Chiapas Support Committee
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Resumen de Noticias sobre los Zapatistas – Agosto del 2012
AGOSTO DEL 2012 RESUMEN DE NOTICIAS SOBRE LOS ZAPATISTAS
En Chiapas
1. Recopilación de firmas para los zapatistas en San Marcos Aviles y Francisco Santiz Lopez. ¡Favor de añadir su firma! – Siguen las amenazas de violencia y desalojo contra bases de apoyo zapatista en San Marcos Aviles. Están pidiendo nuestro apoyo. Los zapatistas temen otro posible desalojo violento. Todos los cultivos, animales y materiales de construcción de los zapatistas han sido robados por miembros de los partidos políticos y no hay suficiente alimento para durarles hasta la próxima cosecha. Una campaña internacional esta en marcha para recopilar firmas en la Declaración en Apoyo a San Marcos Aviles y al preso político zapatista Francisco Santiz Lopez. Esperamos que usted tome una posición a favor de los derechos humanos y la libertad mandándonos su firma. Se puede encontrar la Declaración e instrucciones sobre como añadir su firma en nuestro blog:
2. Justicia retrasada para miembros del ejido Tila – Adherentes a la Otra Campaña Zapatista viajaron desde Tila en la zona norte de Chiapas hasta la Ciudad de México para estar presentes cuando la Corte Suprema dictó la decisión sobre su caso respecto a 130 hectáreas de tierra que el gobierno del estado de Chiapas y autoridades municipales les quitaron. Se esperaba una decisión el 2 de agosto, pero la corte dijo que tenia otros casos que iban a determinar antes y, por tanto, no decidieron sobre el caso.
3. La Juntas de Buen Gobierno de Morelia y La Realidad denuncian ataques – El 15 de agosto del 2012, las Juntas Zapatistas de Morelia y La Realidad denunciaron ataques. La Junta de Morelia acusó a miembros de la ORCAO de una serie de incidentes que involucraron armas de fuego y amenazas de muerte en la comunidad de Moises Gandhi. La ORCAO (Organización Regiónal de Cafeticultores Agrícolas de Ocosingo) también han fumigado las tierras de pastoreo en varias comunidades zapatistas. La Realidad denunció un ataque contra el almacén de café zapatista cerca del ejido San Carlos por dos partidos políticos, el PRI y el PVEM. Estos miembros de partidos políticos levantaron un cerco alrededor del almacén y cortaron la luz eléctrica en su intento de quitarles el almacén a los zapatistas, quienes allí guardan y venden sus productos de café.
4. Información actualizada sobre el caso de Alberto Patishtan – La campaña para obtener la liberación de Alberto Patishtan Gomez, un preso político y adherente de la Otra Campaña, a entrado a una nueva fase. Un abogado que se especializa en casos de violaciones de derechos humanos esta intentando obtener una reunión con el presidente de la Corte Suprema de México. El objetivo de la reunión es pedir la creación de un nuevo mecanismo legal para abrir un espacio donde Patishtan pueda demostrar su inocencia. Quines apoyan a Patishtan están pidiendo cartas dirigidas a la Corte pidiendo que se apoye este cambio. Su pagina web tiene la dirección y un ejemplo de la carta pedida:
http://www.redtdt.org.mx/d_acciones/d_visual.php?id_accion=224
En otros lugares de México
1. Dos agentes de la CIA fueron “emboscados” y heridos por miembros de la policía federal mexicana – El 24 de agosto , vehículos conducidos supuestamente por miembros de la policía federal mexicana persiguieron, detuvieron y dispararon repetidamente a quemarropa contra un vehículo de la embajada estadounidense con placas diplomáticas. Dos agentes de la CIA y un capitán de la marina mexicana se encontraban dentro del vehículo de la embajada EEUU. El vehículo estadounidense portaba el nivel de blindaje más alto disponible y, por eso, los ocupantes del mismo solo fueron heridos levemente. Los agentes de la CIA y el oficial de la marina se dirigian rumbo a un campo de tiro ubicado en un centro de entrenamiento naval secreto en el estado de México. El asalto ocurrió en el estado de Morelos, en la carretera Ciudad de México-Cuernavaca. Uno de los hechos sospechosos del asalto fue que los agentes de la policia federal estaban vestidos de civil. El fiscal general de México declaró que la policía federal se habia “confundido”. La Embajada de los EEUU lo denominó una “emboscada”. 12 de los 18 agentes federales involucrados en la balacera estarán detenidos sin cargos por 40 días bajo un concepto legal relativamente nuevo de “arraigo” hasta que la investigación sea completada. El Departamento de Estado de EEUU no hará ninguna declaración hasta que se complete la investigación, en la cual están colaborando autoridades estadounidenses y mexicanas. Según La Jornada, una de las hipótesis que están investigando es si miembros del crimen organizado estuvieron involucrados.
2. Cuestionamientos electorales desestimados – El 30 de agosto, el Tribunal Electoral mexicano desestimó todos los cuestionamientos que se habían registrado en contra de las elecciones presidenciales del 1 de julio, como si fueran basura. La decisión se firmó al siguiente día. Esto significa que Enrique Peña Nieto es oficialmente el presidente electo de la república mexicana y tomará posesión de su cargo el 1 de diciembre de este año. #YoSoy132 organizó un “Funeral para la Democracia” para expresar su inconformidad en el Distrito Federal, asi como en varios estados. Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) ha prometido que habrá desobediencia civil.
3. Asesinatos en México: ¡95.000 desde 2007! – Este mes, el Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía mexicano (INEGI) dio a conocer la cifra de asesinatos en México desde 2007, el año cuando el Presidente Felipe Calderón sacó al Ejército Mexicano a las calles a realizar funciones de policía en el combate contra el crimen. El INEGI mencionó también que en el 2011 se cometieron 27,199 homicidios en México. Esto significa que 74 personas fueron asesinadas cada día, es decir 3 cada hora o uno cada 20 minutos, durante el quinto año de esta administración, lo que implica una cifra 160% más alta que el número de asesinatos cometidos durante 2006.
4. La Suprema Corte dicta 2 sentencias relacionados con la inmunidad castrense – El 21 de agosto, la Suprema Corte de Justicia en la Nación (SCJN) en México decretó inconstitucionalidad en una sección del Código Militar que permitía que soldados acusados de abusos en contra de civiles fueran juzgados en tribunales militares. El 30 de agosto, la SCJN dictó otra resolución repitiendo que la misma sección del Código es inconstitucional, y transfirió el caso de un miembro del ejército acusado de abuso infantil a un tribunal civil. Esto significa un paso importante para las víctimas de abusos de los derechos humanos perpetrados por soldados, y algo que l@s defensores de derechos humanos han esperado por mucho tiempo. Existen muchos más casos similares a este pendientes ante la SCJN. Una vez que sean resueltos, las limitaciones a la inmunidad castrense serán más claramente definidas.
