Act Of Intimidation Committed Against SIPAZ

San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas. February 15, 2006

ACT OF INTIMIDATION COMMITTED AGAINST SIPAZ

SIPAZ was created after a petition was presented, by religious and human rights leaders in Mexico, to an international delegation that visited Chiapas in 1995. Based on the demand for a permanent international presence for observation in the region, the members of the delegation decided to create a coalition of organizations. Today, that coalition consists of about fifty organizations, from North America, Latin America, and Europe, with experience in peace-building projects around the world. Since 1995, SIPAZ has maintained an international presence in the state of Chiapas.

THE INCIDENTS

On February 9th, at precisely 4:00AM, Marina Pagès (coordinator of the SIPAZ team in Chiapas) was awoken by the sound of the doorbell at her home, in the office used by SIPAZ. When she got up, she heard the Zapatista Anthem being played. She first looked out from the terrace on the second floor of the building, and then looked out a window on the first floor. At this point she was able to see a grey Cherokee style truck, with its hazard lights on and the license plate DN05077 (though she cannot be completely certain of this, given the late hour of the night). From this vehicle’s stereo, she then heard the Zapatista Anthem played two times at maximum volume. This vehicle then continued on to the home where Hélène Cannie, also a member of the SIPAZ team, was staying. At approximately 4:15AM, someone knocked on the door of this residence repeatedly while another person, in the vehicle, adjusted the stereo to play the Zapatista Anthem. The identity of these individuals is unknown.

On February 15, the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Human Rights Center presented a report of these incidents to the Licenciado Juan de Dios Olivera Rojas, the Assistant Regional District Attorney of the Highlands Zone.

COMPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

We have no doubt that this was an act of intimidation. It is possible that this could be related to one of the activities in which we participated in January. Responding to a request by Mexican civil organizations, from January 1-14th, SIPAZ did observation work within the tour of Chiapas carried out by Subcomandante Marcos (see the related bulletins produced by SIPAZ with the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Human Rights Center).

We also cannot perceive these incidents as an isolated case: in the last 3 months, the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Human Rights Center (http://www.frayba.org.mx) has presented seven reports of threats and harassment directed at activists and human rights defenders (Gustavo Jiménez, Gabriel Ramírez, Georgina Rivas, Miguel Ángel García, Silvia Vázquez, Marisa Kramsky, and Mario M. Ruiz). This reflects a clear rarefaction of the environment in which they work. In the past week, new reports have been added. All these aggressions have occurred in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, possibly in relation to the new initiative of the “Other Campaign” promoted by the Zapatistas.

Within this context, we are concerned to see that attempts are being made to inhibit the work of international observation.

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS

Because of the aforementioned situation, we are making a call to international and national civil society to be attentive and to support our international observation efforts, so that the space in which this sort of work can be performed is not reduced.