Human rights organizations and solidarity activists warn that the Tzeltales of San Marcos Avilés are at risk of a displacement equivalent to that of 2010.

By Dorset Chiapas Solidarity Group

For the Zapatista support bases of San Marcos Avilés, the nightmare of displacement has no end. After the end of the international campaign which had prevented the evictions, the government and the political parties renewed the threat, and there are now fears of an imminent displacement.

The ejido San Marcos Avilés is located in a mountainous region of the official municipality of Chilón, in the Highland region in the north of Chiapas. The population of around 140 families of indigenous Tzeltales grows maize, beans, coffee, sugar cane, and bananas, and keep a few cattle, horses, pigs, and chickens. Within the community live families of Zapatista bases of support (BAZ) alongside supporters of the Mexican political parties of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), and the Green Party of Mexico (PVEM).

On the morning of Saturday February 23, 2013 came the news those in solidarity with the Zapatistas throughout the world had feared to hear again: “Urgent: Imminent risk of forced displacement of the support bases of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation in the San Marcos Avilés ejido.” This article will try to give the background to the nightmare situation which has been endured by the BAZ of this community since 2010 and show the difference that international solidarity can make at a time of a resurgence of the Zapatista movement.

The eviction

In August 2010, as part of the Zapatista Autonomous Rebel Education system and their fight for dignity, freedom, and justice, the BAZ of San Marcos Avilés constructed their own autonomous school, “Emiliano Zapata.” Education is one of the main pillars of Zapatista autonomy and self-determination, since it is completely independent from the state. Their autonomous schools are non-hierarchical and rooted in local indigenous culture and worldviews. Education is seen as a fundamental right of the people and a form of resistance. “We want a good education for our children,” say the BAZ about the foundation of the school, “good learning, a good example. We see that the government has its schools, but it is not good education, nor do they teach our children well; they do not provide good learning, and what they teach has nothing to do with us. So we opened our school.”

A group of the political party supporters in the community, in conjunction with the local police and authorities, began acts of aggression, harassment, and intimidation as soon as the building of the school started. These acts included the theft and destruction of food and belongings, physical and death threats, and land grabs. Within days 29 hectares of land and crops had been stolen from the BAZ. Less than three weeks after the construction of the school, 30 heavily armed men affiliated with the PRI, PRD, and PVEM broke into the houses of the Zapatistas and attempted to rape two women. They displaced 47 men, 50 women and 77 children who, so as not to respond to this aggression, took refuge in the woods and in the mountains, where they remained without food or shelter for 33 days—enduring cold, wet, and hunger, forced to sleep in the mud under plastic sheeting. “They treat us like animals, like dogs. This is what I felt when my son was born on the mountain,” said one of the women.

The return

Supporters from throughout the world mobilized quickly in response to the eviction and organized a solidarity caravan to bring food, clothing, blankets, and medicine to the displaced people. After an accompanied return to the community on October 12, 2010, the BAZ found that the aggressors had looted their homes and stolen their possessions, taken over their lands, broken down their fences, killed their animals, and burned their crops. Moreover, the death threats, bullying, and harassment from the political party supporters continued, preventing members of the community from performing their daily activities, and severely undermining their mental and physical health. The attacks can be clearly seen as another attempt to put an end to the Zapatista autonomous process and force the BAZ to give up the struggle and submit to the projects of the “bad government.”

The JBG of Oventic, Caracol II made a statement: “If anything happens to our brothers and sisters now that they are back in their community, it will be the municipal, state, and federal governments who are responsible, by advising, financing, and arming paramilitaries and manipulating the poor and miserable.

“We the Zapatistas do not bother anybody, we do not evict our compas from the political parties, we do not persecute anyone, we do not steal the land of our brother and sister farmers, nor do we take any other property from other poor people; we only defend what is ours, what are our rights; we live and eat through our own work and sweat, and we want to fight for true democracy, freedom, and justice for everyone. These are our crimes as Zapatistas”.

An enduring nightmare

In August and September 2011, an Observation and Solidarity Brigade visited this and other threatened communities and reported acute malnutrition and an outbreak of fever which took the life of a child. One member of the brigade explained, “The women in particular express the suffering resulting from their displacement, and the pain caused by having no security of any kind, either for themselves, or, above all, for their children. As a direct result of asserting their legitimate right to education, they do not have food, shelter, or water for their children.”

However, they also commented: “We see that, in fact, the Zapatista autonomy project asserts the rights that are enshrined in the declarations, conventions, and treaties relating to the rights of indigenous peoples, especially those relating to autonomy and free determination. We witnessed terrible humiliations perpetrated by the bad government, but we also saw with our own eyes that despite the threats of repression, suffering, pain, and poverty, not one of the compañeros wants to give up. This belief in the process of liberation means that the Zapatista movement is stronger than ever.”

A second displacement?

Threats of another displacement, by the same armed actors, remained recurrent. As a result, in November 2011, the Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Human Rights Center (Frayba), in conjunction with Movimiento por Justicia del Barrio, an organization of Mexican migrants struggling for dignity and against displacement in New York, issued the “Worldwide Declaration in Support of the Zapatista Support Bases of San Marcos Avilés,” which groups, individuals, and organizations from all corners of the world signed. Over 1,000 protestors from Occupy Wall Street signed a further Declaration of Support.

Then, in 2012, the situation of threats and aggressions intensified to the point that the BAZ sent out an urgent call for help to the national and international community. Movimiento por Justicia del Barrio again responded, sending out an urgent message to the “Compañeros of the world” in July 2012, along with an extraordinarily moving and powerful video message from the BAZ themselves. “In the video message, our Zapatista comrades from San Marcos Avilés send special messages to the world…. They issue an urgent call for national and international support and solidarity with their community, in light of the alarming escalation of threats and hostility…. The culprits remain an attack group of political party members, who have stated that they will kidnap authorities of the Zapatista community, and in this way, forcefully displace the support base members from the ejido…. It is feared that another wholesale displacement of the community, similar to the one that took place in 2010, will occur.”

The BAZ explain, “We cannot enjoy the fruits of our labor with our children, because members of the political parties are eating them on the orders of bad government….The parties do not want the Zapatista organization in the ejido San Marcos. According to them, we set a bad example. They showed they want the organization to disappear. We will continue our struggle … because we have the right to be taken into account. Freedom, justice, and peace are what we are asking for. But we are not afraid because we know quite clearly what we are looking for and how we want to live”.

The Echo Campaign

Having grabbed attention from all corners of the world to the situation of the BAZ of San Marcos Avilés, Movimiento por Justicia del Barrio went on to launch the campaign “Worldwide Echo in Support of the Zapatistas,” on July 27, 2012. This initiative was in two phases—the first, “Walking the True Word,” was one of education and awareness-raising, and the second, “From Truth to Action: Stopping the Repression,” focused on holding protests led by the same communities who learned and became aware during the previous stage. As a result of this effort, “Committees of the True Word” began organizing in support of the Zapatistas in 29 countries, many of them composed of people who were new to the Zapatista struggle.