En Los EEUU
1. La campaña de Sicilia viaja a través de los Estados Unidos -El Movimiento por la Paz con Justicia y Dignidad (MPJD), encabezado por el poeta y periodista mexicano Javier Sicilia, inició dentro de los Estados Unidos una caravana por la paz que arrancó en San Diego, California el 12 de agosto. Hasta el momento, la caravana ha viajado a través de los estados de California, Arizona, Nuevo México, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi y Georgia abordando 5 cuestiones de política de U.S. a lo largo de su ruta hacia Washington DC: 1) financiamiento estadounidense de una guerra contra las drogas en México a través de la Iniciativa Mérida; 2) tratamiento humano a los inmigrantes; 3) tráfico de armas hacia México; 4) blanqueo de dinero de la droga por bancos estadounidenses; y 5) la militarización de la política exterior norteamericana. Tras la visita de la caravana a El Paso, Texas, el consejo municipal aprobó una resolución pidiendo al gobierno federal estadounidense solidaridad con las víctimas de la violencia en México, una discusión sobre política de drogas de los Estados Unidos y un código de conducta para la venta de armas. En Phoenix, Sicilia se reunió con el Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Sicilia declaró después en una entrevista que creía que el sheriff era un “adicto al racismo”. El huracán Isaac impidió a la caravana su parada en Nueva Orleans. El itinerario de la Caravana por la Paz está publicado en nuestro blog: https://compamanuel.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/javier-sicilia-and-the-caravan-for-peace-us-schedule/
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Chiapas Support Committee/Comité de Apoyo a Chiapas
P.O. Box 3421, Oakland, CA 94609
Tel: (510) 654-9587
Email: cezmat@igc.org
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chiapas-Support-Committee-Oakland/86234490686
https://compamanuel.wordpress.com
Raúl Zibechi: The Peace of Extractivism
The Peace of Extractivism In Colombia
By: Raúl Zibechi
The struggle between the guerrilla and the State was a true war of classes in Colombia. The young campesino liberal Pedro Marín became Manuel Marulanda when the violence, started by the assassination of the head of the Liberal Party Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, April 9, 1948, forced him to flee into the woods to save his life. The Bogotazo, the popular urban uprising in response to the crime, was the epicenter of a war between conservatives and liberals that in 10 years reaped the life of 200, 000 Colombians.
Poor campesinos were not included in the National Front that in 1958 sealed the peace between the conservative power and the liberal “doctors” of the cities, because the war was made to steal their land and disorganizing them as a class. In order to survive they became guerrillas, created self-defense and, with time and disillusion, became communists. In 1966, the FARC was born from those confluences, opening a new stage in campesino struggles.
Military offensives failed and facing the territorial expansion of the armed organizations, two moments for negotiations were opened. Under the presidency of Belisario Betancur (1982-1986) there was a truce within the framework from which the Patriotic Union was formed, in 1985, in which the Communist Party was included. The new force obtained five senators, 14 deputies and 23 mayors, but in the following years was practically exterminated by paramilitaries, soldiers and drug traffickers. Thirteen deputies and 70 council members, 11 mayors and several thousand were murdered. During the government of Andrés Pastrana (1998-2002) a “zone for detente” was created at the Caguán River, which encompassed four municipalities and 42, 000 square kilometers. At the same time, in 1999 the government signed Plan Colombia with the United States, which subordinated Pastrana’s policy to it and inclined it to renew the war.
On this occasion, everything indicates that the general agreement for ending the conflict and the construction of a stable and lasting peace between the government of Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC, with the explicit possibility of “the abandonment of arms,” can put an end to the war. It is possible the other armed group, the ELN, will be incorporated into the negotiations.
The new relation of forces in Colombia, the region and the world make possible that an end to the 60-year war is coming.
The first is that Colombian society has changed profoundly in this half century. We’re dealing with a majority urban population, whose principal demand is not land, but housing, which desires the end of the conflict and participates in social movements that are impacting the principal cities, where the conservatives and liberals no longer govern. The second is that the dominant classes, whose best expression in these times is President Santos, accumulate now around the extractive model (hydrocarbons, mining and mono-crops), no longer by means of plundering of the campesino. The map of extractivism is one of armed conflict. Dedicating a part of the gigantic war budget to infrastructure works is urgent for lubricating the flow of commodities and to continue attracting investments.
The end of the conflict makes another war visible: the multi-nationals against the peoples. The Constitution of 1991 recognizes the ancestral territories of indigenous and Afro-descendents under the name “shields.” More than 600 indigenous shields have been created that occupy one third of the Colombian territory and are the zones of expansion of extractivism. The third question is the change in the relation of forces. The Colombian Armed Forces have been strengthened and have an elevated capacity for combat. The FARC have been weakened, they cannot win on the military terrain and they lost legitimacy. The economic, cultural and social changes moved the axis of the social conflict to the cities. In rural areas the FARC fell out with the indigenous, which are the principal force that resists the extractive model. The fourth are the new geopolitical winds. The South American countries do not want conflicts. Venezuela is more preoccupied by managing its economy. Brazil tends bridges to Colombian entrepreneurs and Brasilia seeks to consolidate the presence of Bogotá in the Unasur. The Mercosur countries, which can be expanded with Bolivia and Ecuador, gamble on winning the economic competition with those that belong to the Pacific Alliance (Mexico, Chile, Peru and Colombia).
The United States is repositioning its Armed Forces in the Pacific to contain China and does not seem in a position of opening new war scenarios in other parts of the world. It is possible that the Pacific Alliance, situated in the bilateral FTAs, begins to have a more active role in US diplomacy than Plan Colombia, without supplanting it as a “final solution” to its hegemonic decline. It will depend on who occupies the White House in January.
Finally, it must be understood that the principal enemy of Santos is not Hugo Chávez or the FARC, but rather Álvaro Uribe. As well as the soldiers that interceded in boycotting the previous peace processes, Uribe needs the war to stay afloat. Santos has, as Alfredo Molano points out in an excellent article titled Be Quiet! (El Espectador, 1º de setiembre de 2012), a demolishing argument: sending him on a DEA plane to the United States.
For the movements, the end of the war is not peace, but the continuation of the struggle in a more favorable scenario. In full conflict, confronting repression and death, they were capable of carrying out big mobilizations, like the Social and Communitarian Minga of 2008, impelled by the Nasa communities of Cauca, and of getting the Congress of the Peoples underway, where multiple collectives came together. Now they are prepared to continue, “walking the word,” defending their territories from the multi-nationals. The “peace of extractivism” approaches and with it comes a new cycle of struggles of those from below.
