Easter Saturday, 10th of April, a peaceful demonstration of Zaptistas got attacked with stones, guns and fireworks in the highlands of Chiapas near San Cristobal de las Casas.
Result of the ambush: 29 Zapatistas injured, and 3 seriously, one with life threatening injuries.
More information, reports and pictures on Chiapas Indymedia or on La Jornada, [en] | Photo gallery Jechvó/Zinacantán
Update (13.4.2004): Manuel Gomez Hernandez, one of those wounded in the attack , is in critical condition in hospital with a machete wound to the head, it is in the balance whether he will survive or not.
The Zapatistas in the hospital in San Cristobal de Las Casas are suffering poor medical attention and even worse are being harrassed constantly by the police.
125 zapatista families have fled their homes in the municipality of Zinacantan, Los Altos, Chiapas, fearing attack by militants of the PRD (Revolutionary Democratic Party).
A press conference by ngos including the network of community human rights defenders and solidarity protests are called for.
Sign an international letter of support with the Zapatistas (esp) from Barcelona's Zapatista Solidarity Collective.
roadblockade where the demonstration was shot at
drinking water tank destroyed
drinking water supply emptied
The demonstrations did not only commemorate the 85th anniversary of the murder of general Emiliona Zapata in the year 1919, they also came to support a group of Zapatista sympathisers, who are cut off from any drinking water supply of their local community because of their political believes.
At the time of the attack the demonstrators were returning to their villages. In the morning about 5000 women and men, masked up with their black balaclavas, drove in a convoy of about 200 vehicles to the mayor of Zinacantán to read out a declaration.In the declaration to the mayor of Zinacantán and his supporters the Zapatistas demanded not to deny access to the vital water because of party political reasons.
Interestingly enough Zincantán is not governed by the in Chiapas hated longterm state party PRI, but by the Party of the Democratic Revolution, PRD, which is considered to belong to the left-liberal spectrum. The PRD is governing the mexican capital since 1997 and is also at the moment involved in a country-wide corruption scandal.
Most of the inhabitants of Zinacantán showed sympathy for the demonstration of the thousands of Zapatistas who shouted slogans, but did not leave their vehicles. Afterward the caravan continued to Jechvò, one of the three communidades which are affected by the lack of drinking water and belong to the community. There the demonstrators delivered a speech and distributed thousands of litres of drinking waters in bottles and containers to the inhabitants. When the convoy returned, the convoy was suddenly stopped with a road blockade of boulders, by a small group of men, apparently paramilitaries of the PRD.
About three quarters of an hour the thousands of Zapatistas waited if the people who blocked the road and who were accompanied by two police cars of the local police, would change their mind. Then they approached and started to clear the road. The PRD supporters withdraw but started throwing stones at the Zapatistas. The local police then blocked the road with their cars and withdrew with the PRD people. The police cars were cleared off the road by the Zapatistas, and demolished and thrown into the ditch. The Zapatistas defended themselves by throwing stones back and by deploying and surprising the attackers from behind. When two thirds of the convoy has passed the point of conflict, the first shots were fired. Fireworks were thrown at the Zapatistas, but they were also shot at with live ammunition. Whilst the back of the convoy tried to find cover behind other vehicles because of this escalation, the front of the convoy had to clear further obstructions. Three trees were cut down and blocked the road.
They were cleared of by the EZLN supporters with the help of motor saws. When the convoy reached the crossroads of the Panamericana, that means the main road, which connects San Cristobal and the capital of Chiapas Tuxtla Gutiérrez, they were expected by some government representatives of the federal state and filmed by the political police.The Zapatistas ignored this provocation, too and attended the seriously injured, who were taken to the front of the convoy and transported as quick as possible to the local hospitals.
Meanwhile local eyewitness report that the Zapatista inhabitants left in Jechvó are threatened by paramilitaries of the PRD. The inhabitants are said to have gathered in a house and barricaded themselves in, whilst attackers destroyed several houses and emptied out the drinking water supplies delivered by the convoy.