Although the Campaign was one of solidarity with all the Zapatista communities under threat and their political prisoners, the continual dissemination of information through video messages, events, declarations, letters, articles, statements of support from well-known thinkers, and a great range of activities and actions, combined to keep San Marcos Avilés in the public eye.

“These attacks,” wrote the Peruvian fighter for social justice, Hugo Blanco, in support of the Echo Campaign, “are the spearhead of the attempt to crush the zone liberated from neoliberalism, where the people govern themselves through the Good Government Juntas. This is seen as the great enemy by the transnational corporations…as they are a living example of the fact that Another World is Possible, A World where Many Worlds Fit….It is in the direct interests of humanity to defend the island of freedom that is the Zapatista area.” The Campaign left no doubt that the attacks are part of the war of attrition that has been conducted by the Mexican state against the Zapatistas since 1995, with the aim of eradicating the whole movement and the hope it embodies, from the face of the earth.

In her second letter of support for the Campaign, the great Mexican feminist Sylvia Marcos explored further the reasons behind the paramilitary attacks, “What are they afraid of to make them deploy such destructive force? What is the danger from the proposal, the resistance and the survival of the Zapatistas for the prevailing capitalist order? Is it because they show positively that other forms of life, in justice and dignity, are possible? That the satisfactions of life and the joy of being need not be governed by consumerism and commodification? That we can “live well,” as they say in the Andean communities of South America, with other ways of organization, government, and campesino production, in which the best way of living is not the accumulation of material goods, but community solidarity and sharing what there is?”

The women of Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE) added their own insights, “The Mexican government targets these indigenous communities because Zapatistas are building an alternative form of living where people have sovereignty over the land and pursue justice for indigenous people. To our compañeras and compañeros of San Marcos Avilés who were displaced for over a month from their community, we stand together with you in your fight against the corrupt government that imposes such cruelty.” Meanwhile, members of South Africa’s largest grassroots movement, Abahlali baseMjondolo, the Shack Dwellers Movement, pointed out that the primary goal of all repression is to break our bonds as movements and communities, so we must stay united and firm in our commitments and see our struggles as one.

Throughout the duration of this intense period of organizing, inspiration and awareness-raising, from July to November 2012, the situation in San Marcos Avilés remained relatively quiet and no attempts at displacement were made. The aggressors knew the situation was being watched. This can give us all hope that national and international organizing can actively help to prevent repression, that we can make a difference, and that all the hard work is worth it. Most importantly, these campaigns help the Zapatista compañer@s to know that they are not alone, that they have allies everywhere, and what is more, knowledge and understanding of their struggle is spread more widely. They help us find one another.

The new threats of displacement

There has been an intensification of the repression in San Marcos Avilés since February 2013, raising concerns about a new attack. There are now fears that another displacement of the BAZ is imminent, following a demand from the authorities and police of the community for the BAZ to pay the local (predial) tax. They replied, “We have suffered very much as a result of all these aggressions from groups of (political) party members, and the government has done nothing. Now is not the time to pay, because we are in resistance and we demand respect for our right to our lands. If we do not receive anything from the government, we are not going to pay taxes.”

The party supporters threatened to arrest the BAZ, take them to the authorities, and cut off their light and water. They then put in motion the process of eviction in conjunction with the Municipal President of Chilón, Leonardo Rafael Guirao Aguilar, and the Agrarian Procurator in Ocosingo, Luis Demetrio Domínguez López. The threat is imminent, and the ejido is filled with growing terror.

In the words of Frayba, “This Center for Human Rights expresses its concerns about the imminent risk to life, personal integrity, and security faced by the BAEZLN, inhabitants of the ejido San Marcos Avilés, stemming from the death threats and harassment which have increased during recent weeks. In addition to their forced displacement and dispossession from their lands, which are their means of subsistence, and which they have not been able to work since April 9, 2010, has led to a food crisis and constant threats against their process of autonomy. We point out the responsibility of the government of Chiapas who, by deliberate omission, has not acted to ensure the integrity and personal security of the BAEZLN and their access to the land, despite several interventions submitted.”

Zapatista resurgence

A great sign of hope that may affect the situation in San Marcos Avilés is the recent re-emergence of the Zapatistas from a period of silence. A massive silent march of as many as 50,000 masked BAZ took place on a highly significant day, December 21, 2012, the end of Baktun 13. This day marked the end of one cycle of the Maya calendar and the beginning of another—a time when traditionally worlds change and power is transformed. “Did you hear?” wrote Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos, “It is the sound of your world crumbling. It is the sound of our world resurging. The day that was day, was night. And night shall be the day that will be day. Democracy! Liberty! Justice!” Since then, 25 communiqués have been released (to date), and the Zapatista Word has been reborn.

Cultivating hope and action

Recently, solidarity campaigning has been seen to have contributed significantly to the release of the Zapatista political prisoner, Francisco Sántiz López. As a result of very effective organizing, the name of San Marcos Avilés is now well-known. There are people who have never visited the ejido who care about what happens there. Although the Echo Campaign may be over, the Committees of the True Word are still active. Frayba’s released of the Urgent Action brought a rapid response in the form of reports, letters, statements, and articles. Any eviction could happen quietly, without being noticed and protested against. People are urged to write to the Municipal President of Chilón immediately, as well as the governor of Chiapas, Manuel Velasco Coello, and the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, holding them responsible for any aggressions that may occur.

It is essential to remain vigilant, to keep organizing actions, writing letters, and spreading information, while we make sure we keep the name of San Marcos Avilés, our solidarity with the BAZ, and, of course, hope, alive.

Originally published at:  https://nacla.org/Zapatista-Displacement-and-Solidarity

Compas,

El 26 de febrero, el colectivo – ¡Alerta! – Lateinamerika Gruppe Düsseldorf de Alemania, organizo una acción en apoyo a las bases de apoyo zapatistas de San Marcos Avilés.

Información sobre San Marcos Avilés disponible aquí:

Últimas Noticias

San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México
22 de febrero de 2013

Acción Urgente No. 1

Riesgo de desplazamiento forzado a BAEZLN en San Marcos Avilés

Según información documentada por este Centro de Derechos Humanos, en el ejido San Marcos Avilés, municipio de Chilón existe riesgo inminente de que por segunda ocasión se realice un desplazamiento forzado, hacia las Bases de Apoyo del Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (BAEZLN) por parte de habitantes del mismo ejido, afiliados al Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD) y Partido Verde Ecologista de México (PVEM).

El día 19 de febrero 2013, se presentaron 11 personas entre autoridades ejidales de la comunidad y policías de la comunidad, quienes de manera agresiva entregaron un escrito a las BAEZLN exigiendo el pago del impuesto predial.

