Paramilitaries Menace Zapatista Base

Recently paramilitaries, probably linked to elements in the Chiapas and Mexican governments, have been making armed threats against the members of the Zapatista base community of San Patricia in northern Chiapas. The community is unable to tend to the crops on their plots of land and is in fear of forced eviction.

The Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human rights Center (FrayBa) considers the situation urgent enough to send out a call for Mexican and international individuals and organizations to petition the government to protect the rights of the community. Other observers are seeing parallels between increased paramilitary threats and violence and the acts that preceded the massacre in Acteal of 45 indigenous refugees by paramilitaries linked with the government and the army. An international response may help prevent a recurrence of such events.

Read the letter from FrayBa(Spanish only)

Let them know we are watching

Please send an email to the following officials.

Lic. Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa
President of Mexico
Email: felipe.calderon@presidencia.gob.mx

Lic. José Francisco Blake Mora
Secretary of State
Email: secretario@segob.gob.mx, contacto@segob.gob.mx

Lic. Juan José Sabines Guerrero
Governor of the State of Chiapas
Email: secparticular@chiapas.gob.mx

Dr. Noé Castañón León
Secretary General of the State of Chiapas
Email: secretario@secgobierno.chiapas.gob.mx

Lic. Raciel López Salazar
State Attorney of Chiapas
Email: raciel.lopez@pgje.chiapas.gob.mx

The Fray Bartolome De las Casas Center for Human Rights asks that you also send them a copy of the letter.
Email: accionurgente@frayba.org.mx

Sample Letters

The following letters are offered as examples. You can ignore them, amend them or use them as is. They can be pasted into your emails. Corrections in the Spanish version will be gratefully accepted. Write me here.

Sample letter in English (Word .doc)

Sample letter in Spanish (Word.doc)

For more information use the links.