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Originally Published in Spanish by La Jornada
English translation: Chiapas Support Committee
Friday, September 7, 2012
En español: http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2012/09/07/opinion/021a2pol
Zapatista News Summary – August 2012
AUGUST 2012 ZAPATISTA NEWS SUMMARY
In Chiapas
1. Collection of Signatures for Zapatistas in San Marcos Avilés and Francisco Sántiz López! Please Sign On! – Threats of violence and eviction continue against Zapatista support bases in San Marcos Avilés. They are asking for our support. The Zapatistas fear another, and possibly violent eviction. All the Zapatistas’ crops, animals and building supplies have been stolen by political party members and there is not enough food to last them until the next harvest. A global campaign is underway to collect signatures on a Declaration in Support of San Marcos Avilés and Zapatista political prisoner Franciso Sántiz López. We hope you will take a stand for human rights and freedom by sending us your signature. The Declaration and how to sign is posted on our blog (below) at: https://compamanuel.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/please-sign-this-declaration-in-support-of-the-zapatistas/
2. Justice Delayed for Tila’s Ejido Members – Adherents to the EZLN’s Other Campaign traveled all the way from Tila, in the Northern Zone of Chiapas, to Mexico City to be present when Mexico’s Supreme Court issued a decision on their case concerning the 321 acres (130 hectares) of land that the Chiapas state government and municipal authorities took away from them. A decision was expected on August 2, but the Court said it had other cases to decide first and, therefore, did not rule on the case.
3. Zapatista Good Government Juntas of Morelia and La Realidad Denounce Attacks – On August 15, 2012, both Zapatista Juntas (Morelia and La Realidad) denounced attacks. The Junta in Morelia accused ORCAO members of a succession of incidents involving firearms and death threats in Moisés Gandhí community. The ORCAO (Regional Organization of Ocosingo Coffee Growers) members have also fumigated pastureland in several Zapatista communities. La Realidad denounced an attack on the Zapatista coffee warehouse near the San Carlos Ejido by members of two political parties, the PRI and the PVEM. These political party members put up a fence around the warehouse and cut off its electricity in their attempt to take the warehouse away from the Zapatistas, who store and sell their coffee products there.
4. Update on Alberto Patishtán Case – The effort to obtain freedom for Alberto Patishtán Gómez, a political prisoner and Other Campaign adherent, has entered a new phase. A lawyer specializing in human rights cases is attempting to obtain a meeting with the president of Mexico’s Supreme Court. The purpose of such a meeting is to request the creation of an innovative legal mechanism to open a space for Patishtán to prove his innocence. Patishtán’s supporters are asking for letters addressed to the Court supporting such a move. Their website provides an address and sample letter: http://albertopatishtan.blogspot.fr/2012/08/accion-carta-scjn.html
In Other Parts of Mexico
1. Two CIA Agents “Ambushed” and Injured by Mexican Federal Police – On August 24, vehicles allegedly carrying Mexican Federal Police pursued, stopped and repeatedly shot from close range at a US Embassy vehicle with diplomatic license plates. Inside the US Embassy’s SUV were 2 CIA agents and a Mexican Navy captain. The Embassy vehicle had the highest level of armored plating available and, therefore, the vehicle’s occupants were only slightly injured. The CIA agents and the Navy captain were on their way to a shooting range on a secret Navy training facility in the state of Mexico. The attack occurred in the state of Morelos, on the Mexico City-Cuernavaca Highway. One of the many suspicious facts is that the Federal Police were dressed in civilian clothing. Mexico’s Attorney General took the position that the federal police were “confused.” The US Embassy called it an “ambush.” 12 of the 18 federal police involved in the shooting are being held without charges for 40 days under the relatively new legal figure of “arraigo” until the investigation is complete. The US State Department is withholding any statement pending the completion of the investigation, in which the US and Mexican authorities are now collaborating. According to La Jornada, one of the lines of investigation is whether or not members of organized crime were involved.
2. Election Challenges Thrown Out! – On August 30, Mexico’s Electoral Tribunal threw out all challenges to the July 1 presidential election like pieces of garbage. The decision was signed the following day. This means that Enrique Peña Nieto is officially the president-elect of Mexico and will take office on December 1 of this year. #YoSoy132 held a “Funeral for Democracy” to protest the ruling in Mexico City, as well in various states. Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) has also promised civil disobedience.
3. Murders in Mexico: 95,000 Since 2007! – This month, Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi, its initials in Spanish) released its figures on the number of murders in Mexico since 2007, the year when President Felipe Calderón sent the Mexican Army into the streets to perform the police function of fighting crime. Inegi also reported that 27,199 homicides were committed in Mexico in 2011. This means that 74 people died every day because of murder, three per hour or one every 20 minutes during the fifth year of this government, a portion 160 percent higher than the number of homicides perpetrated in 2006.
4. Mexico’s Supreme Court Issues 2 Rulings on Military Immunity – On August 21, Mexico’s Supreme Court of Justice ruled unconstitutional a section of the Military Code that permitted soldiers accused of abusing civilians to be tried in military courts. On August 30, the Supreme Court issued a second ruling that found the same section of the Military Code unconstitutional and transferred the case of a member of the military accused of child abuse to a civilian court. This is an important step for victims of human rights and other abuses by soldiers and a step long-sought by human rights advocates. There are several more cases involving this issue pending before the Supreme Court. Once all are resolved, the limits of military immunity will be more clearly defined.
In the United States
1. Sicilia’s US Campaign Travels Through the United Stateas – The Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity (MPJD), headed by Mexican poet and journalist Javier Sicilia, started a US Peace Caravan in San Diego, California, on August 12. So far, the Caravan has traveled through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas , Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia addressing 5 US policy issues along its route to Washington DC: 1) US funding of a Drug War in Mexico through the Merida Initiative; 2) humane treatment of immigrants; 3) arms trafficking to Mexico; 4) laundering of drug money by US banks; and 5) the militarization of US foreign policy. Following the Caravan’s visit to El Paso, Texas, the City Council passed a resolution asking the US federal government for solidarity with the victims of violence in Mexico, a discussion of US drug policy and a code of conduct for arms sales. In Phoenix, Sicilia met with Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Sicilia stated in an interview afterwards that he believed the sheriff was “addicted to racism.” Hurricane Isaac prevented the Caravan from stopping in New Orleans. The Peace Caravan’s itinerary is posted on our blog: https://compamanuel.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/javier-sicilia-and-the-caravan-for-peace-us-schedule/
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Compiled monthly by the Chiapas Support Committee.