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feature on Chiapas Indymedia
13.04.2004 13:27
summary:
Today, the 10th of April 2004—the anniversary of the assassination of Emiliano Zapata—at one in the morning a peaceful march composed of some 4,000 Zapatista support base members, left from the Caracol Corazon Centrico of Los Altos, located in Oventic, to the community of Jechvó, in the municipality of Zinacantán. They went to support and provide water to the Zapatista support base members of the same community who, for several months now, have been deprived of vital water by PRD militants. This situation has been occurring in other communities in Zinacantán, such as Elambó Alto.
content:
Today, the 10th of April 2004—the anniversary of the assassination of Emiliano Zapata—at one in the morning a peaceful march composed of some 4,000 Zapatista support base members, left from the Caracol Corazon Centrico of Los Altos, located in Oventic, to the community of Jechvó, in the municipality of Zinacantán. They went to support and provide water to the Zapatista support base members of the same community who, for several months now, have been deprived of vital water by PRD militants. This situation has been occurring in other communities in Zinacantán, such as Elambó Alto.
Early in the afternoon the community arrived at Zinacantán, and from there to the community of Jechvó, where they participated in a rally that lasted 30 minutes. Up to this point the march went on peacefully, in a manner respectful to the inhabitants of the community passing by, and they gave water to the families that have been deprived of it for some months.
When the Zapatista support base members were coming back their way was cut off by 150 PRD paramilitaries from Pasté, a neighboring community to Jechvó.
After 40 minutes of waiting, the participants of the march began to move the rocks in the road so they could pass through but were assaulted by more rocks from the PRD supporters. Despite this aggression, the message of the moment was not to fall for the provocation.
After the hail of stones, the Zapatista support base members were attacked with small explosives and firearms. Up to now the approximate number of wounded is 30 people, with at least one in critical condition, and no reported deaths.
fwd
Call for protest letters, faxes and emails
13.04.2004 15:21
A proposal in Spanish below.
Protest letters to:
Sr. presidente Vicente Fox Quesada
Fax: (0052)_ 55 55 22 41 17]
e-mail:
Sr. gobernador de Chiapas Pablo Salazar Mendiguchía
Fax: (0052)-961-61-20917
e-mail of the government in CHIAPAS (mexican governments Homepage):
protest letter expressing solidarity for the Zapatistas:
El presente documento es una petición de medidas cautelares, es decir de una protección especial urgente, para las familias bases de apoyo zapatistas que se encuentran amenazadas en la comunidad de Jechvó, municipio de Zinacantán, por militantes del Partido de la Revolución Democrática, y quienes podrían ser agredidas hoy por la noche en dicho poblado. Este documento fue presentado ante la Comisión Estatal de Derechos Humanos, la Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos, el Secretario de Gobierno Rubén Velazquez, el gobernador del Estado Pablo Salazar y el Comisionado Estatal para la Reconciliación de Comunidades en Conflicto Juan González Esponda.
Responsabilizamos a las autoridades antes mencionadas, dado que estos graves hechos son de su conocimiento, de cualquier hecho lamentable que pudiera suceder en perjuicio de las comunidades zapatistas de Jechvó.
Hechos:
1. El día de hoy, 10 de abril del 2004 alrededor de las 7:00 a.m. se llevo a cabo una marcha pacífica compuesta por unas 4,000 personas, bases de apoyo zapatista, salió desde el Caracol de Oventic, hacia la comunidad de Jechvó, en el municipio de Zinacantán para apoyar y proveer de agua a las bases de apoyo zapatista de la misma comunidad quienes desde hace meses han sido privadas del vital líquido por militantes del PRD. Esta situación ha venido ocurriendo en otras comunidades del municipio de Zinacantán, como Elambó Alto y Bajo.
2. A las 10:00 a.m. la marcha arribó a Zinacantán, en donde se reunieron con otro grupo de participantes, y desde ahí se dirigieron a la comunidad de Jechvó, en la que se celebró un acto político que duró unos 30 minutos. Hasta este momento la marcha se desarrolló pacíficamente, de manera respetuosa hacia los habitantes de las comunidades que se recorrieron y se repartió agua entre las familias que han sido privadas de ella desde hace ya varios meses.
3. Cuando ya venían de regreso, alrededor de las 3:30 pm, las bases de apoyo zapatista se encontraron con que el camino había sido cortado con troncos y piedras a la altura de la comunidad de Pasté, vecina de Jechvó, por unos 150 personas del PRD originarios de la misma comunidad.
