** He calls upon
the magistrates to act in his case in accordance with human rights
By: Hermann
Bellinghausen / La Jornada
From
his cell in the prison of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, the Tzotzil
professor Alberto Patishtán Gómez called for global action on August 21st “to
demonstrate against the unjust incarceration of the political prisoners, but
also for those common prisoners who are imprisoned for being indigenous and
poor, in Mexico where injustice surrounds us.”
Patishtán,
a “political prisoner” and adherent to the Sixth Declaration of the Lacandón
Jungle, who has been behind bars for 13 years accused of a massacre of
police, which took place in 2000, but in which it has been shown that he did
not participate, was supported in his call by Las Abejas of Acteal, the Peoples
Movement of El Bosque (his native municipality) and collectives of the
Sixth.
“The
truth edifies and engenders justice, where the can blind see, the deaf can hear
and the lame can walk”, wrote the recognized prisoner of conscience and
defender of the human rights of prisoners in Chiapas. “It is because of this
that I call on all men and women who believe in the construction of peace and
justice to support the global action from their spaces and
organizations”.
To
the demand for his own freedom, repeatedly postponed by the federal tribunals,
beginning with the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, he added that of his
compañeros of the Sixth: Alejandro Díaz Santíz, Antonio Estrada Estrada and
Miguel Demeza Jiménez. He demanded of the magistrates of the first collegiate
tribunal of the twentieth circuit in Chiapas “that they act with justice based
on human rights to resolve my case”.
In their turn, the organisations mentioned stated: “We see the situation of repression, militarisation and criminalisation against any attempt at free organization and protest, which lives today in our country, exemplified by the violence unleashed in Acteal 15 years ago, which today threatens to return in the community of Puebla, in Chenalhó, as well as in other communities in resistance, which are Zapatistas or from other organizations”.
This
situation is the consequence “of the bad behaviour of the Mexican political
class, whose government only responds to the interests of the very rich and to
national and foreign corporations”. Those who organise and protest against this
state of affairs “receive deceit, repression, disappearance, prison or the
grave as a response from this bad government”.
Alberto
Patishtán is an example of injustice and resistance, according to the
organisations. He is a prisoner “for organizing his town of El Bosque against
the corruption of the municipal presidency and, therefore, for this and for
revenge, the authorities fabricated a federal crime, and sentenced him unjustly
to 60 years in prison”. In spite of his incarceration, “Patishtán continues his
struggle from inside prison and that has led to many innocent people being
released through organisation” from the state prisons.
Therefore,
on August 21, they invite all to a “global action” for the justice and freedom
of Patishtán and his compañeros, “realising peaceful actions in each one of
their places, to the cry of: ‘In Chiapas we’re missing four!’” There will be a
pilgrimage that day in Tuxtla Gutiérrez to the Palace of Federal Justice, to
make these demands heard.
_______________________________________________________
Originally
Published in Spanish by La Jornada
Thursday,
August 8, 2013
English
translation by the Chiapas Support Committee for the: International Zapatista
Translation Service, a collaboration of the: Chiapas Support Committee,
California, Wellington Zapatista Support Group, UK Zapatista Solidarity Network
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