The primary sources for our information are: La Jornada, Enlace Zapatista and the Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center (Frayba).
We encourage folks to distribute this information widely, but please include our name and contact information in the distribution. Gracias/Thanks.
Click on the Donate button of www.chiapas-support.org to support indigenous autonomy.
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Javier Sicilia Meets With Sheriff Arpaio
Sicilia Comes Face-to-Face with the Sheriff Labeled As Racist and Demands that He “Be More Human”
Javier Sicilia confronted Sheriff Joe Arpaio Photo: Notimex
From the Editors of La Jornada
Phoenix, Arizona, August 16, 2012. In an unpublished meeting, the leader of the Caravan for Peace, Javier Sicilia, asked Maricopa County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio, who has distinguished himself by impelling actions to discriminate against Mexican and Latin American immigrants, “to be more humane” with undocumented detainees within his jurisdiction.
In the meeting that lasted one hour, Sicilia proposed, according to Caravan members that were present, that he control the sale of weapons of extermination, to which the US sheriff replied: “You control the flow of drugs.”
At the end of the meeting, Arpaio proposed to the Mexican poet that when the Caravan through the Unites States ends, he should return to dialogue, but “alone.”
The interview, which was held in the sheriff’s offices, had a complicated start when Arpaio conditioned the celebration of the meeting on the activist Carlos García, the local leader of the El Puente organization, leaving the offices. Other activists from US organizations that support the cause of the Movement for Peace, stayed in the place.
“We did not come at war but in peace, to tell you that you have 50 per cent of the responsibility for the war in Mexico.” Sicilia maintained the tone of his talk and surprised his interlocutor: “I ask you if treating immigrants like dogs is a correct policy.”
The sheriff did not become ruffled and said: “I do not administer the jails.”
Afterwards, there was an exchange of opinions between Sicilia and Arpaio. The former recognized that the Mexican government is corrupt, that they imposed a war against drugs, and added that the theme of narcotics is not a national security issue. “You want to avoid consumption, but you have a responsibility with 23 million addicts.”
The sheriff answered that the responsibility for the drug problem is with the producer countries and added that he doesn’t like to offer opinions about the governments of other countries; aside from the responsibility of complying with the law.
Sicilia insisted on questioning Arpaio about how being Catholic he could discriminate against the immigrants, to which the sheriff answered that he didn’t mix religion with policy, and that his beliefs have nothing to do with immigration or the law.
At the end, Sicilia invited him to Mexico, after urging him to have more humane and dignified conditions for the immigrants, “it would be a gesture of humanity that we would take with us;” Arpaio rejected the gesture upon asserting that drug cartels put a price on his head.
Afterwards, members of the Caravan for Peace visited the prison camp known as Tent City, “to denounce the criminalization and inhuman treatment that the undocumented and persons that consume drugs receive.”
Local police installed the camp in 1993 to “solve” overpopulation in the prisons. At the place, members of the Caravan and of local organizations locales protective of immigrant rights remembered that Arpaio is subject to investigation, among other things, for having handcuffed an undocumented Mexican woman in full labor of childbirth and of separating her from her baby.
In this place, known as “Tent City”, Arpaio dresses the prisoners with red shorts y scuffs and feeds them one sandwich a day, and it is alleged that he spends more on feeding his dogs than his detainees, they denounced.
At the Phoenix Civic Center, the pacifist movement that the Mexican poet heads gave voice to relatives of the victims of violence. More than 40 of them gave their testimony there.
This has been the occasion, ever since the Caravan started last Sunday, in which a greater possibility has been presented for the victims of the violence in Mexico due to the war against drugs to speak.
Later the Caravan headed for Tucson, where Sicilia is expected to give a speech that he prepared before starting his tour through 27 US cities, to conclude in Washington next September 12.
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Originally Published in Spanish by La Jornada
English Translation: Chiapas Support Committee
Friday, August 17, 2012
En español: http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2012/08/17/politica/013n1pol
Resumen de Noticias Sobre Los Zapatistas – Julio de 2012
JULIO del 2012 RESUMEN DE NOTICIAS SOBRE LOS ZAPATISTAS
En Chiapas
1. Alberto Patishtan regresa a la cárcel en San Cristóbal – Un tribunal federal de apelaciones confirmó la decisión de un juez federal en Chiapas que ordenó el regreso de Alberto Patishtan a la prisión estatal en San Cristóbal. Después de un largo aplazamiento, el 26 de julio el gobierno por fin cumplió la orden de la corte y trasladó a Patishtan de la prisión de alta seguridad en Sinaloa a la prisión en Chiapas. Este es un triunfo pequeño en el largo camino hacia su liberación. Otro reto que él enfrenta es obtener el tratamiento médico que necesita.
2. La campaña para liberar a Alberto Patishtan y Francisco Santiz López – En julio se realizó la tercera semana de lucha para ganar la liberación de Alberto Patishtan y Francisco Santiz López, llamada “!Derribamos los muros de la prisión!”. Patishtan es miembro de la Otra Campaña Zapatista y Santiz es un base de apoyo zapatista. La protesta nacional e internacional, apoyada por los zapatistas y los amigos y familiares de Alberto Patishtan, de nuevo recibió apoyo alrededor del mundo. El Comité en Apoyo a Chiapas hizo circular una carta exigiendo la liberación de Patishtan y Santiz durante nuestro Foro Comunitario sobre México. El Foro fue muy concurrido y obtuvimos muchas firmas para la carta. Muchas gracias a tod@s aquellos que firmaron la carta. Lo enviamos al Presidente Felipe Calderón.