4. Después de unos 40 minutos de espera, los participantes en la marcha empezaron a retirar las piedras del camino para pasar y fueron agredidos con piedras por los perredistas. Tras las pedradas, las bases de apoyo zapatistas fueron agredidas con cohetes e incluso con armas de fuego.
5. Hasta ahora se han contabilizado 7 heridos, -de estos 4 fueron impactado con armad de fuego- y que pudieron salir de la zona del enfrentamiento para recibir atención médica, sin embargo se teme que existan heridos secuestrados en la comunidad de Pasté. Además, el joven de 22 años, José Manuel Gómez Espinoza se encuentra gravemente herido, pues recibió dos impactos de bala en la cabeza y un machetazo en el cuello. Los nombres los heridos identificados son: Mariano Jiménez López, Vicente, Sánchez Jiménez, Amparo Álvarez Solís, Mariano López Pérez, y José Díaz Hernández.
6. Tras retirarse la marcha las familias bases de apoyo zapatista de Jechvó denunciaron vía telefónica que un grupo de personas tiró el agua llevada momentos antes por los participantes en la marcha y destruyeron una casa y una tienda. Además reportaron alrededor de las 9:30 pm que se encuentran rodeados por persona armadas afiliadas del PRD, amenazándolos y golpeando el lugar donde se resguardan y se tiene el temor fundado de ser agredidos por ellos durante la noche.
Por los graves hechos narradas con anterioridad las organizaciones Red de Defensores Comunitarios Por los Derechos Humanos y Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas, solicitan:
Único: Se garantice la integridad y seguridad personal de las bases de apoyo Zapatistas, debido que existe la posibilidad de que sean agredidos, pues se tiene noticia de que el grupo afiliado al PRD se encuentra armado y con acciones amenazantes.
fwd
Update 13 April
14.04.2004 03:27
Updates on attack on zapatista demo
from newspaper Cuarto Poder 13.4.04
Manuel Gomez Hernandez, one of those wounded in the attack , is in critical condition in hospital with a machete wound to the head, it is in the balance whether he will survive or not.
125 zapatista families have fled their homes in the municipality of Zinacantan, Los Altos, Chiapas, fearing attack by militants of the PRD (Revolutionary Democratic Party) – declared a press conference by ngos including the Network of Community Human Rights Defenders.
No-one has yet been arrested for their part in the attack.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Mike
29 zapatistas injured in attack - 3 in serious condition, one critical
14.04.2004 19:29
La Jornada daily newspaper of 12th April gives a full list of the injured, with names and the types of injuries suffered.
The zapatistas in the hospital in San Cristobal de Las Casas are suffering poor medical attention and even worse are being harrassed constantly by the police, who are interrogating them, doing ballistic tests on them to see if they had firearms (all have turned out negative) and are keeping them under armed guard. All this in a hospital!
Protests to and at the Mexican government and Mexican Embassies and consulates would be very useful, also to the Chiapas State authorities.
Mike
email addresses
15.04.2004 20:04
One functioning email address for Fox could be "
-Elliott Liu
Elliott Liu
e-mail:
eliu@slc.edu
more email addresses
17.04.2004 00:45
MEXICAN CONSULATE IN LONDON:
MEXICAN EMBASSY IN LONDON:
PRESIDENT VICENTE FOX (the devil himself):
also useful:
Simon
e-mail:
simonpople@yahoo.com
even more
19.04.2004 10:28
Lic. Vicente Fox Quezada
Secretario Particular del C. Presidente: Alfonso Durazo Montaño
Residencia Oficial de Los Pinos, Puerta 5, Casa Miguel Alemán, PB, Col. San Miguel Chapultepec
11850, México, DF
Tel(s).(++ 52) 5276.8000 exts. 1016, 1017
Fax (++ 52) 5276.8011
Correo Electrónico:
Presidente de la Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos.
Dr. José Luis Soberanes Fernández
Periférico Sur 3469
Del. Magdalena Contreras. C.P. 10200
México. D.F.
Tel: (++ 52) 55 56 81 81 25;
Correo electronico:
Gobernador del Estado de Chiapas
Pablo Salazar Mendiguchía
Palacio de Gobierno, 1er. Piso
29009 Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México.
Fax. (++ 52) 961 612 8298
Simon
CIA at it again.
19.04.2004 14:53
jack