"TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC
TO THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PRESS
TO NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SOCIETY
TO THE ADHERENTS OF THE OTHER CAMPAIGN
TO HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS
TO THE ALTERNATIVE MEDIA
The Good Government Junta of the Highlands Zone of Chiapas, the heart of the Zapatistas, in front of the world and seated in the Second Caracol of Oventic, Chiapas, México, wish to make public the following denunciation.
Through this denunciation we wish to make known to the national and international public the death threats that have been made against the Autonomous Authorities of San Andres Sakamchen de los Pobres by the paramilitary groups that operate in the Highlands Zone of Chiapas who refer to themselves as Opdic Roja and consist of juvenile groups supported by the PRI authorities and caciques of the same municipality which we refer to in the following:
On Saturday September 22 at 21:00 (Mexican) national time of the current year, the members of the Autonomous Authority who were present at the time, saw two people hidden in the surroundings of the municipal presidency facilities. As they appeared quite suspect, the members of the Autonomous Authority went out to see what they were doing. However, they did not identify them and found only a hand written note on the front door of the Autonomous Municipal Presidency facilities, one was also found in front of the public restrooms and yet another was found on the door of a co-operative shop belonging to the autonomous municipality. Upon reading the notes, it became evident that they were death threats against the Authorities. They indicated that if the Authorities did not cancel certain projects carried out by the Autonomous Authority, they would undertake an offensive of death against the Autonomous Authority starting September 30th. They continued on to say that they are taking justice into their own hands.
Second: These death threats are directed specifically at the president of the Autonomous Council, of the administration of the proprietor, the substitute administrator, the first propriety councilman and the sixth councilman because they are those who head all of the members of the aforementioned Autonomous Municipal Council.
Third: The reason behind these threats from the paramilitary groups stems from the fact that the Autonomous Authority is in the midst of completing certain projects that benefit the municipality. For example, in the next few days the Autonomous Municipal Market located at the center of the municipality of San Andres will be inaugurated. Also, the reconstruction of the old school shelter is taking place and will act as the first Autonomous School..
We recuperated these buildings as of 1994 as part of the facilities of the Autonomous Municipal Presidency..
As a reminder for the general public, the threats of the paramilitary groups, affiliated with the PRI, are not the first and in fact for many years they have continued with both threats and attacks. One example includes the dismantling of the municipality by the paramilitaries together with the official authority backed by the state government of that year. Now, these same paramilitaries, known as the Mascara Roja, have joined with the Puñales and the Machines etc. that operate in the Altos Zone and are now publicly representing the Opdic which has a presence in many different municipalities in the jungle, the north and in the highlands of Chiapas. In the last few days they have augmented their threats, harassments, violent displacements and persecutions of our people.
With this situation of threats and provocations from the paramilitary groups against our people and our Autonomous Authorities before us, we, as the Good Government Junta, cannot remain silent. We energetically reject these death threats directed towards our compas, members of the Authority.
We demand respect for our people and our Autonomous Authorities in every municipality. In the case of San Andres, if there occurs any aggression towards the Authority or any of our compas, we will direct all blame towards the paramilitary groups of that municipality along with their official authorities, caciques as well as both the state and federal government..
To verify these threats, we append the notes written by the same paramilitaries who then left them at the Autonomous Municipal Presidency on the 22nd of September.
Seventh: Finally, we ask those who are pending, what will happen against our people and their respective Autonomous Authorities.
ATTENTIVELY"
GOOD GOVERNMENT JUNTA
THE HEART OF THE ZAPATISTAS IN FRONT OF THE WORLD
ALTOS ZONE OF CHIAPAS
MEXICO.
Alfredo de la Torres, Carlos Peres Dias, Javier Perez Santis, Rosalinda Gomez Lopez
Alfredo de la Torres, Carlos Peres Dias, Javier Perez Santis, Rosalinda Gomez Lopez
Indymedia Chiapas
http://chiapas.indymedia.org/
