Forward to freedom for Patishtán

A request to send a letter demanding the release of Alberto Patishtán Gomez, from the UK Zapatista Solidarity Network

Compañeras and Compañeros,

The following letter, demanding the release of Alberto Patishtán Gomez, is ready to print out and send. At the end are the addresses of some government officials it can be sent to. It is only necessary to add the recipient and your name and contact information.

You can also send it to your nearest Mexican government office, embassy or consulate, as well as to the media and other organizations.

We send you all an embrace

UK Zapatista Solidarity Network

Here is the letter:

March 2013

Dear ………

We wish, through this letter, to demand freedom and justice for Professor Alberto Patishtán Gómez, the well-known political prisoner and human rights advocate, who the Mexican government has kept unjustly imprisoned for nearly 13 years.

We, the undersigned, have followed closely the actions calling for the release of Patishtán, who is an indigenous Tzotzil and basic education teacher from the municipality of El Bosque, Chiapas, and is currently detained at the National Centre for the Social Reinsertion of the Sentenced No 5, (CERSS No. 5), in San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.

Alberto Patishtán was unjustly sentenced to 60 years in prison for acts that took place on June 12, 2000, in the municipality of El Bosque, Chiapas; acts Patishtán clearly did not commit. Many witnesses testify to his presence many kilometres away at the time of the incident.

According to information from human rights organizations and skilled lawyers, the judgment given to the Professor was the culmination of a series of violations of judicial guarantees and judicial due process which occurred during the course of the procurement and administration of justice. While in prison, his human rights, especially those relating to his health, have frequently been violated.

The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation has unfortunately decided not to resume its jurisdiction in this case, and therefore has delegated to the Court of the First Collegiate Tribunal of the Twentieth Circuit, based in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, the responsibility for making the historic decision to dispense justice and freedom to this political prisoner and human rights advocate.

We appeal to the judges of the First Collegiate Tribunal to comply with their legal duty and to release Patishtán immediately. We demand the Mexican State grant him justice.

The innocence of Patishtán causes us to wonder why the guilty go unpunished? Why is there so much impunity in Mexico? His guilt was fabricated, but the death of seven police has not been investigated, and the culprits are free.

We reiterate our call for the unconditional release of the unjustly imprisoned political prisoner, Alberto Patishtán Gomez.

Sincerely ……….

Some names and addresses:

Lic. Enrique Peña Nieto

Presidente de la República

Residencia Oficial de los Pinos

Casa Miguel Alemán

Col. San Miguel Chapultepec,

C.P. 11850, México DF

Tel: (52.55) 2789.1100 Fax: (52.55) 5277.2376

Lic. Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong

Secretario de Gobernación

Bucareli 99, 1er. Piso, Col. Juárez,

Del. Cuauhtémoc,

C.P. 06600 México D.F.

Fax: (52 55) 50933414;

Correo:  secretario@segob.gob.mx

Lic.  Manuel Velasco Coello

Gobernador Constitucional del Estado de Chiapas

Palacio de Gobierno del Estado de Chiapas, 1er Piso
Av. Central y Primera Oriente, Colonia Centro, C.P. 29009
Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México

Fax: +52 961 61 88088 – + 52 961 6188056

Extensión 21120. 21122;

Correo: secparticular@chiapas.gob.mx

Dr. Noé Castañón León

Secretario General de Gobierno del Estado de Chiapas

Palacio de Gobierno del Estado de Chiapas, 2do Piso

Av. Central y Primera Oriente, Colonia Centro, C.P. 29009

Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México

Conmutador: + 52 (961) 61 2-90-47, 61 8-74-60

Extensión: 20003;

Correo: secretario@secgobierno.chiapas.gob.mx

Lic. Raciel López Salazar

Procuraduría General de Justicia de Chiapas

Libramiento Norte Y Rosa Del Oriente, No. 2010, Col. El Bosque

C.P. 29049 Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas

Conmutador: 01 (961) 6-17-23-00. Teléfono: + 52 (961) 61 6-53-74, 61 6-53-76, 61 6-57-24,

61 6-34-50

Correo: raciel.lopez@pgje.chiapas.gob.mx