Las BAEZLN, manifestaron los argumentos y razones que han tenido desde inicio del levantamiento armado en 1994 en no participar en ningún espacio de los gobiernos estatal y federal diciéndoles:

[…] hemos sufrido mucho por todas las agresiones por parte de estos grupos partidistas y el gobierno no ha hecho nada. Ahora no es el momento de pagar, pues estamos en resistencia y exigimos el respeto a nuestro derecho a nuestras tierras; si no recibimos nada del gobierno, no vamos a pagar impuestos.

La respuesta de las autoridades ejidales fue que:

[…] Tienen que pagar porque es orden del Presidente Municipal y orden de Hacienda. Si no pagan serán desalojados. Los vamos a detener nosotros mismos y los llevaremos con las autoridades. Les vamos a cortar la luz y el agua […]

Por lo anterior, el día 20 de febrero de 2013, se reunieron los partidistas para acordar acciones en contra de las BAEZLN, en esta reunión, según testimonios levantaron un acta de acuerdo en donde asentaron que buscaran la forma para desalojarlos, además del envío de intervenciones e interlocuciones con el gobierno municipal y estatal para buscar estrategias para el desalojo de los “zapatistas” de la comunidad.

El día 21 de febrero de 2013, los partidistas, salieron muy temprano de la comunidad San Marcos Avilés, con el objetivo de hacer que se cumpliera el acta de acuerdo firmada el día anterior. Para ello, buscaron hablar con el Presidente Municipal y la Procuraduría Agraria en Ocosingo para activar el desalojo, enviando además escritos a los gobiernos municipal, estatal y federal.

Para ello acorde con el testimonio de las BAEZLN, las mismas autoridades anteriormente señaladas, les informaron que buscaron hablar con el Presidente Municipal de Chilón y la Procuraduría Agraria en Ocosingo con el fin de pedir una orden para desalojar a las BAEZLN. El mismo día 21 de febrero alrededor de las 21:00 hrs., los habitantes del ejido amenazaron a las BAEZLN, refiriendo que el Presidente Municipal de Chilón dio la orden de desalojo y que el lunes 25 de febrero, las autoridades oficiales del ejido buscarán la intervención del gobierno del estado en Tuxtla Gutiérrez. Dicha información fue recibida por las BAEZLN, sin tener conocimiento de su veracidad, o sí sólo es una amenaza más por parte de los partidistas del ejido.

Este Centro de Derechos Humanos manifiesta su preocupación por el inminente riesgo a la vida, integridad y seguridad personal que sufren las BAEZLN, habitantes del ejido San Marcos Avilés, derivado de las amenazas de muerte y hostigamientos que han aumentado en el curso de las últimas semanas; además del desplazamiento forzado y despojo de sus tierras de sustento que desde el 9 de abril de 2010 no pueden trabajar, situación que los ha llevado a una crisis alimentaria y de amenazas constantes contra su proceso de autonomía.

Hacemos notar la responsabilidad del gobierno de Chiapas que por omisión deliberada, no han actuado para garantizar la integridad y seguridad personal de las BAEZLN y el acceso a la tierra a pesar de las diversas intervenciones enviadas por este Centro de Derechos Humanos;

Por tanto exigimos al gobierno mexicano que tome las medidas necesarias para:

o Proteger y garantizar la vida, la integridad y seguridad personal de las BAEZLN
o Respetar y garantizar el derecho a las libertades fundamentales de libre expresión y pensamiento en la comunidad San Marcos Avilés
o Respetar y garantizar el derecho a las tierras de trabajo pertenecientes a las BAEZLN
o Respetar y garantizar el proceso autonómico que vienen construyendo en el marco del derecho a la libre determinación de los pueblos, establecido en el Convenio (No. 169) Sobre Pueblos Indígenas y Tribales en Países Independientes y la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Derechos de los Pueblos indígenas, así como en los Acuerdos de San Andrés.
o Investigación y sanción a los responsables del desplazamiento forzado, del despojo, amenazas y hostigamiento a las BAEZLN.

Antecedentes:

EL 9 de septiembre de 2010, este Centro de Derechos Humanos recibió denuncia de la Junta de Buen Gobierno Corazón Céntrico de los Zapatistas Delante del Mundo, del Caracol 2 Resistencia y Rebeldía por la Humanidad con sede en la comunidad Oventic, San Andrés Sakamch´en de Los Pobres, Chiapas, en relación a las amenazas, hostigamiento y desplazamiento forzado que sufrieron 170 personas entre hombres, mujeres, niñas y niños BAEZLN del ejido San Marcos Avilés del municipio de Chilón, Chiapas; después de que en el mes de agosto de 2010 las BAEZLN construyeron la primera escuela autónoma en el ejido, para el comienzo de las actividades previstas del Sistema Educativo Rebelde Autónomo Zapatista.

Ese día, 30 personas del ejido San Marcos Avilés afiliadas al partido PRI, PRD y PVEM, encabezados por los Sres. Lorenzo Ruiz Gómez y Vicente Ruiz López, ingresaron de forma violenta, con palos, machetes y armas de fuego en las casas de integrantes BAEZLN, momento en el que intentaron violar a dos mujeres que lograron escapar. Para no responder a la agresión, las BAEZLN abandonaron sus casas refugiándose en el monte. Después de 33 días de desplazamiento forzado sin alimentos y sin ninguna protección, el 12 de octubre de 2010, 27 familias BAEZLN (mujeres, hombres, niños y niñas; en total 170 personas) retornaron a su comunidad. En la actualidad siguen viviendo en una situación precaria por que continúan desplazados de sus tierras de trabajo y en constante amenaza a su integridad y seguridad personal.

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Envíe sus llamamientos a:

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

Lic. Leonardo Rafael Guirao Aguilar
Presidente Municipal
Domicilio Conocido S/N, Presidencia Municipal C.P. 29943
Chilón, Chiapas, México
Teléfonos: (01 919) 6710115, 6710230, 6710116, 6710030, Fax: 6710034
Correo: presidenciachilon@hotmail.com

Dr. Emilio Álvarez Icaza
Secretario Ejecutivo de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos
1889 F Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20006
USA
Fax 1-202-458-3992
Correo: cidhdenuncias@oas.org

Javier Hernández Valencia
Representante de la Oficina en México del Alto Comisionado
de Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos
Alejandro Dumas No 165
Col. Polanco.
Del. Miguel Hidalgo
C.P 11560, México D.F.
Tel: (52-55) 5061-6350
Fax: (52-55) 5061-6358
Correo: quejasoacnudhmexico@ohchr.org; oacnudh@ohchr.org

Enviar copia a:

Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas, A.C.
Calle Brasil 14, Barrio Méxicanos,
29240 San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México
Tel: 967 6787395, 967 6787396, Fax: 967 6783548
Correo: accionesurgentes@frayba.org.mx

Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Human Rights Centre

San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

February 22, 2013

Urgent Action No. 1

Risk of forced displacement of BAEZLN in San Marcos Avilés

According to information documented by this Human Rights Centre, there exists an imminent risk in San Marcos Avilés ejido, municipality of Chilón, that for the second time a forced displacement of the support bases of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (BAEZLN) may be carried out by inhabitants of the same ejido who are affiliated to the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), and the Green Party of Mexico (PVEM).

