into the United
States. Mexican journalists are targets of threats and attacks,
especially when they cover the drug gangs.

Press freedom group Reporters Without Borders says nine journalists
were killed in Mexico in 2006 for reporting on drug trafficking or
violent unrest, making it the world's most dangerous place for
reporters after Iraq. The area around Uruapan is the scene of
frequent violence and was one of the first places targeted by
President Felipe Calderon in a crackdown on drug gangs that began
last year. More than 25,000 soldiers, marines and federal police have
been deployed to Michoacan and other violent regions to disrupt
narcotics smuggling and hunt gang members.

In July, a drug gang threatened to kill foreign journalists who
report on the violence between rival cartels and security forces
along the U.S.-Mexico border. In response, two Texas-based newspapers
pulled their reporters from the area.

Sources: Reuters: 12/08; Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ): 12/10
====

U.S. TAKES STEPS AGAINST MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL

The United States, seeking to bolster its counternarcotics
cooperation with Mexico, slapped financial sanctions on companies and
people it said were involved in money laundering and other activities
linked to a major Mexican drug cartel. The Bush administration said
it had targeted 23 people with alleged links to drug smuggling and 19
businesses accused of serving as "front companies" for the Sinaloa
alliance of drug gangs that is considered Mexico's most powerful
cartel. The label blocks those individuals and firms from doing
business with Americans and from using the U.S. financial system.

"With this designation, the United States is exposing and sanctioning
a principal money laundering organization and attacking the financial
underpinnings of the Sinaloa drug organization," the White House said
in a statement. During a visit to Mexico by President George W. Bush
in March, the two countries launched the so-called "Merida
Initiative" to discuss ways to crack down on narcotics trafficking.
Combating the drug trade has been a key priority of Mexican President
Felipe Calderon amid a surge in murders related to the drug trade.
Calderon's year-long army crackdown on drug gangs along the border
and throughout much of Mexico has disrupted smuggling routes and
forced up the price of cocaine on U.S. streets, but drug-related
killings have continued.

Turf wars between drug cartels smuggling South American cocaine and
other illegal drugs have killed around 2,350 people in Mexico this
year. The Bush administration, hoping to halt the flow of narcotics
across the border, has asked Congress for $500 million for
counternarcotics efforts in Mexico. That money would be the first
installment of a total of $1.4 billion that Washington has pledged
over three years toward a cooperative effort with Mexico to go after
drug gangs. Among those targeted by the sanctions was Blanca
Margarita Cazares Salazar, whom the Bush administration accused of
being a money launderer with a widespread network of activities. Also
known as Blanca Cazares Gastelum, she is the sister of alleged
Mexican drug kingpin Victor Emilio Cazares Salazar, according to a
statement from the U.S. Treasury. "Blanca Cazares' money laundering
organization operates throughout Mexico and in California, and is run
by members of her immediate and extended family," the statement said.

Source: Reuters: 12/12
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BORDER NEWS: CALDERON LEADER SEEKS TEMPERED ATTITUDES

President Felipe Calderon told Mexican consuls to the U.S. and Canada
that they must work to "neutralize" anti-immigrant attitudes north of
the border. Calderon's instructions came two days after he accused
U.S. presidential candidates of "swaggering, macho and anti-Mexican"
posturing. He also warned the U.S. Congress not to impose conditions
on a $1.4 billion anti-drug aid package.

The Mexican leader asked his diplomatic representatives in the U.S.
to participate in the public debate on immigration by appearing at
public events, talking more to the media and working with nonprofit
groups to promote Mexican immigrants' role in supporting the U.S.
economy. "The key is to neutralize this strategy of confrontation and
discrimination that forms part of U.S. society's mistaken perception,
and be able to newly focus arguments on the complimentary aspects of
our economies," he said. Calderon complained about "the seeds of
animosity, or in some cases even hate and discrimination, that are
being planted are not only against immigrants, but sometimes against
Mexicans in general." He said the increasingly hostile attitude
toward Mexicans was "affecting our bilateral relationship" with the
U.S. "The worst mistake that we can make, both in the U.S. and in
Mexico, is make our respective people feel that the other nation is
the enemy," he said. Mexico has pushed for an immigration accord and
better treatment of its estimated 11 million citizens who live in the
U.S. Some 6 million are believed to be there illegally.

