To our Zapatista sisters and brothers:
To our sisters and brothers of the Junta de Buen Gobierno “Hacia La Esperanza”:
To our sisters and brothers of the Ejido of Monte Redondo:
To our sisters and brothers of the Ejido of San Sebastian Bachajón:
To our compañer@s of The Other Campaign:
To our compañer@s of the Zezta Internazional:
To the adherents of the International Campaign in Defense of El Barrio and our allies across the world:
To the civil society in Mexico and the world:

The following is a new and urgent call to action from Movement for Justice in El Barrio, The Other Campaign New York, to realize the “Global Day of Action for the Liberation of the Zapatista Political Prisoner,” on Thursday, April 29, 2011.

Receive affectionate embraces and greetings on behalf of the humble and simple migrant community of El Barrio, NYC.

Over the years, the experience of our sisters and brothers in the Zapatista support communities has been marked by violence, aggression, harassment and, ultimately, the bad government’s weapon of choice: Repression. We know very well that Power seeks to squash the peoples who exercise their rights to be autonomous by threatening them and imprisoning their dignified voices. But we know as well that each time it does this, it – the criminal and corrupt Power – loses, and fuels our desire to free our political prisoners, wherever they are, and to free ourselves. That is, the courage to fight rises up in us.

Recently, we have learned of another example of this experience.

During the morning of Friday, April 12, 2011, “official” authorities of the Monte Redondo ejido arrived at the ejido-designated property of the compañero Patricio Domíngez Vázquez, base supporter of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), and began to harass Patricio: They charged him with false accusations, kidnapped him, and unjustly imprisoned him. In a recent public denouncement, the Junta de Buen Gobierno “Hacia La Esperanza” explains that after imprisoning him, a municipal agent named Hernán León Osorio:

“Went to bring Mr. Gilberto Vázquez Velásquez, with his chainsaw, and these individuals went to cut down eight trees in the land of our compañero. Afterwards, they took the wood to the public field of the ejido and then went for the public minister of the Frontera Coma lapa to accuse our compañero of having cut down those eight trees, taking photographs of him. We have confirmed these actions, based on the fact that the compañera Fidelina Vázquez, Zapatista base supporter, saw with her own eyes that it was them who were cutting down the trees.”

In the afternoon of that same day, during a meeting spearheaded by the authorities of the ejido, the decision was made to burn down the house of Patricio Domínguez Vázquez. During the two subsequent days, the compañero Patricio was transported to two other jails and was deprived of his legal right to contact his family members. This act of aggression is not isolated, but rather stems from a series of violent actions that have targeted our compa. For over three years now, they have falsely accused our compa Patricio, along with many others from Monte Redondo and elsewhere, of crimes that he has not committed. According to their corrupt logic, these are precisely the crimes that the bad government together with the false authoridities of the ejido are committing on a daily basis; it is the fault of the victims, who are being dispossess of their land. Like so many other sisters and brothers who have faced state repression, their only “crime” is that of defending their land and the natural resources, which in the eyes of the bad government and greedy capitalists, are nothing more than commodities to be exploited. Continuously, according to their twisted heart, the people who care for and defend the land are, similarly, only an obstacle to profit and must therefore be treated as such.

In addition, for many years now, our Zapatista brothers and sisters from the Monte Redondo ejido have experienced – in the flesh – state repression and the repressive actions of the bad government of the PRD, PAN, PRI, PVEM. As Zapatista bases of support, they have endure the aggressions arising from the collaboration of some ejido members that have aligned themselves with the inhumane interests of the bad government of Mexico, and each political party has participated in this awful repression. We hold responsible for all of this the following individuals: Juan Sabines Guerrero, the PRD Chiapas governor and repressor; Felipe Calderón, the PAN president and repressor; and their accomplices, repressors Ángeles Daniel Zúñiga Ballinas, from the public ministry of the Frontera Comalapa, and the lackeys of the Monte Redondo ejido who are part of the PRD, PAN and PVEM.

In agreement with the recently published words of our sisters and brothers, regarding the repressive governor Juan Sabines Guerrero:

“it is in his history, like the history of his father who engaged in the repression of Wolonchán, or Juan Sabines wants to do what he [his father] did in Chincultik and Hidalgo of the official municipality of La Trinitaria Chiapas. For this reason, we ask for the immediate solution to this problem, given that our compañeros do not have problems with the ejido and there is no reason for them to be suffering these aggressions. We ask that justice be done and that they correct the authorities of Monte Redondo, the police, and this individual Ángeles Daniel who works in the public ministry.”

We know quite well that the repressor, PRD governor Juan Sabines Guerrero is chiefly responsible for so much repression against our Zapatista sisters and brothers, our sisters and brothers of San Sebastián Bachajón and against all the other adherents of The Other Campaign in Chiapas who organize autonomously. We know, as well, that he is supported by the PRD, PRI, PAN, PVEM, and the “AMLO movement.”

Over here in El Barrio, NYC, as part of our local struggle, we share in the conviction of the Zapatista Juntas de Buen Gobierno, which posits: “We love the land and because we survive off it, we care for it, we work on it, and we must defend it” – despite the fact that those from above will call it a “crime.” In response to the impunity, violence, and repression, we want to make the “¡Ya Basta!” (Enough already!) of our Zapatista brothers and sisters echo across the land, and to propose the following:

• That on Thursday, April 29, immediately after the “5 MORE Days of Worldwide Action for the Bachajón 5,” we organize actions to realize the “Global Day of Action for the Liberation of the Zapatista Political Prisoner” in order to demand the release of our unjustly detained compa Patricio Domínguez Vázquez.
• We propose that everyone who will be participating in the “5 MORE Days of Worldwide Action for the Bachajón 5” campaign also demand the immediate release of our Zapatista brother, Patricio Domínguez Vázquez. Likewise, to those who will participate in the day of action to free our Zapatista compañero Patricio, we propose that you demand the liberation of the five political prisoners from Bachajón, adherents of The Other Campaign.

Please let us know if you will participate in the “Global Day of Action for the Liberation of the Zapatista Political Prisoner.” You can contact us via email atmovimientoporjusticiadelbarrio@yahoo.com.

We send you embraces of love and solidarity.

From El Barrio, NYC.
Movement for Justice in El Barrio.
The Other Campaign New York

Justice, Land, and Freedom for the Zapatistas!
Freedom for Patricio Domínguez Vázquez!
Long Live the Women Zapatistas!
Stop the Repression of Our Zapatista Sisters and Brothers!
Justice, Land, and Freedom for the Ejidatari@s of San Sebastián Bachajón!
Freedom for the Political Prisoners of San Sebastián Bachajón!
Long Live the Women of San Sebastián Bachajón!
Stop the Aggressions against the Adherents of The Other Campaign!
Long Live the Zapatistas!