3. Siguen los intentos de desalojo a los Zapatistas en San Marcos Aviles – El 25 de julio, La Jornada publicó un articulo que resume una petición de apoyo por parte de bases de apoyo zapatistas de San Marcos Aviles a la sociedad civil nacional e internacional. La comunidad teme otro desalojo. El primer ocurrió en 2010 después de que los zapatistas construyeron una escuela primaria como parte de la construcción de autonomía. La comunidad dividida esta gobernada oficialmente por miembros de los tres partidos políticos que no quieren que los zapatista y sus escuelas autónomas amenacen su poder y control político. Ese primer desalojo desplazó a los zapatistas hacia las montañas boscosas donde sobrevivieron 33 días sin techo. Estos mismos actos que ocurrieron antes, ahora están presentandose de nuevo. Toda la cosecha, los animales y los materiales de construcción de los zapatistas han sido robados por los miembros de los partidos políticos, y han amenazado a los zapatistas con ser expulsados. Hay una campaña global de solidaridad con San Marcos Aviles, en el municipio de Chilón. La primera fase de la campaña es la publicación de información sobre lo que está pasando. Se puede mirar un video bilingüe con el testimonio de unos zapatistas residentes de San Marcos Aviles, aquí:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY-8CBt3Vkg
4. Caravana para Tierra y Territorio llega al Distrito Federal – Adherentes a la Otra Campaña del EZLN anunciaron detalles sobre una marcha y caravana que se emprenderá desde la Zona Norte de Chiapas hasta la Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal. El gobierno del estado de Chiapas y las autoridades municipales les han quitado aproximádamente 130 hectáreas de territorio a los poseedores Choles del ejido. El gobierno ha rechazado cumplir lo dictado por la justicia establecida, y el caso fue llevado hasta la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación (SCJN). La decisión se preveé dar el 2 de agosto. La caravana se inició en Tila el lunes 30 de julio, llegando a San Cristóbal de Las Casas ese mismo día para presentarse en una conferencia de prensa que incluyó a los compañeros del Frente para la Defensa de la Tierra (FPDT) de Atenco, antes de continuar hasta el Distrito Federal.
Por Otras Partes de México
1. Comicios mexicanos – El primero de Julio, los mexicanos votaron para elegir al nuevo presidente de la república asi como a quienes ocuparán otros puestos de representación tanto nacional, estatal y municipal. El Tribunal Federal Electoral, certificó al candidato del PRI, Enrique Peña Nieto, como el ganador de la contienda. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, candidato del PRD, y quién perdió por diferencia de tres millones de votos, reclama la invalidez de la elección. Su reclamo se basa en que el PRI excedió los límites del gasto de campaña en diferentes formas, incluyendo la compra de votos con tarjetas de regalo pre-pagadas. También aclama que la propaganda difundida por la red de televisión pro-PRI sea considerada como gasto de campaña, y que las encuestas fueron manipuladas para dar impresiones falsas.
2. Protestas contras las elecciones – Además del desafío legal formal a la elección, la cual muchos creen que no tendrá mucha oportunidad de tener éxito, la sociedad civil mexicana se está organizando contra lo que refieren como “la imposición” de Peña Nieto. El 14 y 15 de julio, representantes de algunas 300 organizaciones sociales se reunieron en San Salvador Atenco para la Primera Convención Nacional contra la Imposición. Además de la organización patrocinadora que surgió allí, el Frente de los Pueblos en Defensa de la Tierra (FPDT), estuvieron también integrantes de Yo Soy #132 (movimiento estudiantil), el SME (Sindicato de Electricistas), la CNTE (Coordinadora de Maestros) y de algunas comunidades incluyendo representantes de Cherán. Las y los representantes acordaron una agenda de acciones de protesta (que ya se están llevando a cabo) que se implementarán de aquí hasta la fecha de la toma de posesión de Peña Nieto: 1 de diciembre, 2012. Las y los representantes regresaron a sus organizaciones para que se apruebe cada acción. Por mientras, las y los mexicanos han estado manifestándose en México y alrededor del planeta (incluyendo en San Francisco) contra el regreso del PRI. Se han convocado grandes manifestaciones en la ciudad de México. El 27 de julio, #YoSoy132 pacíficamente “tomaron” (cercaron) las oficinas de Televisa en Chapultepec y emitieron un programa de seis puntos para el cambio social. Televisa, que representa la mitad del duopolio en los medios de comunicación, está acusada de transmitir información para favorecer a Peña Nieto durante las elecciones.
3. Dos asesinados en Cherán – El día 9 de julio, la Junta de Cherán, Michoacán, dió a conocer que dos campesinos se encontraban desaparecidos. Unos días después fueron encontrados muertos, asesinados. Cherán, es una comunidad autónoma en la meseta purépecha, que es parte de la Otra Campaña zapatista además de participar en numerosos movimientos sociales. La comunidad está cercada por talamontes que están destruyendo los bosques. Algunas de ellos podrían tener vínculos con el crímen organizado. Voceros de los talamontes han respondido que su única fuente de ingreso ecónomico proviene de fabricar muebles y artesanía con la madera extraída de esos bosques. El ejército tiene instaladas tres bases de operaciones mixtas en la región de la meseta purépecha.
En los Estados Unidos
1. La Campaña de Sicilia en EU comienza en San Diego el 12 de agosto – El Movimiento por la Paz con Justicia y Dignidad (MPJD), encabezado por el poeta y periodista mexicano Javier Sicilia, iniciará la caravana de la Paz por los EU en San Diego, California este 12 de agosto. Dicha caravana planea abordar cinco temas a lo largo de su ruta hacia Washington, DC: 1) financiamiento estadounidense de la guerra contra las drogas en México, a través de la Iniciativa Mérida; 2) trato humano a los inmigrantes; 3) tráfico de armas hacia México; 4) lavado de dinero proveniente de la droga por bancos estadounidenses; y 5) la militarización de la política exterior norteamericana. El itinerario de la Caravana de la Paz está publicado en nuestro blog: https://compamanuel.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/javier-sicilia-and-the-caravan-for-peace-us-schedule/ el MPJD dá como contacto para obtener información más específica sobre las visitas a San Diego y Los Angeles, o también para unirse a la caravana, a: kirsten@globalexchange.org
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Compilación mensual hecha por el Comité de Apoyo a Chiapas.
Nuestras principales fuentes de información son: La Jornada, Enlace Zapatista y el Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de las Casas (Frayba).
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Chiapas Support Committee/Comité de Apoyo a Chiapas
P.O. Box 3421, Oakland, CA 94609
Tel: (510) 654-9587
Email: cezmat@igc.org
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chiapas-Support-Committee-Oakland/86234490686
Zapatista News Summary – July 2012
JULY 2012 ZAPATISTA NEWS SUMMARY
[Many Thanks to Everyone Who Attended Our July 12 Community Forum on Mexico and Made It A Big Success!]
In Chiapas
1. Alberto Patishtan Returns to San Cristóbal Prison – A federal appeals court upheld the decision of a federal judge in Chiapas ordering that Alberto Patishtan be returned to the state prison in San Cristobal. After considerable delay, the government finally complied with the court order and removed Patishtan from the federal maximum-security prison in Sinaloa and returned him to the Chiapas prison on July 26. This is one small victory on the road to winning his freedom. Obtaining necessary medical treatment is another challenge he faces.
