AI: Mexico bulletin 2/7/2000 for nytcamer@ursula; Fri, 11 Feb 2000 22:52:46 -0500 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit +------------------------------------------------------+ + AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL URGENT ACTION BULLETIN + + Electronic distribution authorised + + This bulletin expires: 20 March 2000. + +------------------------------------------------------+ PUBLIC AI Index: AMR 41/04/00 UA 28/00 Fear for safety / Death threats 7 February 2000 MEXICO Activists from the Nu'u ji Kandi Human Rights Centre in Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca Nicolas Quiroz Quiroz Police officers have reportedly threatened to kill activists from the Nu'u ji Kandi Human Rights Centre (Centro de Derechos Humanos Nu'u ji Kandi) in Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca. Amnesty International is concerned for their safety. On 1 February two activists from the centre, Juan Ruiz Ruiz and Francisco Ramirez Hernandez, went to the municipal palace in Santiago Ixtayulta with Nicolas Quiroz Quiroz, who claimed that judicial police officers had assaulted him there earlier that day. When Nicolas Quiroz identified one of the officers involved, police officers took Juan Ruiz Ruiz and Francisco Ramirez Hernandez outside and warned them, "Go away, don't get involved in this, human rights activists aren't worth anything, we don't care about Eleuterio Merino Ruiz or Jose Renteria Perez [both members of the Nu'u ji Kandi Human Rights Centre], even if they transfer us to another place we have a lot of friends everywhere, just so you know who we are". ("Que se vayan, que no se meten en esto, que los promotores de derechos humanos no valen nada, tampoco nos importan Eleuterio Ruiz Merino [promotor] ni Jose Rentaria Perez [Coordinador del Centro de Derechos Humanos Nu' u ji Kandii]; y aunque nos cambien de lugar, tenemos muchos amigos aqui y en otros lados, para que sepan quienes somos") One of the policemen then pointed a gun at Juan Ruiz Ruiz's chest and said, "If you report us to human rights groups we will kill you tonight".("Si nos denuncias con tus derechos humanos te matamos esta misma noche") Nicolas Quiroz had apparently been detained by two judicial police officers, who took him to a room in the municipal palace and told him to pay a fine for crimes they said he had committed on 27 December 1999. When Nicolas Quiroz refused to pay the fine the two policemen reportedly threatened him and then stripped him and took photographs. They then freed him on condition he return to pay the fine. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Amnesty International has documented a worrying series of threats and harassment of human rights defenders in Mexico. This concern was reflected in resolution 1998/4 of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, which asked the Mexican authorities to "ensure full respect for the international instruments to which Mexico is a party and...attach the highest priority...to promoting the action of human rights defenders and guaranteeing their safety". On 7 June 1999, the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) adopted a resolution on Human Rights Defenders in the Americas which urged: "...member states to persist in their efforts to provide Human Rights Defenders with the necessary guarantees and facilities to continue freely carrying out their work of promoting and protecting human rights, at the national and/or regional levels, in accordance with internationally recognized principles and agreements". +-----------------------------------------------------------+ + Supporters of Amnesty International around the world are + + writing urgent appeals in response to the concerns + + described above. If you would like to join with them in + + this action or have any queries about the Urgent Action + + network or Amnesty International in general, please + + contact one of the following: + + + + Ray Mitchell, ua@amnesty.org.uk (UK) + + Scott Harrison, sharrison@igc.apc.org (USA) + + Guido Gabriel, ggabriel@amnesty.cl.sub.de (Germany) + + Marilyn McKim, mmckim@amnesty.ca (Canada) + + ua@aibf.be (Belgium) + + Anne Nolan, ua@amnesty.iol.ie (Ireland) + +-----------------------------------------------------------+ ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytcamer-02.11.00-22:52:38-6704