San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México
10 March 2015

The Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Human Rights Center (Frayba), has documented, through the Civilian Observation Brigades (BriCO), systematic incursions by the Mexican Army, who are harassing the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) bases of support, in the territory of the Good Government Council of La Realidad, Jungle-Border zone, Caracol I “Toward Hope” (JBG).

The military actions in the territory of the JBG consist of incursions in convoys with trucks, hummers, jeeps, and motorized equipment; with members of the Mexican Army that range from 4 to 30 people. There are also low flights with light aircraft and helicopters photographing and filming members of the BriCO, zapatistas, and the JBG facilities. Since July 2014 these actions have been increasing, both in the size of the troops and the frequency with which they happen. (See the record of military activity at La Realidad).

Frayba is concerned with the increasing harassment by the Mexican Army in zapatista territory, since it constitutes actions to provoque and besiege that harm the rights to autonomy and free determination stipulated in the Mexican Constitution, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization (ILO), and the San Andrés Accords.

Therefore, this Human Rights Center demands: Respect for the free determination and autonomy of zapatista peoples; and an end to the harassment by the federal government through the Mexican Army.

Finally, we recall that on May 2, 2014, members of the Central Independiente de Obreros Agrícolas y Campesinos Histórica (CIOAC-H), ambushed zapatista bases of support in the territory of the JBG of La Realidad; durng the attack, the armed group murdered José Luis Solís López, “Maestro Galeano,” and destroyed the Autonomous Clinic and School. The aforementioned organization is part of the municipal government of Las Margaritas and has the protection of the state government of Manuel Velasco Coello, which has allowed it to carry out aggressions, forced displacements, and murders in the region. (See Frayba Bulletin 16 on the aggression to zapatista bases of support at La Realidad on 5 May 2014.)

More information: El paramilitarismo de la CIOAC-HISTORICA desplaza a 17 familias tojolabales del poblado Primero de Agosto.

Interview with the lawyer representing Ejido de San Sebastián Bachajón on the situation of the prisoners Juan Antonio Gómez Silvano, Mario Aguilar Silvano and Roberto Gómez Hernández, Santiago Moreno Perez, Emilio and on the situation of three new prisoners from Bachajón.

(Continuar leyendo…)

Thank you Part III:

The Most Expensive Building in the World

Subcomandante Insurgente Moisés.  Subcomandante Insurgente Galeano.

February-March, 2015

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It is the eve of the big day… in the wee hours of the morning. The cold bites under the cover of shadow. On the solitary table that furnishes this small hut (which has no sign but is known to now be the headquarters of the Zapatista Command), there is a handwritten, wrinkled sheet of paper detailing the accounts for the construction of the clinic-school in the Zapatista community of La Realidad. A voice summarizes the gazes, silences, smoke, rage:

The accounts don’t balance. The life of any Zapatista is worth more than Peña Nieto’s white house and the houses of all of the rich in the whole world combined. The entirety of the funds required to construct the huge buildings where the powerful hide in order to organize their thievery and crimes would not be enough to pay for a even a single drop of Indigenous Zapatista blood. That is why we feel that this is the most expensive building in the world.

So must state clearly that what doesn’t appear in the accounts is the blood of our compañero Galeano. All of the papers in the history of the world would not be enough to balance that account.

And so that is how it should appear in those lists that come out in the press where they name the richest people, and where the poorest live. The rich have first names, last names, lineage, and pedigree. But the poor only have a geography and a calendar. So they should say that the most expensive building on the whole planet is in Zapatista La Realidad, Chiapas, Mexico. And that the Indigenous Zapatista girls and boys attend the most expensive school in the world. And that the men, women, boys, girls, elderly, indigenous, Zapatistas, Mexicans, when they get sick in La Realidad, will be treated in the most expensive clinic on earth.

But the only way to balance these accounts is to struggle to destroy the capitalist system. Not to change it. Not to improve it. Not to make it more human, less cruel, less murderous. No. To destroy it completely. To annihilate each and every one of the heads of the Hydra.

Even then there would be more to do, as what we want here is to construct something better: another system, one without masters, without patrons, without bosses, without injustice, without exploitation, without disrespect, without repression, without dispossession. One without violence against women, children, anyone who is different. One where work is paid justly. One where ignorance does not rule. One where hunger and violent death are just bad memories. One where no one can be above on the backs of others below. One that is reasonable, one that is better.