2. Campaign to Free Alberto Patishtan and Francisco Santiz Lopez – The 3rd week of struggle, called “Bringing Down the Walls of the Jails,” to win freedom for Alberto Patishtan and Francisco Santiz Lopez, also took place during July. Patishtan is a member of the Zapatistas’ Other Campaign and Santiz is a Zapatista support base. The national and international protest, supported by the Zapatistas and the family and friends of Alberto Patishtán, again gained support from around the world. The Chiapas Support Committee circulated the letter demanding Patishtán and Sántiz’ freedom at our Community Forum on Mexico. The Forum was well-attended, so we obtained a lot of signatures. We thank all those who signed the letter. It was mailed to Mexico’s current president, Felipe Calderón.
3. Attempts to Evict Zapatistas from San Marcos Avilés Continue – On July 25, La Jornada published an article summarizing the request from Zapatista support bases in San Marcos Avilés directed to national and international civil society, asking for support. The community fears another eviction. The first eviction occurred in 2010 after the Zapatistas built a primary school as part of their construction of autonomy. The divided community is officially governed by members of the 3 political parties who do not want Zapatistas or autonomous schools threatening their political power and control. That first eviction drove the Zapatista into the wooded mountains where they had to survive outdoors for 33 days. The same acts that occurred before are taking place once again. All the Zapatistas’ crops, animals and building supplies have been stolen by political party members, along with threats of eviction. A global campaign is underway to provide solidarity to San Marcos Avilés, in Chilón municipality. The first phase of the campaign is publishing information about what is taking place in that location. A videotaped bilingual testimony by Zapatista residents of San Marcos Aviles can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY-8CBt3Vkg
4. Caravan for Land and Territory Travels to Mexico City – Adherents to the EZLN’s Other Campaign announced details of a march and caravan from Tila, in the Northern Zone of Chiapas, to Mexico City. The Chiapas state government and the municipal authorities took approximately 21 acres (130 hectares) of land away from Tila’s Chol ejido owners. The state refused to comply with a court order and the appeal has reached Mexico’s Supreme Court. A decision is expected on August 2. The caravan left Tila on Monday, July 30 and arrived in San Cristobal the same day for a lively press conference, which included the compañeros from the FPDT (Atenco), before heading for Mexico City.
In Other Parts of Mexico
1. Mexican Elections – On July 1, Mexicans voted in elections for national offices and some state and local offices, including the election of a new president. Mexico’s Federal Electoral Tribunal certified the PRI candidate, Enrique Peña Nieto, as winner of the presidential contest. PRD candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who lost by 3 million votes, has challenged the election. The basis of his challenge is that the PRI exceeded spending limits in several ways:, including buying votes with pre-paid gift cards. There is also an allegation that the free advertising given by the pro-PRI television networks should be counted as a campaign expenditure and that the polling was rigged to give false impressions.
2. Election Protests – Besides the formal legal challenge to the election, which most give little chance of succeeding, Mexico’s civil society is organizing against what is referred to as the “imposition” of Peña Nieto. On July 14 and 15, representatives from some 300 social organizations met in San Salvador Atenco for the 1st National Convention Against the Imposition. In addition to Atenco’s home-grown host organization, the Peoples Front in Defense of Land (FPDT, its initials in Spanish), #YoSoy 132 (student movement), the SME (electricians union), the CNTE (teachers union) and from communities, including representatives from Cherán. Representatives agreed upon an agenda of protest actions (already underway) all the way up to the date Peña Nieto is scheduled to take office: December 1, 2012. Representatives went back to their organizations for approval of each action. Meanwhile, Mexicans have been demonstrating in Mexico and all over the world (including San Francisco) against the return of the PRI. Large demonstrations have been held in Mexico City. On July 27, #YoSoy132 peacefully “took” (surrounded) Televisa offices in Chapultepec and issued a 6-point program for change. Televisa is half of Mexico’s media duopoly that is accused of publishing biased information in favor of Peña Nieto during the election.
3. Two Killed in Cherán – On July 9, the Council in Cherán, Michoacan, reported 2 campesinos had disappeared. They were found murdered several days later. Cherán is an autonomous community in the Purépecha Meseta that is part of the Zapatistas’ Other Campaign and participates in various social movements. The community is surrounded by woodcutters who are destroying the forests. Some of them may have ties to organized crime. However, some of the woodcutters are now protesting because they maintain that their only source of income is from making furniture and artesanía out of wood from the forest. The army has placed 3 mixed operations bases in the region, known as the Purépecha Meseta.
In the United States
1. Sicilia’s US Campaign Begins in San Diego on August 12 – The Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity (MPJD), headed by Mexican poet and journalist Javier Sicilia, begins a US Peace Caravan in San Diego, California. on August 12. The Caravan plans to address 5 issues along its route to Washington DC: 1) US funding of a Drug War in Mexico through the Merida Initiative; 2) humane treatment of immigrants; 3) arms trafficking to Mexico; 4) laundering of drug money by US banks; and 5) the militarization of US foreign policy. The Peace Caravan’s itinerary is posted on our blog: https://compamanuel.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/javier-sicilia-and-the-caravan-for-peace-us-schedule/ The MPJD’s website gives as a contact for more specific information on San Diego and Los Angeles sites, or for joining the caravan: kirsten@globalexchange.org
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Compiled monthly by the Chiapas Support Committee.
The primary sources for our information are: La Jornada, Enlace Zapatista and the Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center (Frayba).
We encourage folks to distribute this information widely, but please include our name and contact information in the distribution. Gracias/Thanks.
Click on the Donate button of www.chiapas-support.org to support indigenous autonomy.
Raúl Zibechi: Paraguayan Mirror
The Paraguayan Mirror
By: Raúl Zibechi
A State coup is an action from above to interrupt a political process. It’s not important who carries it out, nor the methods that are used. Coups in the style of the one that overthrew Salvador Allende fell into disuse, because of the high international cost that they have.
The State coup that separated Fernando Lugo from the presidency of Paraguay was inscribed inside of the new modality inaugurated with the overthrow of Manuel Zelaya in Honduras, in June 2009, by the Supreme Court of Justice. It is a “new” type of coup that began to be implemented after the noisy failure of the old-style coup against Hugo Chávez on April 12, 2002. When the popular sectors learned to upset the classic coup, this new modality of “institutional coup” appears.”
In the last 20 years the only successful coups in the “old” style happened in Haiti: in 1991 General Raoul Cedrás overthrew Jean Bertrand Aristide, and something similar happened in 2004, but with the participation of troops from Canada, France and the United States. In 13 of the 15 cases in which a Latin American president was not able to finish his mandate it was not because popular pressure forced resignation.