On February 19, 2013, 11 people from the community ejido authorities and the police of the community arrived and aggressively delivered a letter to the BAEZLN demanding payment of local tax.

The BAEZLN stated the arguments and reasons which they have had since the start of the armed uprising in 1994 not to participate in any area of ​​the state and federal government saying:

[…] We have suffered much from all these aggressions by groups of party supporters and the government has done nothing. Now is not the time to pay, because we are in resistance and we demand respect for our right to our land; if we do not receive anything from the government, we will not pay taxes.

The response from the ejidal authorities was that:

[…] You have to pay because it is an order from the Municipal President and an order from the Treasury. If you do not pay, you will be displaced. We ourselves will arrest you and take you to the authorities. We are going to cut your light and water […]

Following this, on 20 February 2013, the party supporters met to agree actions against the BAEZLN, at this meeting, according to witnesses, they made an act of agreement whereby they decided to seek ways to displace them, as well as communicating and having discussions with the municipal and state governments to seek strategies for the eviction of the “Zapatistas” within the community.

On February 21, 2013, the party supporters left the community of San Marcos Avilés very early, in order to fulfil the act of agreement signed the previous day. In order to do so, they sought to speak to the Municipal President and the Agrarian Prosecutor in Ocosingo to activate the eviction, also sending letters to the municipal, state and federal governments.

For this, according to the testimony of the BAEZLN, the same authorities mentioned previously told them that they sought to talk to the Municipal President of Chilón and the Agrarian Prosecutor in Ocosingo with the aim of asking for an order to evict the BAEZLN. The same day, February 21, at around 21:00, the inhabitants of the ejido threatened the BAEZLN, saying that the Mayor of Chilón had ordered the eviction and that, on Monday 25 February, the authorities of the ejido would seek the intervention of the state government in Tuxtla Gutierrez. This information was received by the BAEZLN without knowing whether it was true, or if it was a threat from the party supporters of the ejido.

This Centre for Human Rights expresses its concerns about the imminent risk to life, personal integrity and security faced by the BAEZLN, inhabitants of the ejido San Marcos Avilés, stemming from the death threats and harassment which have increased during recent weeks; in addition to their forced displacement and dispossession from their lands, which are their means of subsistence, and which they have not been able to work since April 9, 2010, a situation that has led to a food crisis and constant threats against their process of autonomy.

We point out the responsibility of the government of Chiapas who, by deliberate omission, have not acted to ensure the integrity and personal security of the BAEZLN and their access to the land despite various interventions submitted by the Centre for Human Rights;

Therefore we demand that the Mexican government to take the necessary measures to:

· protect and guarantee the life, integrity and personal security of the BAEZLN

· Respect and guarantee the right to fundamental freedom of expression and thought in the San Marcos Avilés

· Respect and guarantee the right to work the land belonging to the BAEZLN

· Respect and guarantee the process of building autonomy, under the right to the self-determination of peoples, established under the Convention (No. 169) concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as in the San Andres Accords.

· Investigation and punishment of those responsible for the forced displacement, dispossession, threats and harassment of the BAEZLN.

Background:

On 9 September 2010, this Human Rights Centre received a denuncia from the Good Government Junta Central Heart of the Zapatistas before the World, from Caracol 2 Resistance and Rebellion for Humanity, based in Oventic, San Andrés Sakamch´en de Los Pobres, Chiapas, in relation to the threats, harassment and forced displacement suffered by 170 men, women and children of the BAEZLN from the ejido San Marcos Avilés, Chilón municipality, Chiapas; this followed the building by the BAEZLN, in the month of August 2010, of the first autonomous school in the ejido, for the start of the planned activities of the Zapatista Rebel Autonomous Education System.

That day, 30 people from the ejido San Marcos Avilés, all of whom were affiliated with the PRI, PRD and PVEM, and who were headed by Mr. Lorenzo Ruiz Gómez and Vicente Ruiz López, entered violently, with sticks, machetes and guns, into the homes of members of the BAEZLN, and tried to rape two women who escaped. In order not to respond to this aggression, the BAEZLN left their homes seeking refuge in the woods and mountains. After 33 days of forced displacement without food or any form of protection, on October 12, 2010, 27 BAEZLN families (women, men, boys and girls, in total 170 individuals) returned to their community. They are currently still living in a precarious situation where they remain displaced from their subsistence lands, and under constant threats to their personal safety and integrity.

* – *

Write to:

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

Lic. Leonardo Rafael Guirao Aguilar

Presidente Municipal

Domicilio Conocido S/N, Presidencia Municipal C.P. 29943

Chilón, Chiapas, México

Teléfonos: (01 919) 6710115, 6710230, 6710116, 6710030, Fax: 6710034

Correo: presidenciachilon@hotmail.com

Dr. Emilio Álvarez Icaza

Secretario Ejecutivo de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos
1889 F Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20006

USA

Fax 1-202-458-3992

Correo: cidhdenuncias@oas.org

Javier Hernández Valencia

Representante de la Oficina en México del Alto Comisionado

de Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos

Alejandro Dumas No 165

Col. Polanco.

Del. Miguel Hidalgo

C.P 11560, México D.F.

Tel: (52-55) 5061-6350

Fax: (52-55) 5061-6358

Correo: quejasoacnudhmexico@ohchr.org; oacnudh@ohchr.org

Send a copy to:

Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas, A.C.

Calle Brasil 14, Barrio Méxicanos,

29240 San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México

Tel: 967 6787395, 967 6787396, Fax: 967 6783548

Correo: accionesurgentes@frayba.org.mx

San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México
16 de septiembre de 2012

AU No. 02

Desplazamiento forzado y desaparición de BAEZLN en la
comunidad autónoma Comandante Abel

Saldrá caravana de apoyo y solidaridad a las BAEZLN de la comunidad agredida.

El Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas (Frayba) tiene conocimiento que Bases de Apoyo del Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (BAEZLN) de la comunidad Comandante Abel del Municipio Autónomo Rebelde Zapatista, La Dignidad, municipio oficial de Sabanilla, en la zona Norte de Chiapas, fueron agredidas[1] con armas de fuego, por la organización paramilitar Desarrollo Paz y Justicia, según información pública de la Junta de Buen Gobierno “Nueva Semilla que Va a Producir”.[2]

El 6 de septiembre de 2012, en la comunidad Comandante Abel, aproximadamente a las 7:00 horas, un grupo de 55 personas, quienes iban con armas de fuego, encapuchadas y con uniforme de tipo militar, despojaron con disparos, tierras perteneciente a las BAEZLN.