Then and only then, the Zapatistas can say that the accounts are even.

(Continuar leyendo…)

Capitalism Destroys, the People Build

Subcomandante Insurgente Moisés

The words of the EZLN’s General Command in the voice of Subcomandante Insurgente Moisés in the Zapatista community La Realidad at the presentation of the Zapatista Autonomous School, “Compañero Galeano” and the Autonomous Clinic 26 of October, “Subcomandante Insurgente Pedro” to the Zapatista bases of support, March 1, 2015.

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Good morning to everyone, compañeros and compañeras of this zone, in this caracol of La Realidad, Selva Fronteriza zone.

We are here with you today, compañeros, compañeras of this zone, to officially turn over these buildings to the compañeros and compañeras bases of support of this Zapatista community, La Realidad, Nueva Victoria, as it is called in the struggle for us as the Zapatista Army for National Liberation.

Compañeros and compañeras, what we must make clear and understand is that the pain carried by each Zapatista continues, not only the Zapatistas in Mexico, but across the world, because we do not have with us the compañero whose name this new construction carries: compañero Galeano.

This construction was the fruit and the work, the efforts and the organization of the compañeros and compañeras of the International Sixth and the National Sixth. Here we are demonstrating what we Zapatistas are, in Mexico and in the world.

(Continuar leyendo…)

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Ciudad de México, 8 de marzo de 2015.
Eugenia Gutiérrez, colectivo Radio Zapatista.

Dios nunca sonríe. Impera en oriente y occidente, en el norte y en el sur, mientras observa distante a sus criaturas destructoras. Desde hace milenios, la institucionalidad de las tres religiones monoteístas dominantes lo representa o lo piensa como un hombre maduro, blanco, poderoso y sano. Nadie le conoce una novia ni un amigo. Jamás lo han visto alimentando a un bebé ni disfrutando de un tranquilo día de campo. Si la humanidad fue creada “a su imagen y semejanza” debió ocurrir una grave confusión en el acto, o bien, un severo error de producción, pues nadie lo ha escuchado cantar ni se le ha visto por ahí llorando de amor, soñando, trabajando, padeciendo alguna discapacidad ni aprendiendo a bailar. De hecho, el noventa por ciento de sus criaturas no se le asemejan.
(Continuar leyendo…)

On Sunday, March 1, 2015, after more than six months of work, the building that houses a health clinic and a school was presented to the Zapatista bases of support of La Realidad. The solidarity of people and collectives throughout the world made this construction possible. Here we present to you the accounts, the words expressed during this event, and some photos from that day.

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CIDECI Unitierra

6 y 7 de marzo de 2015

Hemos visto la necesidad de formar un movimiento para impulsar la participación de las mujeres en las decisiones y para juntar nuestros esfuerzos, luchas y resistencias en defensa de la madre tierra y el territorio, ya que es donde vivimos, comemos y crecen nuestros hijos e hijas. Sólo así podremos hacer una lucha fuerte contra los empresarios y los gobiernos que nos oprimen y despojan.

Haz clic aquí para ver el programa completo

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El Grupo armado Pojcol amenaza, agrede y hostiga a comunidades zapatistas en el municipio Autónomo de San Manuel, en Chiapas, ante la omisión del gobierno de Manuel Velasco Coello.

El Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas informó que se vive una situación de tensión en la región de La Garrucha desde julio de 2014. Las amenazas se intensificaron desde enero de 2015 debido a que personas armadas provenientes de Pojcol, municipio de Chilón, Chiapas, incursionaron en la comunidad autónoma El Rosario e hicieron disparos durante algunas noches. El 12 de febrero de 2015 el grupo Pojcol destruyó el solar de un base de apoyo zapatistas y amenazó con tomar la comunidad autónoma Nuevo Paraíso.

El Frayba expresa que los actos de agresión y amenazas realizados por el “grupo de Pojcol” atentan contra el derecho a la autonomía y a la libre determinación, además de poner en riesgo la vida, seguridad e integridad personal de las bases zapatistas de las comunidades El Rosario y Nuevo Paraíso.

Publicado en:
http://chiapasdenuncia.blogspot.mx/2015/03/noti-frayba-amenazas-agresiones-y.html