The highlight is that the “method” of the dismissal by State organisms is identical in the cases in which it is done in favor of and against the popular sectors. In Ecuador, the Congress dismissed Abdalá Bucaram and Lucio Gutiérrez in the midst of popular uprisings. Therefore it is not useful to be focused on the forms, but rather on the processes. The new kind of coup can be repeated in any country in the region, since the dominant classes retook their offensive and placed themselves at the service of a Pentagon desirous of destabilization.
The fall of Lugo, like all political crises, bares the changes that are being produced in the region ever since Barack Obama defined the New Defense Strategy.
In the first place, the Curuguaty Massacre and the coup against Lugo were possible because of the alliance between agro-business, the property owning landholders of lands wrongly inhabited during the Stroessner dictatorship, the mafias of contraband and drug trafficking, with their ramifications in the media, the State and the churches. The regional tour by Secretary of the Pentagon (Defense), Leon Panetta, in April, seems to have been a “sign” that activated the right wing (La Jornada, 18/5/12).
The Pentagon has a long experience in the application of the “shock doctrine,” which passes for the destruction of entire nations to reconstruct them at the service of capital and the hegemonic power. US decadence makes that the only viable strategy may be domination without hegemony, which only needs military force; therefore, the “new strategy” installs coup violence at the center of the political scenario. In second place, the extractive economic model, situated in open sky mining, monocrops and infrastructure mega-projects, strengthens the dominant classes and empire, weakens the popular sectors, and puts at risk the movements and democratic freedoms.
The governments that have opted for deepening this model are alienating popular support and, at the same time, are giving life to their own gravediggers, like happened in Paraguay, where the exponential growth of soy cultivations did no more than strengthen the usurpers of lands and the murderers of campesinos.
In third place, Paraguay’s campesino movement traveled a path in half a century from which we can learn something for confronting the new scenario. The Agrarian Leagues (Ligas Agrarias) were created in the 1960s, impelled by the church communities, an impressive grass roots movement that changed the history of those from below. The Stroessner regime savagely repressed them in the middle of the 1970s. Over its ashes, the Paraguayan Campesino Movement was created in 1980. Up to here, the usual trajectory under dictatorships: organization-repression-regrouping.
In the 1990s, in democracy, the movement grows and gains visibility, but is fragmented. Even so, the struggle for land intensifies and the movement irrupts in the 1999 political crisis política over the assassination of Vice President Luis María Argaña, creating a transcendent political act like the Paraguayan March, which provoked the first defeat of the “democrat” heirs of the dictatorship. Lino Oviedo, the coup backer, flees to Argentina and Vice President Raúl Cubas gets asylum in Brazil.
In 2002 the unity of action by the campesino-popular sector in the Peoples Democratic Congress, where 60 organizations came together, impeded the privatization of state-owned businesses and stopped the approval of an anti-terrorist law. Despite divisions, the movements were capable of making “low-intensity democracy” ungovernable and defeating the neoliberal model.
That scenario created from below carpeted Lugo’s path to the presidency in 2008. The most important movements –not all– opted for creating parties; in other words, “institutes of the State financed by the budget” according to the happy assertion of Adolfo Gilly (La Jornada, 27/6/12). Division and atomization are deepened. After 2008, some of the best leaders were converted into officials and were installed in the capital, convinced that it is the path to acquiring more strength. Today, save a few exceptions, the movements suffer their greatest weakness in decades.
Half century of campesino movement, the principal anti-systemic movement of Paraguay, shows that there are no shortcuts that can substitute for class conflict; that international pressure alone cannot modify the relation of forces; that there are various kinds of defeats; that the defeat by repression is not as destructive as by institutionalization; that we can only stop the offensive of capital and of empire in the streets and plazas; and that the rest is a mirage, necessary for surviving, some say, but in the end a mirage.
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Originally Published in Spanish by La Jornada
Translated into English by Chiapas Support Committee
Friday, June 29, 2012
En español: http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2012/06/29/opinion/021a1pol
Resumen de Noticias Sobre los Zapatistas – Junio del 2012
JUNIO DEL 2012 RESUMEN DE NOTICIAS SOBRE LOS ZAPATISTAS
En Chiapas
1. Campaña por la liberación de Alberto Patishtan y Francisco Santiz López – El 8 al 15 de junio se realizó la segunda semana de lucha, llamado “!Derribamos los muros de las prisiones!” para ganar la liberación de Alberto Patishtan y Francisco Santiz López. Patishtan es miembro de la Otra Campaña y es base de apoyo zapatista. La semana nacional e internacional de protesta, apoyada por los Zapatistas y los familiares y amigos de Alberto Patishtan, de nuevo recibió apoyo de much@s alrededor del mundo. El Obispo de Saltillo, Raul Vera, es presidente de la mesa de directores del Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de las Casas en Chiapas y conoce bien los dos casos. Él recientemente informó que puede haber un espacio para el dialogo con el gobierno sobre el caso de Patishtan. También indicó que el apoyo nacional e internacional es un factor en abrir ese espacio de dialogo. El Comité en Apoyo a Chiapas agradece a tod@s quienes firmaron la carta que mandamos al Presidente Calderón durante la segunda semana de protesta.
2. San Sebastian Bachajon toma la casilla – El 21 de junio a las siete de la mañana, miembros de la Otra Campaña en San Sebastian Bachajon otra vez tomaron control de la casilla en una acción en apoyo a Alberto Patishtan y Francisco Santiz y tres hombres de su ejido que están encarcelados en Chiapas. La policía llegó a las nueve de la noche, forzándolos a abandonar del edificio. Muchas personas resultaron ligeramente heridas, pero no se reportó ninguna detención o heridas graves.
3. Frayba publica informe sobre la tortura en Chiapas – El 26 de junio, el Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de las Casas (Frayba) publicó su informe sobre la tortura en Chiapas. El informe concluye que se emplea la tortura con frecuencia para obtener información y extraer una confesión. Se puede leer en informe aquí: http://www.frayba.org.mx/archivo/boletines/120626_boletin_09_tortura.pdf
Por otras partes de México
1. Comicios mexicanos – El 1 de julio, los mexicanos votaron para elegir representantes a nivel nacional, incluyendo la presidencia de la república, y en algunos casos también estatales y municipales. Con más del 90 por ciento del voto total contado, el candidato presidencial príista Enrique Peña Nieto sigue siendo el líder con 37.89 por ciento de los votos. El candidato del PRD, Andres Manuel López Obrador, ocupa el segundo lugar con 31.85 por ciento. El PRI obtuvo el triunfo también de la gubernatura en el estado de Chiapas, mientras que el PRD ganó la alcaldía del Distrito Federal.