El día 8 de septiembre de 2012, ante el constante hostigamiento y el inminente riesgo a su vida, integridad y seguridad personal, 70 familias BAEZLN se desplazaron forzosamente, y se refugiaron en las montañas aledañas en precarias condiciones de alimentación y salud. Los desplazados en este momento se encuentran en un lugar seguro según la información proporcionada a este Centro de Derechos Humanos; además desde que ocurrió el evento se desconoce el paradero de 14 personas entre ellas dos niños.

Cabe mencionar que, desde hace un año, las BAEZLN reciben amenazas de desalojo por parte del grupo agresor; el Frayba advertía la situación en la Acción Urgente No.53 del 14 de septiembre de 2011 [3]; sobre los mismos hechos el 23 de octubre de 2011, el gobierno de Chiapas[4] se comprometió a garantizar el derecho a las tierras de las BAEZLN y a proteger la vida, integridad y seguridad personal de las personas hoy desplazadas y desaparecidas.

Por el riesgo en que se encuentran las BAEZLN, varias organizaciones de la sociedad civil realizarán los días 18, 19 y 20 de septiembre de 2012 una caravana de apoyo y solidaridad para documentar sobre las condiciones en que se encuentran las BAEZLN.

Por lo anterior este Centro de Derechos Humanos de manera urgente exige:

• 
  Se proteja la vida, integridad y seguridad personal de las Bases de Apoyo del Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional de la Comunidad Comandante Abel y del Municipio Autónomo Rebelde Zapatista, La Dignidad.
• Se proteja la vida, integridad y seguridad personal y se de con el paradero de las 14 personas que hasta el momento se encuentran desparecidas.
• Se proteja la integridad y seguridad personal de los integrantes de la caravana de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil que realizarán el recorrido en la comunidad Comandante Abel.

Por lo antes mencionado hacemos un llamado a personas, a la sociedad, solidarias/os, defensoras/es de derechos humanos, medios alternativos, colectivos, organizaciones a nivel nacional e internacional para que manden sus llamamientos al Estado mexicano para que cumpla con su obligación de respetar, proteger y garantizar los derechos humanos, como lo marcan los instrumentos internacionales firmados y ratificados por México.

Envíe sus llamamientos a:

Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa
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
Correo: felipe.calderon@presidencia.gob.mx
Cuenta de Twitter: @FelipeCalderon y @GobFed

Alejandro Poiré Romero
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, contacto@segob.gob.mx
Cuenta de Twitter: @SEGOB_mx

Juan José Sabines Guerrero
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
Cuenta de Twitter: @Juansabinesg y @gubernaturachis

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
Cuenta de Twitter: @gobiernochiapas

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.chiapa.
Cuenta de Twitter: @pgjechiapas

Enviar copia a:
Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas, A.C.
Calle Brasil 14, Barrio Méxicanos,
29240 San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México
Tel: 967 6787395, 967 6787396, Fax: 967 6783548
Correo: accionurgente@frayba.org.mx
Cuenta de Twitter: @CdhFrayba

---

[1] Ver denuncia del 7 de septiembre de 2012, Junta de Buen Gobierno “Nueva Semilla que Va a Producir”, disponible en: http://enlacezapatista.ezln.org.mx/2012/09/08/la-jbg-nueva-semilla-que-va-a-producir-denuncia-ataque-armado-de-paramilitares-en-la-comunidad-autonoma-comandante-abel/

[2] La JBG Nueva Semilla Que Va a Producir denuncia ataque armado de paramilitares en la comunidad autónoma Comandante Abel. disponible en: http://enlacezapatista.ezln.org.mx/2012/09/08/la-jbg-nueva-semilla-que-va-a-producir-denuncia-ataque-armado-de-paramilitares-en-la-comunidad-autonoma-comandante-abel/

[3] Acción Urgente No. 5: Hostigamiento y riesgo de desplazamiento forzado a comunidad autónoma , Frayba.

[4] http://www.comunicacion.chiapas.gob.mx/documento.php?id=20111024125338

“Eco Mundial en Apoyo a l@s Zapatistas:
Justicia y Libertad para San Marcos Avilés y Sántiz López”

25 de julio 2012

A nuestr@s hermanas y hermanos de San Marcos Avilés:

A nuestr@s hermanas y hermanos familiares y aliados de Francisco Sántiz López:

A nuestr@s hermanas y hermanos zapatistas:
A nuestr@s compañer@s de La Otra Campaña:
A nuestr@s compañer@s de la Zezta Internazional:
A nuestr@s compañer@s adherentes a la Campaña Internacional en Defensa del Barrio y nuestros aliados de todo el mundo:
A la sociedad civil en México y en el mundo: La presente es una urgente convocatoria propuesta por el Movimiento por Justicia del Barrio, La Otra Campaña Nueva York para realizar el:

“Eco Mundial en Apoyo a l@s Zapatistas:
Justicia y Libertad para San Marcos Avilés y Sántiz López”

HERMANAS Y HERMANOS: Desde el corazón moreno de El Barrio, Nueva York, reciban cariñosos saludos y una urgente propuesta de lucha de parte del Movimiento por Justicia del Barrio, La Otra Campaña Nueva York.

Esta es una nueva convocatoria de nuestra parte a realizar el: “Eco Mundial en Apoyo a l@s Zapatistas:
Justicia y Libertad para San Marcos Avilés y Sántiz López”

Primera Etapa: Caminando la Palabra Verdadera

agosto del 2012 A todas y todos l@s que luchamos por la justicia, dignidad, libertad, y democracia, y en contra de la opresión, la violencia, el odio, el desprecio, la pobreza, y el terror que son el mundo de los de arriba… A todas y todos l@s que nos dedicamos a construir otro mundo, otra comunicación, otra política, otro saber, otra cultura, otra historia, otro futuro… A todas y todos l@s que buscamos y hacemos nuestro camino mirando hacía abajo y a la izquierda… que aprendemos de la vida escuchando las palabras sabias de l@s antepasados… A todas y todos l@s que soñamos con la libertad en todos sus colores… A todas y todos que rechazamos las injusticias que, en todo país, se imponen y se llaman “economia” y “gobierno”… A todas y todos que encontramos inspiración, esperanza, eco y reflejo en l@s Zapatistas…

Hoy día nos urge movilizar con todo nuestro ser la solidaridad y apoyo a nuestr@s herman@s zapatistas de la comunidad en resistencia de San Marcos Avilés y al preso político zapatista Francisco Sántiz López: Respondiendo a los varios llamados de parte de la Junta de Buen Gobierno con sede en Oventic y de la comunidad de San Marcos Avilés, nosotr@s nos solidarizamos con ell@s para agregar nuestro eco solidario a su digna “¡YA BASTA!” en contra de los recientes ataques que enfrentan las bases de apoyo zapatistas, parte fundamental del movimiento zapatista.

