Fray Bartolome Denuncia re: Arbitrary Detentions Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source - "PRENSA NUEVO AMANECER" Originally published in Spanish by the Fray Bartolome de Las Casas Human Rights Center, A.C. Translated by irlandesa Arbitrary Detentions and Attacks *********************************************** Fray Bartolome de Las Casas Human Rights Center, A.C. San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas June 2, 1999 Press Bulletin The Indigenous Rights Center A.C. (Bachajon), the Defense Committee for Indigenous Rights (Palenque) and the "Fray Bartolome de Las Casas" Human Rights Center A.C. (San Cristobal de Las Casas) express their concern for the following arbitrary detentions and physical mistreatments which occurred yesterday in the Crucero Pinal, located on the Chilon, Ocosingo and Palenque borders. Around 2:00 PM, on June 1 of this year, the public transportation bus in which Manuel Perez Constantino was traveling was stopped at the Crucero Pinal by a group of approximately 200 Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) militants, opposed to the checkpoint that Zapatista Army of National Liberation sympathizers had established there the previous day. Manuel Perez Constantino, coordinator of the Xi'nich' indigenous organization, was recognized and made to get out by two rural police from San Jeronimo Tulija. Once he was out of the bus, two police beat him and took him over to the crowd, who interrogated him and accused him of having organized the previous day's checkpoint. An hour later, the Jesuit priest and advisor to the Xi'Nich', Jeronimo Hernandez Lopez, who was traveling in his car, was detained at the same checkpoint. Some of the PRI's recognized him and began verbally attacking him, accusing him of being a zapatista. While one more aggressive group was trying to get him out of his car, another group was trying to calm the situation down. Finally, Padre Hernandez Lopez was taken to a house where he was interrogated, and he realized that the Public Security Police (PSP), the Bachajon Public Ministry, the Yajalon Public Ministry, municipal authorities and a person who presented himself as a Department of Government representative were present. A few hours later, the PSP offered to accompany Perez Constantino and Padre Hernandez out of the community. Manuel Perez Constantino got into Padre Hernandez' car. The crowd, however, insisted that Manuel Perez Constantino had to travel in the Public Security vehicle. They forced him with blows out of the car, and they put him in the other vehicle, where there were State Judicial Police (PJE) officers, in addition to PSP ones. When Padre Hernandez Lopez asked why Manuel Perez could not travel in his car, a Public Ministry member answered that he had not been arrested, but he was to make a statement. In addition to Manuel Perez Constantino, the detainee Jesus Hernandez Gutierrez was also in the Public Security vehicle. When they reached the Palenque crossroads, Padre Hernandez was released, while the two who had been detained in the PSP vehicle were taken to Yajalon. During the transfer to Yajalon, a PJE officer hit Manuel Perez Constantino and threatened him with death and mistreatment for almost the entire trip, which took several hours. As Human Rights Centers, we denounce not only the arbitrary nature of these detentions, but also the free use of violence by the PRI sympathizers, with the acquiescence of the authorities who were present, as well as the inhumane treatment of the detained during their transfer. The detained - Manuel Perez Constantino and Jesus Hernandez Gutierrez - remain in custody for questioning more than 24 hours after their illegal detention. We demand that the authorities immediately prove the probable responsibility for the alleged crimes which are imputed to them, or that they be immediately released. ************************************************ Fray Bartolome de Las Casas Human Rights Center Francisco Leon 5 Barrio de Santa Lucia San Cristobal de las Casas Chiapas, C.P. 29250 Mexico Telephone: (967) 8 35 48 Fax: (967) 8 35 51 Email: cdhbcasas@laneta.apc.org http://www.laneta.apc.org/cdhbcasas/ *********************************************************** NUEVO AMANECER PRESS-PRENSA NUEVO AMANECER-N.A.P. To know us visit our web page in Spanish in Mexico at: http://www.nap.cuhm.mx/nap0.htm E-mail: A Press in support of the work in defense of Human Rights ================================================================= 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-06.04.99-00:53:21-11395