2. Caravana por la Paz de Sicilia viene a los EU – El lunes 18 de junio, Javier Sicilia y otros integrantes del Movimiento por la Paz con Justicia y Dignidad (MPJD) anunciaron en rueda de prensa una Caravana por la Paz en los Estados Unidos que durará un largo mes. En su invitación a la conferencia de prensa, el MPJD se refirió a las 71,000 muertes inocentes debido a la guerra contra el narcotráfico. Acompañando a Sicilia estuvieron representantes de organizaciones no-gubermentales tanto estadunidenses como mexicanas, que están trabajando conjuntamente en la planeación de dicha movilización. La Caravana pretende construir una base de apoyo para cambiar la política sobre las drogas en EU, con el fin de reducir las ganancias económicas de las organizaciones criminales que han evolucionado en México a partir del tráfico de drogas. También esperan lograr reducir el número de armas que cruzan la frontera de los EU hacia México, y abogarán por un mejor trato a los inmigrantes. La ruta de la Caravana se puede encontrar en nuestro blog: https://compamanuel.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/javier-sicilia-and-the-caravan-for-peace-us-schedule/a
En los Estados Unidos
1. Rápido y Furioso: ¿Cuáles son los hechos reales? – El 27 de junio, la revista Fortune publicó un profundo informe sobre la operación del gobierno de los EU conocida como Operación Rápido y Furioso. Depués de una investigación de 6 meses, el informe cuenta una historia muy diferente a la reportada originalmente por la cadena CBS News. En este, se afirma que el agente de la ATF que apareció en CBS News era en realidad un empleado descontento en busca de venganza contra un supervisor con quien estaba en desacuerdo. Según el agente descontento, el buró de Alcohol, Tabaco, Armas de Fuego y Explosivos (ATF) de los EU permitió el movimiento de algunas armas a través de la frontera Arizona/México a fin de realizar un seguimiento de su destino. El informe de Fortune afirma que en realidad era muy poco lo que los agentes de la ATF legalmente podían hacer para impedir cruzaran la frontera, debido a las limitaciones de las leyes sobre armas en Arizona y a la interpretación de esas leyes por un abogado en EU. Asegura también que la Asociación Nacional del Rifle conjuntamente con políticos conservadores tomaron la historia del agente de ATF y fueron más lejos para promover una agenda pro-armas y avergonzar a la Casa Blanca en un año electoral.
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Compilación mensual hecha por el Comité de Apoyo a Chiapas.
Nuestras principales fuentes de información son: La Jornada, Enlace Zapatista y el Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de las Casas (Frayba).
_______________________________________
Chiapas Support Committee/Comité de Apoyo a Chiapas
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chiapas-Support-Committee-Oakland/86234490686
Zapatista News Summary – June 2012
JUNE 2012 ZAPATISTA NEWS SUMMARY
In Chiapas
1. Campaign To Free Alberto Patishtan and Francisco Santiz Lopez – The 2nd week of struggle, called “Bringing Down the Walls of the Jails,” to win freedom for Alberto Patishtan and Francisco Santiz Lopez, took place during the week of June 8-15. Patishtan is a member of the Zapatistas’ Other Campaign and Santiz is a Zapatista support base. The national and international week of protest, supported by the Zapatistas and the family and friends of Alberto Patishtán, again gained support from around the world. The Bishop of Saltillo, Raul Vera, is president of the Board of Directors of the Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center in Chiapas and is informed about both cases. He stated very recently that there may be a space opening for discussion with the government about Patishtan’s case. And he indicated that the national and international support is a factor in opening that space. The Chiapas Support Committee thanks everyone who signed on to the letter we sent to President Calderon during the 2nd week of protest.
2. San Sebastian Bachajon Takes Over the Ticket Booth – On June 21 at 7 am, Other Campaign members from San Sebastian Bachajon once again took control of the ticket booth as a protest action in support of Alberto Patishtan and Francisco Santiz and 3 men from their ejido who are in Chiapas prisons. Police arrived around 9 pm to force them from the building. Several people were slightly injured, but there are no reports of anyone being arrested or seriously injured.
3. Frayba Releases Report on Torture in Chiapas – On June 26, the Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center (Frayba) issued its report on torture in Chiapas. The report concludes that torture is routinely used to gain information and extract confessions. The report can be read in Spanish at: http://www.frayba.org.mx/archivo/boletines/120626_boletin_09_tortura.pdf
In Other Parts of Mexico
1. Mexican Elections – On July 1, Mexicans voted in elections for national offices and some state and local offices, including the election of a new president. With more than 90 percent of the vote counted, PRI candidate Enrique Peña Nieto leads the other candidates with 37.89 percent of the vote and appears to be Mexico’s next president. PRD candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is in second place with 31.85 percent. The PRI also won the governorship in Chiapas, while the PRD won the election for mayor of the Federal District (Mexico City).
2. Sicilia Peace Caravan Coming to US – On Monday, June 18, Javier Sicilia and other members of the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity (MPJD) held a press conference to announce a month-long Caravan for Peace across the United States. In its invitation to the press conference, the MPJD referred to 71,000 innocent deaths due to the drug war! With Sicilia at the press conference were representatives from both US and Mexican NGOs working with Sicilia on the Caravan. The Caravan hopes to build support for changing drug policy in the US in order to reduce the profits of the criminal organizations that have evolved in Mexico from drug trafficking. It also hopes to reduce the number of guns crossing the US Border into Mexico and will advocate for better treatment for immigrants. The Caravan’s route is published on our blog: https://compamanuel.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/javier-sicilia-and-the-caravan-for-peace-us-schedule/
In the United States
1. Fast and Furious: What Are the True Facts? – On June 27, Fortune Magazine published an in-depth report on the US government operation known as Operation Fast and Furious. After a 6-month investigation, the report tells a very different story than the one originally reported on CBS News. It claims that the ATF agent that appeared on CBS News was actually a disgruntled employee seeking revenge against a supervisor with whom he disagreed. According to the disgruntled agent, the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) permitted guns to move across the Arizona/Mexico Border in order to track their destination. The Fortunereport claims that there was little the ATF agents could legally do to stop them from crossing the border due to Arizona’s loose gun laws and the interpretation of those laws by a US Attorney. It also claims that the National Rifle Association and conservative politicians took the ATF agent’s story and ran with it to further a pro-gun agenda and to embarrass the White House in an election year. See: http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2012/06/27/fast-and-furious-truth/
Compiled monthly by the Chiapas Support Committee.
The primary sources for our information are: La Jornada, Enlace Zapatista and the Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center (Frayba).
We encourage folks to distribute this information widely, but please include our name and contact information in the distribution. Gracias/Thanks.
Click on the Donate button of www.chiapas-support.org to support indigenous autonomy.
_______________________________________________________
Chiapas Support Committee 