The
organization from the community of El Bosque is calling for action for the
freedom of Professor Alberto Patishtán on August 21st. "It is not only Patishtán
who is innocent, there are thousands of compañeros in prison who are imprisoned
unjustly," says Martín
Ramírez López,
spokesperson for the movement.
JAIME
QUINTANA GUERRERO
Mexico, DF.
"We call on groups, collectives and human rights defenders to struggle and
towalk together. It is not only Patishtán who is innocent, there are thousands
of compañeros in prison who are imprisoned unjustly. One proof of this is that,
on July 4th, eight were released from the Social Rehabilitation
Centre (CERESO) number 5, in San Cristobal de las Casas, and one from
CERESO
number 14,
'el Amate'", says Martin Ramírez López, indigenous teacher and spokesperson for
the movement for the freedom of Alberto Patishtán, from the community of El
Bosque, Chiapas, in a telephone interview with Desinformémonos. The date of the
worldwide mobilization is August 21st.
On July
19th there was a global action which involved teachers, social organizations and
el Pueblo Creyente (the believing people) in the Diocese of San Cristobal. "The
demonstration on August 21st will also be global. In Chiapas, it will take place
in Tuxtla Gutierrez. We are about to release a communiqué which will clarify
everything", explained the representative of the movement of the community of El
Bosque.
El Bosque and the counterinsurgency in
Chiapas
The
community of El Bosque was founded in 1712 by immigrants from the small
community of Muken, in the Municipality of San Juan Chamula, after the
indigenous rebellion. It was originally called San Juan Bautista. On February
13, 1934, by decree of the Governor of the State, it was named El Bosque. The
municipality belongs to what is known as the Northern Zone, bordered to the
north by the municipality of Simojovel, on the east by Chalchiuitan, on the
south by Larráinzar, on the west by Bochil and Jitotol.
The
imprisonment of Patishtán, which is considered unjust by the movement of El
Bosque, occurred in a context of conflict. With the birth of the Zapatista Army
of National Liberation (EZLN) and its strong influence in the region, the
federal government began a counterinsurgency war in the state of Chiapas. To do
this, it organized paramilitary groups which sowed terror in the region and
created divisions within the communities. In the community of Acteal the
government showed how far it was willing to go, with the massacre carried out by
paramilitaries which left 45 dead on December 22, 1997.
A call to
action
The
community of El Bosque has taken on the defence of Alberto Patishtán and,
together with the Catholic Organization el Pueblo Creyente, has carried out
actions for his freedom - including pilgrimages, marches and prayers. Martín
Ramírez López reaffirms the determination of the people: "If the judges do their
job badly, the people will continue to struggle and Patishtán will be freed", he
says.
"On July
19th the community of El Bosque and el Pueblo Creyente marched around the prison
where hundreds of campesinos and indigenous people are unjustly imprisoned",
said the indigenous teacher. "We cried out in front of the Social Rehabilitation
Centre (CERESO) number 5, in San Cristobal de Las Casas, and also performed a
pilgrimage around it. The pastors of El Bosque, Simojovel and other parishes in
the diocese were present. We call on our Catholic and non-Catholic brothers and
sisters, because the struggle for the freedom of the prisoners is not from any
religion, or political party. Here we talk as brothers and the idea is to
struggle together. We walk towards freedom, struggling", concludes Martin
Ramírez López.
July 29,
2013
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