CAMPAIGN TO COLLECT SIGNATURES FOR THE FREEDOM OF THE 12 POLITICAL PRISONERS OF ATENCO.

SYNOPSIS: The Peoples’ Front in Defense of the Land (Frente de Pueblos en Defensa de la Tierra, FDPT) brings together a number of villages and farming communities on the outskirts of Mexico City, including San Salvador Atenco. In 2002 they generated a process of peasant resistance against the plan to make a new airport, with this project the government wanted to take away their land. After an intense process of organizing the opposition to the airport, the project was canceled. The FPDT became after its struggle in defense of the land in a national and international reference of the social movement in Mexico. On May 3 and 4 of 2006 the residents of San Salvador Atenco were victims of repression by the Mexican government that prompted one of the most violent police operations in the country’s history, with a balance of two youths killed, more than 200 arbitrary arrests, severe human rights violations of the detainees involving police brutality, irregularities in the process and the torture and sexual abuse of thirty female detainees. The case of repression in San Salvador Atenco has become emblematic since numerous and diverse organisms defending human rights documented and spread the above mentioned violations. Even the Mexican government agencies such as the Supreme Court have recognized that such violations took place. More than four years after these events, 12 people are still unjustly imprisoned. They are political prisoners of the Mexican government. As part of a national and international campaign called Freedom and justice for Atenco will post on this month of June an ad in a newspaper of national circulation, to demand their freedom. Before the end of June the Supreme Court’s Office will decide on the release of these 12 prisoners. To lose this legal battle they will have to purge sentences ranging from 31 to up to 112 years in prison. This is an urgent statement to be signed by numerous individuals and organizations, nationally and internationally.

The legal elements are integrated in a text that has been endorsed and supported by leading human rights centers as the center Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez DH center Fray Francisco de Vitoria as well as specialists from the community of the post graduate in human rights and democracy of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences Mexico (FLACSO Mexico). That is why we invite you to sign this petition with the text that under the signatures. Esperamos que puedan apoyar este proceso por la libertad y la justicia y en defensa de quienes luchan por la tierra. We hope you can support this process for freedom and justice and in defense of those fighting for the land.

COMITÉ LIBERTAD Y JUSTICIA PARA ATENCO:

COMMITTEE FOR FREEDOM AND JUSTICE FOR ATENCO:

Frente de Pueblos en Defensa de la Tierra (People’s Front in Defense of the Land), Relatives of prisoners and persecuted, Servicios legales, Investigación y Asesoría Jurídica; Servicios y asesoría para la Paz (Serapaz), Human Rights Centre Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez, Mujeres Sin Miedo, Human Rights Center Fray Francisco de Vitoria, Comité Cerezo, Comité Monseñor Romero, Consorcio para el diálogo parlamentario y la equidad; Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social (CENCOS), Jovenes en Resistencia Alternativa (JRA), Bishop Emeritus Samuel Ruiz Garcia of the Diocese of San Cristobal de las Casas, Ofelia Medina actress, musician Manu Chao, Julieta Egurrola actress, Raul Vera Bishop of the Diocese of Saltillo, Coahuila, Adolfo Gilly academic, actor Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Luis Villoro philosopher, singer Ruben Albarran rock band Cafe Tacvba, actor Bruno Bichir, Fray Miguel Concha Malo Dominican friar, director of the Center for Human Rights Fray Francisco de Vitoria, Roco Pachukote vocalist of the rock band Maldita Vecindad y lo Hijos del Quinto Patio, Gilberto López y Rivas, anthropologist, journalist Luis Hernández Navarro, Carlos Fazio, academic Guillermo Almeyra academic, Los de Abajo, ska and rock band, La Reinas Chulas actresses.

Text to sign:

FREEDOM NOW!!! of the 12 prisoners of San Salvador Atenco

For the ministers of the First Chamber of the Supreme Court:

José de Jesús Gudiño Pelayo, Olga María del Carmen Sánchez Cordero de García Villegas, Juan N. Silva Meza, Arturo Zaldívar Lelo De Larrea, José Ramón CossíoJose de Jesus Gudino Pelayo, Olga María del Carmen Sánchez Cordero de García Villegas, Juan N. Silva Meza, Arturo Zaldivar Lelo De Larrea, Jose Ramon Cossio Diaz.

To the national and international public opinion.

We know the serious violations of human rights committed on May 3 and 4 of  2006 that the Mexican government committed in San Salvador Atenco. Following these events 12 people are still in prison. We are concerned that the process that they followed was full of irregularities, was not respected the principle of presumption of innocence and the guarantees of due process and that the evidence established that the sentence was gathered illegally. We believe that these irregularities did not involve the right to a fair trial.  It is a warning sign that the offense of kidnapping which we believe is unconstitutional, may be used to criminalize social demands and that the system of enforcement and administration of justice was used to treat as criminals the members of the Frente de pueblos en Defensa de la Tierra (FDPT). We also know that there is legal precedent issued by the Poder Judicial de la Federación, which held that the acts for which Ignacio del Valle, Felipe Álvarez and Héctor Galindo were sentence, do not constitute the crime of kidnapping; this background, even when the rules are not legally-binding for the Ministers, we believe that for security and legal consistency as well as the implications of the case cannot be ignored. Therefore, we call the First Chamber of the Supreme Court to release the 12 prisoners of Atenco.

IMPORTANT NOTE for those supporting with your signature:

For individual firms, please include name, estate or country, and profession.

In the case of signatures from organizations, groups in favor please include the full name of your organization, and country or state of the organization.

All signatures will be accepted until Sunday June 20th at Midnight send them to firmasatenco@gmail.com

All the information of this case can be found on our campaign page: www.atencolibertadyjusticia.com

Committee for Freedom and justice for Atenco

Frente de Pueblos en Defensa de la Tierra (People’s Front in Defense of the Land)