AMR 41/011/2007
UA 64/07
Fear of intimidation/ fear of ill-treatment
MEXICO Members of Asamblea Permanente del Ejido de Carrizalillo (Permanent Assembly of Carrizalillo Communal Lands)
14 March 2007
Members of a community living on communal land are staging a protest after renting part of the land to a mining company, which they believe has not honoured its agreement with the community. It is feared that they may be forced to leave the site of their protest by state and municipal police. Amnesty International believes they risk being intimidated, beaten or wrongly arrested in an attempt to halt their protests.
On 25 January, 100 state and municipal police forcibly evicted members of the Asamblea Permanente del Ejido de Carrizalillo, (Permanent Assembly of Carrizalillo Communal Lands), who had been staging a sit-in protest in front of a local mine, blocking the entrance to the mine since 8 January. During the operation, several protesters were reportedly beaten with sticks (including women and children) and 70 of them were held for four hours in the municipal prison of Zumpango.
On 6 March, when negotiations between the Asamblea and the company failed, the protesters restarted their sit-in and again began blocking the entrance to the mine. Local human rights organizations have reported that the state government has not helped resolve the dispute and is instead resorting to force to stop protesters from campaigning for their rights and remove them from the site. Amnesty International fears that the protesters may be further intimidated or beaten if the state authorities order another eviction, which may lead to an escalation of the dispute.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The members of Asamblea Permanente del Ejido de Carrizalillo claim that they agreed to rent their land to the mining company in return for investment in facilities (such as health centre, roads and a school) for the community, which they say has not been forthcoming. They also claim that they did not receive a fair price for their land that no money has yet been paid to them.
RECOMMENDED ACTION : Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Spanish or your own language :
- calling on the authorities to ensure that the police do not use the threat of more violence or arrest to evict members of Asamblea Permanente del Ejido de Carrizalillo protesting at the entrance of the mine ;
calling on the state authorities to facilitate a dialogue between the protesters and the mining company and to lead the negotiations in order to reach a peaceful and lawful resolution to the dispute ;
recognising the obligation of the authorities to maintain public order while respecting the right to peaceful protest ;
calling for an investigation into reports that protesters were beaten with sticks on 25 January 2007 by municipal and state police.
APPEALS TO :
Governor of Guerrero State
Lic. Zeferino Torreblanca Galindo, Gobernador del Estado de Guerrero
Palacio de Gobierno, Boulevard René Juárez #62, Col. de los Servicios, Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mexico.
Fax : +52 74 7471 9956
Email : gobernador guerrero.gob.mx
Salutation : Dear Governor / Señor Gobernador
Public Security Minister of Guerrero State
Gral. Juan H. Salinas Altés
Secretario de Seguridad Pública y Protección Civil
Palacio de Gobierno, Edificio Acapulco 1er piso, Col. Ciudad de los Servicios, C.P. 39075 Chilpancingo, Guerrero, México
Fax : +52 747 471 9737 (if someone answers, say “me da tono de fax por favor“)
Email : sspypc guerrero.gob.mx
Salutation : Dear Minister / Señor Ministro
President of the Guerrero Human Rights Commission
Lic. Juan Alarcón Hernández
Presidente de la Comisión de Defensa de los Derechos Humanos del Estado de Guerrero (Coddehum)
Avda. Juárez, Esq. Galo Soberón y Parra
Col. Centro
39000, Chilpancingo
Guerrero, MEXICO
E-mail : presidencia coddehumgro.org.mx
Fax : +52 747 471 2190 (if someone answers, say “me da tono de fax por favor“)
Salutation : Dear President / Señor Presidente
COPIES TO :
Human rights organization
Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña « Tlachinollan »
Mina no. 77 Col. Centro C.P. 41304 Tlapa de Comonfort, Guerrero, Mexico
Email : cdhm tlachinollan.org
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 25 April 2007.
Communication Mars-Avril 2007
Nous rappelons aux nouveaux inscrits qu’à tout moment vous pouvez retrouver, entre autres choses, le B.A BA du participant aux actions urgentes (AU), des informations sur la genèse d’une AU, des indications sur comment écrire, comment aborder une AU, et bien d’autres précisions sur cette technique d’action chère à Amnesty, ici :
http://www.amnestyinternational.be/...
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