AUT: SIPAZ - Urgent Action Appeal

[Joe McIntire <mcintire@xxxxxxx>]

San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas=20
June 19, 1999=20

Urgent Action

The Federal Army and Police forces increase pressure on indigenous
communities in
Chiapas.

Through the following we express our concern regarding the harassment of
Mexican military and police forces against the indigenous people, members
of NGO's that work in the conflict zone and foreigners in Chiapas.=20

The Facts=20

In the last two weeks we observe a significant increase on:=20

 -    military and police incursions in Zapatista communities;=20
 -    arbitrary detention of alleged Zapatistas;=20
 -    harassment incurred by soldiers in the military checkpoints=20
 -    concentration of armed forces and installation of new military camps=
=20

Incursions were registered in about ten communities in Las Canadas of
Ocosingo, such as the Trinidad (Canada de las Tazas) and Nazareth. In every
single operation in between a hundred and a thousand soldiers and police
forces participated. The incursions caused fear among the population of the
communities mentioned above. Some fifty families from Nazareth fled their
communities and found refugee in a neighboring village.=20

During the military operatives in El Censo and Pavorreal, soldiers and
police forces arrested alleged Zapatistas, accused of crimes offences. While
carrying out the arrest warrants, the inhabitants gave testimony of
physical abuse and destruction of houses and furniture. These last days,
patrols continue and according to Zapatista communities authorities,
soldiers question inhabitants aggressively.=20

State and federal authorities argue that these operations are legal under
the application of the Fire Arms and Explosives Law, the fight against
narcotraffic, the arrest of delinquents and the protection of community
groups who have requested the presence of the different forces.=20

In the military, police and migratory check points a hardening of attitude
and operation has been reported. On several occasions, workers of NGO's
have been intimidated or refused free transit. Soldiers carry out police
functions (detentions) and migratory tasks (register of data of
foreigners), while at the same time migration officers ask questions of
military intelligence nature (asking about contacts with and names of
Zapatistas).=20

The Context=20

After the Zapatista uprising, we repeatedly have seen periods of increased
police and military harassment against the Zapatista communities, like the
military offensive in February 1995 and the dismantling of four autonomous
municipalities one year ago. Like in previous actions, the arrests were
performed in an arbitrary form, and -according to some testimonies- on the
basis of false accusations and/or with prefabricated evidence. The Zapatista
bases of support and the autonomous municipalities are again objects of the
latest actions.=20

The new state government campaign coincides with another of their
campaigns, which is about presumed desertions of the Zapatista movement,
aimed at attacking and discrediting the EZLN and its support bases. During
the last few months the Chiapas governor, Roberto Albores Guillen, armed a
large publicity campaign concerning the surrender of weapons by a few
dozens of presumed Zapatistas and the support the government provides them
with for doing so.=20

All these elements make us believe that the main objective of the new
operatives and the authorities attitude in the check points is the
attrition and paralysis of any form of resistance within the indigenous
communities and of the NGO's that work in the conflict zone. The increase
of harassment also has to be understood in a context in which civil society
in Chiapas is recovering initiative and approaching the Zapatista movement
since the encounter between the EZLN and civil society in November 1998,
the Zapatista consultation in March 1999 and the two state forums for the
follow-up of this consultation (April and June).=20

The last police-military operatives against the Zapatistas in the conflict
zone occur one year after the dissolution of the National Commission of
Mediation (CONAI) and were initiated a few days after the new Secretary of
State, Diodoro Carrasco Altamirano, took office, who expressed that there
will be no changes in the government position to favor the solution of the
conflict through dialogue.=20

Call to action=20

As SIPAZ we consider that the latest actions undertaken by the army and the
police do not contribute to a decrease in tension within the state, nor to
favoring reconciliation processes in Chiapas. If the operatives continue,
they could cause a violent confrontation between the security forces and
Zapatista support bases. Therefore we ask you to write to the different
actors involved, expressing your concern for the current situation and
asking them in a concise and polite manner the following:=20

In order to reduce violent tensions and the risk of serious escalation,=20

     To the Chief of the Armed Forces, President Ernesto Zedillo:
=20
	-   to order the return of the soldiers to their barracks=20
       -   to order the soldiers not to carry out migratory and/or police
           faculties

     To the general of the VII Military Region, General Jose Gomez Salazar=
=20
       -   to order the return of the soldiers to their barracks=20
       -   to respect the human rights of the citizens of Chiapas=20
       -   to order the soldiers not to carry out migratory and police
           faculties

     To the Congress and the members of the COCOPA (Commission of
     Concordance and Pacification)=20
       -   to create, according to the 129th, 13th and 73th articles of the
           Mexican Constitution, a specific legislation on the penal and=
 civil
           responsibilities of the Federal Army personnel that improperly
           intervene in activities that involve control and repression of=
 the
           civil society.=20

Presidente de la Republica=20
Lic. Ernesto Zedillo=20
Palacio Nacional=20
06067 Mexico, DF - Mexico=20
Fax: (int -52) 271 1764/ 515 4783=20

Ejercito Nacional Mexicano=20
VII Region Militar=20
General de Division Jose Gomez Salazar=20
Tel & Fax: (int -52) 961 41666=20

Comision de Derechos Humanos de la C=E1mara de Diputados=20
(Human Rights Commision of the Congress)=20
Dip. Benito Miron Lince=20
Fax: 628 1425 ext. 1613=20

COCOPA=20
Paseo de la Reforma #10, piso 17=20
06018 Mexico, DF -Mexico=20
Fax: (int -52) 5 140 3288=20

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International Service for Peace (Servicio Internacional para la Paz or
SIPAZ) is a response from the international community to the shared sense
among many Mexican sectors that international opinion can contribute to the
search for peaceful solutions, through dialogue, to the conflict in Chiapas.

El Servicio Internacional Para la Paz o SIPAZ es una respuesta concreta al
consenso existente entre muchos sectores mexicanos de que esta
participacio'n internacional puede contribuir positivamente a trave's del
dia'logo, para alcanzar una solucion paci'fica y justa en el conflicto de
Chiapas.=20

SIPAZ Servicio Internacional para la Paz=20
Calle Dr. J. Felipe Flores,=20
38 Santa Lucia,=20
San Cristobal de las Casas Chiapas,=20
29250, Mexico Tel/Fax (967) 80381=20
E-mail sipaz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
http://www.nonviolence.org/sipaz=20


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