Especialmente, esta convocatoria busca anticipar y prevenir la violencia en contra de San Marcos Avilés que los partidistas locales han amenazado estos últimos días. Ellos, que son el brazo de los partidos políticos dominantes de la región, han revelado su plan de desplazar nuevamente a nuestr@s herman@s bases de apoyo zapatista. Recien amenazaron, estos enemigos del pueblo, de secuestrar a l@s autoridades comunitarios zapatistas y violentamente desalojar a l@s demás compas de su comunidad. Dicen, además, que encarcelarán a tod@s l@s que siguen denunciando estos actos agresivos e injustos. Que quede claro que estos ataques no son aislados, sino son parte principal de la guerra de exterminio alargada que el mal gobierno de México y la ambición capitalista, mano a mano, han venido realizando durante estos últimos 18 años para aplastar el movimiento zapatista y todo lo que regala al mundo. Su próposito ha sido y es cumplir con el proyecto colonial y destruir a toda costa la autonomía y resistencia indígena, apoderarse de sus tierras ancestrales, y de este modo, explotar los recursos naturales que provee la Madre Tierra para el propio y exclusivo beneficio de los de arriba. A l@s que luchan contra eso, a l@s que defienden sus tierras, sus identidades, sus culturas, y su autonomía – su proprio ser – se les ofrecen la represión, la violencia, la muerte por parte del mal gobierno de México.

El ejido y comunidad zapatista tzeltal de San Marcos Avilés, desde finales del año 2010, ha vivido una pesadilla interminable de terror principalmente por haber avanzado en su proceso autonomico, abriendo la escuela autónoma “Emiliano Zapata” como parte del Sistema Educativo Rebelde Autónomo Zapatista (SERAZ). A través de estos dos años, esta comunidad ha padecido formas de violencia extrema​ tales como: amenazas de muerte, hostigamiento, despojo, agresión sexual (incluso violaciones intentadas), desplazamiento forzado, entre otras a manos de miembros del Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD), y Partido Verde Ecologista de México (PVEM), y sus grupos de choque armados. Asimismo, el compañero Francisco Sántiz López, indígena tzeltal y zapatista de Chiapas, ha estado encarcelado injustamente, por crimenes que nunca cometió, desde el 4 de diciembre de 2011 por ser base de apoyo zapatista. Hoy permanece como rehén del mal gobierno de México, en su guerra en contra de tod@s l@s Zapatistas.

Es claro que la violencia ejercida en contra de San Marcos Avilés y Francisco Sántiz López se basa en una sola raíz. Recientemente, la comunidad de San Marcos Avilés ha reportado que las amenazas en su contra se han aumentado de forma alarmante estos últimos días.

A la luz de estos actos de violencia y agresión, les proponemos el siguiente plan de lucha solidaria, como parte del “Eco Mundial en Apoyo a l@s Zapatistas: Justicia y Libertad para San Marcos Avilés y Sántiz López.” Esta campaña se diferencia por su “doble” estrategia y consistirá en dos etapas entrelazadas.

PRIMERA ETAPA:
Caminando la Palabra Verdadera: Promoción y Difusión
Duración: el mes entero de agosto

La primera etapa, que se llama Caminando La Palabra Verdadera, durará el mes entero de agosto y tiene como objetivo principal la intensa promoción de la campaña y amplia difusión de información entre nuestras comunidades, barrios, ejidos, redes, y países respectivos sobre la situación actual de injusticia absoluta que se enfrenta en San Marcos Avilés y el caso de encarcelamiento injusto de Francisco Sántiz López. Para eso, proponemos que en todas partes del mundo, desde el pueblito más pequeño hasta la urbe más grande, tod@s concentremos nuestros esfuerzos organizativos y recursos en levantar la conciencia de nuestros pueblos, comunidades, y redes, formando Comités de la Palabra Verdadera para poder compartir de manera eficaz información crítica sobre la situación actual de San Marcos Avilés y Francisco Sántiz López.

·      Estos “Comités de la Palabra Verdadera” serán como semillas que alcanzarán a suelos distintos y parejos para germinar conciencia, conocimiento, y, más que nada, rabia y ganas de tomar acción para apoyar concretamente a nuestr@s herman@s de San Marcos Avilés y Francisco Sántiz López.

·      Cada comité tendrá como meta la difusión y la promoción amplia de la situación actual de San Marcos Avilés y Francisco Sántiz López, ya que ambos son bases de apoyo zapatistas. Alcanzar a personas que desconoce la historia de l@s zapatistas es también de prioridad. Todo el mundo debe de conocer esta historia de dolor, esperanza, e inspiración profunda.

·      No es necesario pertenecer a una organización o colectivo. Tod@s podemos formar un comité de la nada y apoyar en esta campaña. Puedes formar tu comité con tus amig@s o compañer@s del trabajo, l@s vecin@s o familiares.

·      Si ya eres integrante de una organización, asociación, colectivo, unión laboral, grupo, equipo, club, etc., puedes formar tu propio comité con tus compas de cualquier agrupación que pertenezcas.

·      Durante esta primera etapa, se les recuerda que los Comités de la Palabra Verdaderapueden organizar numerosas y diversas actividades para lograr nuestra meta. Entre ellas incluyen foros públicos, muestra de videos, repartición de volantes educativos, concentraciones informativas, publicación de artículos, reflexiones, y denuncias, traducciones, comunicación por redes sociales, obras artísticas, etc. Las posibilidades no tienen limites.

·      Invitamos a tod@s l@s de abajo para que junt@s y unid@s apoyemos a nuestr@s herman@s zapatistas de San Marcos Avilés y nuestro hermano Francisco Sántiz Lópezque están luchando por nuestra liberación compartida.

·      ¡Forma tu Comité de la Palabra Verdadera ya! En cuanto sea formado tu comité, favor de dejarnos saber qué actividades se organizarán y en qué rincón del planeta se ubica, envíandonos un correo al laotranuevayork@yahoo.com

Creemos que el conocimiento y la palabra verdadera son de suma importancia para todas las luchas de l@s de abajo—no solo le toca a los medios de comunicación alternativos dinfundir la verdad, sino también es responsibilidad de tod@s hacerlo. Además, creemos que esta etapa de concientización es particularmente importante, ya que nuestr@s compas de San Marcos Avilés padecen esta violencia principalmente por ser indígenas, zapatistas, y por haber abierto su escuela autónoma. La educación y el conocimiento son herramientas y armas en la lucha por justicia, dignidad, y democracia—son nada menos que las formas en que vamos a construir este mundo nuevo que queremos. Así que en esta campaña, la educación sobre San Marcos Avilés y Franciso Sántiz Lópezes otra forma de rebelarnos ante este sistema de injusticia y opresión, que también oprime al nivel de saber. Utilizaremos lo que los de arriba desean reprimir para lograr lo que buscamos: “una justicia digna.” Para facilitar la expansión de esta primera etapa, queremos brindarles unas pequeñas herramientas:

1.     Como ya sabrán, hemos producido un nuevo y emocionante videomensaje de l@s compas de San Marcos Avilés que está disponible aqui:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY-8CBt3Vkg Favor de comunicarse con nosotr@s si desean una copia de alta calidad del video para hacer una presentación de película.