Source: Associated Press: 12/07
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JUSTICE SYSTEM OVERHAUL STALLS

A plan to dramatically overhaul Mexico's criminal justice system and
give broad new powers to police ran into significant opposition with
the country's top human rights official speaking out against it. The
changes are a cornerstone of President Felipe Calderon's initiative
against organized crime. Many analysts and lawmakers say they would
bring needed reform to Mexico's inefficient system for gathering
evidence in criminal prosecutions. But Jose Luis Soberanes, the
country's human rights ombudsman, expressed concerns that provisions
allowing warrantless searches and house arrest for uncharged suspects
would erode basic constitutional rights.

Backers hoped to win final approval in the Senate this week, after
the lower house of Congress, the Chamber of Deputies, approved the
plan. But a Senate commission, reacting to the criticisms, made
significant changes to the proposals. Both houses of Congress begin
their holiday recesses and the amended proposals will not be
considered until February.

The series of constitutional amendments would transform the manner in
which criminal defendants face justice. Defendants would receive
U.S.-style public trials for the first time, and win the right to
face their accusers in court. "This is the most important change to
our justice system in a century," said Cesar Camacho Quiroz, a
congressman for the Institutional Revolutionary Party who backed the
bill. "It's vital for the fight against crime . . . and to create a
modern and agile system of justice." Mexico is suffering from a crime
wave tied to drug trafficking that has left about 5,000 people dead
over the last two years.

But human rights groups complained this week about provisions that
would give police the right to enter homes without search warrants
and allow authorities to detain suspects under house arrest for up to
80 days without being charged. Some aspects of the proposal "are a
step back" from the "tradition of guaranteeing the fundamental rights
of Mexicans," Soberanes said. Law professor Miguel Carbonell of the
National Autonomous University of Mexico called the proposed overhaul
"the Guantanamo Initiative" because he said it would grant
authorities Kafkaesque powers. "These proposals would give the police
the right to hold people without charges, and enshrine that right in
the constitution," Carbonell said. Investigators would also have the
right to inspect bank, telephone and other records without a warrant.

Most members of Mexico's legal community backed the provisions of the
overhaul aimed at changing how criminal trials are conducted.
Criminal justice in Mexico is a highly bureaucratic affair.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys question witnesses before a
stenographer and judges render their decisions after reading reams of
transcripts. Almost three-quarters of defendants go to trial without
defense attorneys. And 71% of convicted defendants in one survey said
they never saw a judge before being sentenced, said Ana Laura
Magaloni, a law professor at the Center for Investigation and
Economic Research here. Corruption often makes judges pawns of
prosecutors, Magaloni said. At the same time, kidnappers, drug
traffickers and other professional criminals can evade justice
because high-priced lawyers often find gaping holes in the
prosecution case because the system of gathering and processing
evidence is so weak. "The system is only good at capturing and trying
common criminals," Magaloni said. About 47% of people in Mexico
City's prisons are serving sentences for robbery involving sums of
less than $20. Legal analysts said the proposed changes would mirror
recent reforms in other Latin American countries, including Chile,
that have shortened the time defendants must spend in custody as
their cases slowly proceed.

The Chamber of Deputies approved the proposals late Wednesday despite
strong opposition from many legislators of the Democratic Revolution
Party. But a move to quickly approve the measures in the Senate
faltered Thursday. Instead, a Senate commission amended the
provisions that granted new search powers to the police, restricting
warrantless searches to cases in which a person's life is in danger,
and requiring a judge's approval for access to financial and other
records.

Source: Los Angeles Times: 12/14

====
The above articles were originally published and copyrighted by the
listed sources. These articles are offered for educational purposes
which CIS maintains is  'fair use' of copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.

end: Mexico Week In Review: 12.10-12.16
--