to sign in suport please visit  https://chiapas.pangea.org and go to where it says "signa la carta de protesta" and in the new window that opens click "firmar"

please read on, the government's strategy seems to be changing, we've been able to talk to the four friends and they are holding up well, we are all staying alert to their situation, but we need to let this known as much as possible, to fight the silence, and oblivion.
thanks, big hugs.
g


Communiqué (Declaration)


We are four people of Spanish nationality that were taking a walk, the 5th of August, 2007, in the center of Oaxaca City, on Independencia Street. A little after 9:30pm we were suddenly surrounded by plain clothes police officers, some of whom were carrying high caliber weapons and dressed in dark blue uniforms with bullet-proof protection.


The two police officers giving orders were dressed as civilians and were accompanied by white Nissan pick-up trucks. They forced the four of us and a Mexican guy to face the wall with our hands behind our heads, despite the presence of several civilians witnessing the situation. Without asking for our identification or giving an explanation, they violently forced us inside one of the pick-ups.


During the ride we asked them for an explanation and they answered with blows and insults. At this point one of us showed them a press badge. Immediately following this, they forced us to lay down and they covered us with a plastic tarp, blocking all visual contact among ourselves and between us and them.


After an approximately ten minute drive, we arrived at a place that looked like a police or military quarters where people were dressed in blue and green uniforms. When they took us out of the truck they covered our heads and dragged us to a wall where we were forced to kneel down while they took away our back packs, fanny packs, documentation, and money.


One by one they took us to a dark and empty room. In this room they took face and profile photos of us. They forced the three women among us to remain standing facing the wall with our hands behind our heads. The men were forced to kneel down, also facing the wall.


While being held captive, some of us received beatings, were forced to do humiliating acts, were insulted, and threatened. One of the women suffered sexual aggression, and the Mexican man was forced to do push-ups while a group of officers laughed at him and threatened to "use the puñal" (a sharp spike-like weapon). The climate of psychological terror was accentuated by the sound of the loading of firearms, being kept in the dark, having our photos taken at random with strong lights in our faces, being pushed around, etc.



After all of this (approximately one hour later) they escorted us out with our heads down and separated the men from the women. They put us back in the pick-up trucks, forcing us to lower our heads once again.


They never told us where we were or where we were being taken. They drove us to another place that looked like a police station and one by one we were brought to a room where they took down our personal information and asked us about our state of health.

At the same time, two men in plain clothes with notebooks asked us many questions about our stay in the country.


Afterwards we were taken to a room with a judge and we overheard that we were accused of public disturbance, although we were never formally informed of the motive for our arrest, the accusations against us, and were not allowed to make a phone call, or contact the Spanish consulate.


The judge told us we caught without our identification and that we would be transferred to one of the immigration detention centers. We explained that the police had stolen our documentation, money, and belongings, which she took no account of.


Afterwards, at 1:30am we were taken from the police station to the immigration center of the INM (National Immigration Institute of Oaxaca).


There we informed them that we had been robbed and we demanded to be allowed to contact the Spanish Consulate. On Monday, August 6th, we wrote statements of what had occurred, and on Tuesday the 7th, in an official vehicle accompanied by the PFP (Federal Preventative Police), we were forcefully taken to the Immigration center of the INM in Mexico City, where we currently remain.


On Wednesday, August 8th, we accompanied to the Spanish Consulate where we were issued new passports which still have not been given to us. Therefore since Wednesday, August 8th at 4pm, we are considered illegal though documented foreigners. Even so, we continued to be deprived of our freedom and to this day the corresponding authorities have yet to inform us of our legal situation.


From the immigration detention center INM of Mexico City (Iztapalapa), we confirm the absolute illegality of the deprivation of our freedom, we denounce the violation of our fundamental human rights on the part of the Mexican authorities, we demand our immediate release, the return of our belongings, as well as the clarification of those responsible.


Signed by:


Laia S. (lawyer)

Ramón S. (professor)

Ariadna N. (journalist)

Nuria M. (anthropologist)



Physical Violence:

We were all: pushed around, grabbed by the arms with stabbing pressure, thrown harshly against the metal of the pick-up truck.

Some of us were: beaten in the back of the neck and the head, pulled by the hair, had our heads pushed down, provoking neck pain.

Sexual Violence:

Two of the women´s blouses were lifted, one of them was left topless, the other was fondled over her clothes at various times on her rear end, her pubic area, and her right breast.


Psychological Violence:

The girl who was sexually fondled was told by an officer that if she cooperated everything would go well. They didn't answer when we asked where we were being taken in the pick-up. They covered our mouths and our heads so that we couldn't see where we were. They were all armed and they shined light in our faces in the dark room so that we couldn't see their faces. They made noises that sounded like they were cocking their guns. They obstructed visual contact between us in order to keep us terrified of doing harm to our compañeros, especially in transport. They took incessant photographs with flashes. They made the Mexican man do push-ups threatening to stab him with a knife, and they whispered insults and threats into our ears. The officers were constantly laughing and making fun of us. We were in the dark for a long period of time, the men on their knees and the women standing with their hands behind their heads.


In the immigration center:

An absolute lack of information regarding our legal process, the failure to obtain a copy of anything in our files, the unnecessary prolongation of our detention, the insinuation of our illegal status. The lack of legal advice.