Phantom Cattle Rustling and Zapatista Prisoners Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Originally published in Spanish by Enlace Civil A.C. Translated by irlandesa Three Zapatista Indigenous Jailed for Fabricated Crimes ******************************************************** June 8, 1999. Three indigenous sympathizers of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN). from the community of La Laguna, located in the municipality of 17 de Noviembre, have been imprisoned in the Ocosingo jail for two weeks, accused of cattle rustling, reported lawyer Miguel Angel de los Santos. He added that there are six more arrest warrants out for zapatista campesinos in that community. Representatives of the "17 de Noviembre" Autonomous Municipality denounced that those actions "are part of a government campaign against the communities in resistance. They are fabricating charges against the companeros; their only crime is being zapatistas." The tzeltals noted that there is fear of new police operations being carried out in the region. On May 25, detained, with no arrest warrants whatsoever, were Emilio Lorenzo Perez, Pablo Lorenzo Perez and Ranulfo Perez Guzman, EZLN support bases from La Laguna. They were taken to Ocosingo, where the Public Ministry informed them that they were accused of having stolen cattle from Javier Hernandez Perez, a resident of the same community. At the time of the detention, the police officers were accompanied by Miguel Hernandez Vazquez - the father of the person reporting the crime - who pointed out the indigenous who are now prisoners. Zapatista representatives of the region denounced that the "accuser," Javier Hernandez, does not have any pasture land, nor does he have any cattle in the community, making it impossible for our companeros to have committed the purported theft of which they are accused." The campesinos also denounced that Javier Hernandez, "as well as the ejidal commissioner of La Laguna, Leopardo Perez Lopez, receives a salary from the government, in order to continue his work of repression and division." According to the indigenous, a government campaign has been unleashed over the last few weeks, in order to weaken the resistance of the rebel communities of the Altamirano region, where the Aguascalientes of Morelia is located. "The state government is giving a lot of money to the people who present themselves as 'zapatista deserters,' even paying literacy teachers so that they will support the PRI government of Altamirano." The representatives of the "17 de Noviembre Municipality also pointed out that zapatista sympathizers in the 20 de Noviembre ejido have been subjected to pressures and threats. "The purported deserters from 20 de Noviembre - who announced their departure from the armed group a few weeks ago - were given money, cattle, poultry and tools. They are putting money into the region in order to divide the communities, because of their interest in the next elections. On the other hand, zapatista families are being persecuted, and now the state police are looking for them, in order to detain them for crimes they didn't commit." The indigenous particularly pointed out the work of some officials, who are trying to buy their candidacy for deputy in the PRI, in exchange for harassing the communities in resistance. Such is the case of Romero Suarez Culebro, who, until a few days ago, was the regional Under Secretary for the Department of State of Chiapas, and who is now the election campaign coordinator for the PRI in Ocosingo, Altamirano and Las Margaritas, in the so-called conflict zone. Romeo Suarez and the municipal president of Las Margaritas, Martin Suarez, are the ones who promoted the purported "desertions" from the EZLN in the 20 de Noviembre ejido. A few days ago, both of them arrived in order to deliver money and aid to the indigenous of 20 de Noviembre. The government is using the people and the people's money to support the PRI campaign and to fight the zapatistas. According to reports by campesinos,a few weeks ago, the official said on local radio: "I am the bravest, I am the best, because I made all the people from 20 de Noviembre come over to the PRI." "There he said he wanted to be federal deputy for the PRI in the next election." There are four zapatista families in the 20 de Noviembre ejido who cannot return to their homes, because of threats from the PRI's, and they remain in refuge in other communities. There are also several outstanding arrest warrants in this community for purported crimes committed by the victims expelled from their town. The accusations are of a political nature, because of their militancy in the EZLN, but they are being treated by the authorities is as if they were common criminals. **************************************** ENLACE CIVIL A.C. Calle Ignacio Allende 4 29200 San Cristobal de Las Casas Chiapas, Mexico Telephone and Fax: 52-967-82104 Email: enlacecivil@laneta.apc.org CONSULT OUR WEB PAGE, WITH NEW INFORMATION EVERY 15 DAYS: http://www.enlacecivil.org.mx http://laneta.apc.org/enlacecivil *********************************************************** NUEVO AMANECER PRESS-PRENSA NUEVO AMANECER-N.A.P. 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