2.     También hemos creado un sitio web en Español e Ingles y unas páginas con contenido en Frances, Italiano, Alemán y Japones con varios informes, reportes, e información importante, y otros materiales educativos sobre San Marcos Avilés y Francisco Sántiz López que ya están disponibles aqui:  http://sanmarcosaviles.wordpress.com/ Bajo el liderazgo de la comunidad de San Marcos Avilés y de la Junta de Buen Gobierno, la meta de esta primera etapa es llenar de conciencia a los corazones de tanta gente que nos sea posible y que el mundo se conozca la violencia constante por parte del mal gobierno y la resistencia del pueblo digno. Después de esta etapa intensa de educación popular, vendrá una etapa de acción más directa. Con nuestr@s herman@s zapatistas de San Marcos Avilés y de la Junta de Buen Gobierno de Oventic, hacemos eco de sus justas demanas:

·      ¡QUE PAREN LA GUERRA EN CONTRA DE L@S ZAPATISTAS DE SAN MARCOS AVILÉS!

·      ¡QUE LIBEREN DE INMEDIATO AL COMPAÑERO ZAPATISTA FRANCISCO SÁNTIZ LÓPEZ! La gravedad de estas dos situaciones entrelazadas no se puede ignorar. Como parte de la lucha mundial por justicia, dignidad, y democracia, nos tocar responder con el corazón abierto. ·      Sí aceptan nuestra propuesta, y participarán en esta campaña, favor de dejarnos saber lo más pronto posible, envíandonos un correo al  laotranuevayork@yahoo.com

Asimismo, favor de escribir y enviarnos sus crónicas de cada actividad que realizan en los Comités de la Palabra Verdadera. Difundiremos ampliamente todas las historias de cada actividad que se hace como parte de esta campaña, para hacer que nuestra lucha se haga más grande y profunda. También, se las haremos llegar a la comunidad de San Marcos Avilés y a la Junta de Buen Gobierno, para que estén al tanto de la campaña y sepan que no están sol@s. Pueden enviarnos las crónicas al mismo correo electrónico:  laotranuevayork@yahoo.com

Porque el digno grito humanizador de “¡YA BASTA!” nos ha afectado a tod@s l@s que luchamos de todas partes de nuestro planeta tierra, desde nuestras respectivas trincheras, conectando a luchas muy distintas y parecidas… Porque ese mismo grito ha habitado en nuestros corazones al lado de la alegria y la esperanza… Haremos eco a ello, aportartando nuestra voz, nuestro rostro, para hacer que se escuche infinitamente más fuerte… Como si fuera en lengua de nuestro ser. Por la defensa de la Resistencia Zapatista, nuestro eco…

¡QUE VIVA EL EZLN!

¡QUE VIVAN L@S ZAPATISTAS!

¡QUE VIVA LA OTRA CAMPAÑA!

Con amor y solidaridad,Movimiento por Justicia del Barrio
La Otra Campaña Nueva York

INTERNATIONAL CALL TO ACTION:
“Worldwide Echo in Support of the Zapatistas:
Freedom and Justice for San Marcos Avilés and Sántiz López”

July 27, 2012

To our sisters and brothers, the family members and allies of San Marcos Avilés: To our sisters and brothers, the family members and allies of Francisco Sántiz López: To our Zapatista sisters and brothers: To our compañer@s of The Other Campaign: To our compañer@s of the Zezta Internazional: To our compañer@s, adherents of the International Campaign in Defense of El Barrio and all our allies from around the world: To the Civil Society in Mexico and in the world: The following is an urgent call to action from Movement for Justice in El Barrio, The Other Campaign New York, to carry out the:

“Worldwide Echo in Support of the Zapatistas:
Justice and Freedom for San Marcos Avilés and Sántiz López”

SISTERS AND BROTHERS: From the brown heart of El Barrio, New York, receive affectionate greetings and an urgent proposal of struggle on behalf of Movement for Justice in El Barrio, The Other Campaign New York. The following is a new and urgent convocation to carry out the: “Worldwide Echo in Support of the Zapatistas:
Freedom and Justice for San Marcos Avilés and Sántiz López”

First Phase: Walking the True Word
August 2012
To all those who fight for justice, dignity, freedom, and democracy, and against oppression, violence, hatred, scorn, poverty, and terror that are the world of those from above… To those who work to build another world, another communication, another politics, another knowledge, another culture, another history, another future… To those who search for and create our path by looking from below and to the left… who learn about life by listening to the wise words of the ancestors… To those who dream of freedom in all its resplendent colors… To those who reject the injustices that, in every country, are imposed and called “economy” and “government”… To those who find inspiration, hope, resonance and reflection in the Zapatistas… Today, with urgency, we are called upon to mobilize, with our whole being, solidarity and support for our Zapatista sisters and brothers of the community in resistance of San Marcos Avilés and for the Zapatista political prisoner Francisco Sántiz López: Responding to the numerous denouncements and calls issued by the Good Government Council of Oventic and the community of San Marcos Avilés, we stand in solidarity with them and add our echo to their dignified “ENOUGH!” against the recent attacks that the Zapatista support base members, the essence of the Zapatista Movement, are facing.  Particularly, this convocation seeks to anticipate and prevent further violence against San Marcos Avilés at the hands of local political party members who have, during the past few days, made renewed threats. These individuals are the “strong arm” of the region’s dominant political parties. They have of late revealed their plan to displace our sisters and brothers of the Zapatista support base. According to recent threats, these enemies of the people intend to kidnap Zapatista community authorities and, in turn, violently displacing other Zapatistas from their community. They have stated, additionally, that they will incarcerate anyone who continues to denounce these unjust aggressions.

