AMR 41/052/2007 - 22 August 2007
Activists opposing the operations of a mining company in Cerro San Pedro, a village in the northern state of San Luis PotosÌ, have been repeatedly harassed and attacked, reportedly by employees of the mining company. The attacks have intensified over the last few weeks, and Amnesty International believes their lives are in danger.
Jair Pineda is a lawyer and activist with the umbrella organisation of local environmental groups Frente Amplio Opositor (FAO), Broad Opposition Front. On 5 August at 1am, after talking to two employees of the mining company, he drove away but realised that the two men were following him in a mining company van. When they caught up with him the men told him to get out of the car, presumably to beat him. Jair Pineda refused to do so, and they chased him to the outskirts of the town, but eventually he managed to escape.
Later that night, other armed men in a car stopped in front of FAO activist Armando Mendoza Ponce’s home and shouted Armando joto (« Armando you fag ») and fired four shots at his van, which was parked outside. Armando Mendoza, who lives in Cerro San Pedro, reported the attack to the authorities and claimed that the attackers were the same people who had shot at other activists’ vehicles months before.
Other Cerro San Pedro residents and FAO activists also recently suffered acts of vandalism, including broken windows and graffiti on their walls, or human excrement thrown at their homes. Many have reported being followed by vehicles or men believed to be employees of the mining company, especially since July 2007.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION The village of Cerro San Pedro is on a mountain that has been mined for gold and silver for centuries. Local activists claim that mining is poisoning the water supply with cyanide and destroying the mountain with explosives. Residents and activists opposed to the mining operations have organised in several environmental defence groups, one of them being the umbrella organisation FAO. The conflict has intensified since the mining company was allowed to resume operations in 2006, despite an administrative tribunal declaring its concession illegal in 2005.
RECOMMENDED ACTION : Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Spanish or your own language :
expressing concern that Jair Pineda and Armando Mendoza Ponce have been threatened and harassed because of their environmental campaigning work in Cerro San Pedro, San Luis PotosÌ state, and calling for a full, prompt and impartial investigation into the threats and attacks, with the results made public and those responsible brought to justice ;
calling on the authorities to ensure that they receive protection, in accordance with their wishes ;
expressing concern for the safety of members of the Frente Amplio Opositor and others opposing the mining operations in Cerro San Pedro ;
reminding the authorities that the UN Declaration on the Rights and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms recognizes the legitimacy of the activities of human rights defenders and their right to carry out their activities without any restrictions or fear of reprisals.
APPEALS TO :
Governor of San Luis PotosÌ Marcelo de los Santos Fraga Gobernador del Estado de San Luis PotosÌ Palacio de Gobierno Carranza y JardÌn Hidalgo No. 11 San Luis PotosÌ, 78000, SLP, M…XICO Fax : +52 444 8 12 2707 Salutation : Dear Governor/SeÒor Gobernador
Attorney General of San Luis PotosÌ State Lic. Guillermo Salazar Trejo Procurador del Estado de San Luis PotosÌ Eje Vial 100, 1er Piso San Luis PotosÌ, 78000 Estado de San Luis PotosÌ, MEXICO E-Mail : subavsslp prodigy.net.mx Fax : +52 444 8 12 5364 Salutation : Dear Attorney General/SeÒor Procurador
Minister of the Interior Lic. Francisco Javier RamÌrez AcuÒa SecretarÌa de GobernaciÛn Bucareli 99, 1er. piso, Col. Ju·rez DelegaciÛn CuauhtÈmoc MÈxico D.F., C.P.06600, MEXICO Fax : +52 55 5093 3414 Salutation : SeÒor Secretario/Dear Minister
Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada SecretarÌa del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT) Boulevard Adolfo Ruiz Cortinez, Fracc. Jardines en la MontaÒa, DelegaciÛn Tlalpan C.P. 14210, MÈxico DF, M…XICO Fax : +52 55 56 28 06 43 Salutation : SeÒor Secretario/Dear Minister
COPIES TO :
President of the National Human Rights Commission Dr. JosÈ Luis Soberanes Fern·ndez Presidente de la ComisiÛn Nacional de Derechos Humanos (CNDH) PerifÈrico Sur 3469, 5∫ piso, Col. San JerÛnimo LÌdice, MÈxico D.F. 10200, MEXICO
Respuesta Alternativa, A.C. San Luis PotosÌ Email : ralternativa hotmail.com
Ambassade des Etats Unis Mexicains Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 94 1050 Bruxelles Fax : 02.644.08.19 Fax : 02.646.87.68 Email : embamexbelgica-ue skynet.be
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 3 October 2007.