We stress here that these attacks are not isolated incidents, but rather are integral components of the prolonged war of extermination that the bad government of Mexico, together with capitalist interests, has carried out for the past 18 years to wipe out the Zapatista movement and all it has given to the world. The objectives of this war have been and remain to continue the colonial project and destroy at any cost indigenous autonomy and resistance, and take over their ancestral lands, and in this way, exploit for the exclusive benefit of those from above the natural resources with which our Mother Earth provides us. Repression, violence, and death are meted out by the bad government of Mexico to those who resist this, who defend their lands, their identities, their cultures, and autonomy – their very existence. The Zapatista ejido and community of San Marcos Avilés, which is made up of Tzeltal indigenous people, has endured an unending nightmare of terror since 2010, when the community’s autonomous school, “Emiliano Zapata,” was constructed as part of the Zapatista Rebel Education System—constituting a major step forward in the community’s advance towards autonomy. During the past two years, this community has suffered various forms of extreme violence, including death threats, harassment, plunder, sexual aggression (including attempted rapes), forced displacement, and others, at the hands of members of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), and the Green Ecological Party (PVEM) of Mexico, and their armed attack groups. Similarly, our compañero Francisco Sántiz López, also an indigenous Tzeltal-speaker and Zapatista from Chiapas, has remained unjustly imprisoned since December 4, 2011, for false crimes that he never committed. His only “crime” is that of being a member of the Zapatista support base. Today he remains a hostage of the bad government of Mexico in its war against all Zapatistas. It is clear that the violence exercised against both San Marcos Avilés and Francisco Sántiz López stems from that same source. Recently, community members of San Marcos Avilés have reported that the threats against them have spiked at an alarming rate during the past few days. In light of these acts of violence and aggression, we would like to propose the following plan of solidarity and struggle, as part of the “Worldwide Echo in Support of the Zapatistas: Freedom and Justice for San Marcos Avilés and Sántiz López.” This campaign is distinguished for its “two-pronged” strategy, and will consist of two interrelated phases. FIRST PHASE:
Walking the True Word: Promotion and Circulation
Timeframe: Entire month of August The first phase, which is called “Walking the True Word,” will span the entire month of August and has as its principal objective the dissemination of information within our respective communities, neighborhoods, ejidos, networks, and countries regarding the current situation of absolute injustice occurring in San Marcos Avilés and the case of the unjust imprisonment of Francisco Sántiz López. To this end, we propose that around the world, from the smallest community to the largest metropolis, we concentrate our organizing efforts and resources on raising consciousness in our communities and networks by forming Committees of the True Word as a way to effectively disseminate critical information regarding the current situation of San Marcos Avilés and the unjust incarceration of Francisco Sántiz López. ·      These “Committees of the True Word” will serve as seeds that will sprout roots in distinct and common lands to grow consciousness, knowledge, and more than anything, rage and inspiration to take concrete action in support of our sisters and brothers of San Marcos Avilés and Franisco Sántiz López.

·      Each committee will seek to disseminate and promote widely the current situation of San Marcos Avilés and Francisco Sántiz López, as they are both are Zapatista support base members. Of particular priority is reaching out to people who are unfamiliar with the history of the Zapatistas. Everyone should know this history of profound pain, hope, and inspiration.

·      It is not necessary to belong to an organization or collective. In this campaign, we can all form a committee on our own and be supportive.  Committees can be formed with friends, co-workers, neighbors, or relatives.

·      If you are already a member of an organization, association, collective, labor union, group, team, club, etc., you can form your own committee with your fellow members.

·      During this first phase, to be clear, the Committees of the True Word can organize a wide range of activities to accomplish our goal. Among the numerous options include: public forums, distributing informative fliers and pamphlets, teach-ins, publishing articles, reflections, and denouncements, translations, social media initiatives, artistic works, etc. The possibilities are endless.

·      We invite all those from below to come together to support our Zapatista sisters and brothers of San Marcos Avilés and our brother Francisco Sántiz López who are all fighting for our shared liberation.

·      Form your Committee of the True Word now!   As soon as you have formed your committee, please let us know what activities you intend to carry out and the location of the committee via email at:    laotranuevayork@yahoo.com. We believe that the true word and knowledge are very important for the struggles of those from below—it is not only the task of the independent/alternative media to circulate truth, but rather it is the responsibility of us all to do so. Moreover, we believe that this phase of consciousness-raising is particularly important, especially in light of the fact that our compas from San Marcos Avilés are suffering this violence for being indigenous, for being Zapatistas, and for having opened their autonomous school. Education and knowledge are also tools and weapons in the struggle for justice, dignity, and democracy—they are nothing less than the forms in which we will construct this new world we seek. As such, in this campaign, education on San Marcos Avilés and Francisco Sántiz López will serve as another way in which we rebel against this system of injustice and oppression, which oppresses at the level of knowledge as well. We shall make use of what those from above seek to repress in order to achieve what we are fighting for: “a dignified justice.” To facilitate the expansion of this phase, we would like to offer a few small tools: 1.    As some of you may know, we have produced a new and moving video message from the compas of San Marcos Avilés, which is available here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY-8CBt3Vkg
Please contact us if you wish to obtain a high quality version of the video suitable for public screenings.

2.    We also put together a new website in English and Spanish with web pages with content in French, Italian, German and Japanese and with updates, reports, and important information, and other educational materials on San Marcos Avilés and Francisco Sántiz López. The website is available here:   http://sanmarcosavilesen.wordpress.com/ Following the lead of the community of San Marcos Avilés and the Good Government Council, the goal of this phase is to imbue with knowledge the hearts of as many people as possible, and to bring awareness to the world regarding the constant government-backed violence and the resistance of the dignified people. Immediately after this intensive educational phase, there will be a phase of direct action. Alongside our Zapatista sisters and brothers of San Marcos Avilés and of the Good Government Council of Oventic, we echo their just demands: ·      AN END TO THE WAR AGAINST THE ZAPATISTAS OF SAN MARCOS AVILÉS.

·      IMMEDIATE FREEDOM FOR OUR ZAPATISTA COMPAÑERO FRANCISCO SÁNTIZ LÓPEZ. The gravity of these two situations cannot be ignored. As part of the global struggle for justice, dignity, and democracy, we must respond with open hearts. ·      If you accept our proposal and will participate in this campaign, please let us know as soon as possible via email at
laotranuevayork@yahoo.com. Likewise, please write and send us chronicles of each activity that is carried out via your Committee of the True Word. We will circulate all report backs on the activities realized as part of this campaign, so as to expand the scope and reach of our struggle. We will also share these reports with the community of San Marcos Avilés and the Good Government Council, so that they stay updated and know that they are not alone. These chronicles and report backs can be sent to the same e-mail: laotranuevayork@yahoo.com Because their humanizing cry of dignity, their “ENOUGH!”, has affected all of us who fight for justice from around the world, from our respective trenches of struggle, and has connected very distinct and similar struggles alike… Because this very cry has dwelled in our hearts alongside hope and happiness… We shall let it resound in our echo by adding our voice, our countenance, to ensure that it is heard more profoundly… As if it were said in the very language of our being… For the defense of the Zapatista Resistance, we add our echo… Long live the EZLN!

Long live the Zapatistas!

Long live The Other Campaign!
With love and solidarity, Movement for Justice in El Barrio
The Other Campaign New York