Mexico
Virtual Truth Commission
Telling the Truth for a Better
America
http://www.geocities.com/~virtualtruth/mexico.htm
A. Background on Human Rights in Mexico
"According to the London-based International
Institute of Strategic Studies, Mexico has the second largest
army in Latin America, and the third highest defence budget after
Brazil and Argentina....Ten years ago the Mexican army was rarely
in the spotlight, where it frequently finds itself today due to
its counterinsurgency and anti-drugs efforts." Diego Cevallos,
"Troops Schooled on Human Rights," InterPress Third
World News Agency (IPS), August 12, 1998. For more information,
send a message to Peacenet, a non-profit progressive networking
service.
There are 570 municipal districts in Oaxaca,
410 of them governed according to the traditional popular assembly
, or "uses and customs". In the 1950s, grants of indigenous
land were given by the government to 70 Mixtec, non-indigenous,
families and the caciques were formed. The caciques are relatively
large tracts of land controlled by families sympathetic to and
supportive of the PRI since the '60s and '70s. They employ nearby
indigenous and control markets and transport for all goods produced
in their areas of influence. This means the indigenous do not
have control of prices paid for their own crops, which gives the
cacique owners the power to keep them impoverished and, even,
in debt- again, a source of cheap labor. They don't need everybody's
labor, so they are driving the indigenous from their lands, their
villages, in order to take them over. To do so, they employ paramilitaries,
protected by the Federal, State, Municipal police and trained
by the Army. The indigenous report that the cacique owners are
using their lands to grow marijuana and opium poppies. Wilson
M. Powell "Veterans for Peace tour Chiapas and Oaxaca, Mexico
and Bring back a Story of National Shame: Ours"; 5/7/98.
Email Veterans for Peace__A watershed of Mexico's tragedy was
the Tlatelolco massacre which unfolded on the night of October
2, 1968, when a student demonstration ended in a storm of bullets
in La Plaza de las Tres Culturas at Tlatelolco, Mexico City. The
extent of the violence stunned the country. When the shooting
stopped, hundreds of people lay dead or wounded, as Army and police
forces seized surviving protesters and dragged them away. Although
months of nation-wide student strikes had prompted an increasingly
hard-line response from the Diaz Ordaz regime, no one was prepared
for the bloodbath that Tlatelolco became. Eye-witnesses to the
killings pointed to the President's "security" forces,
who entered the plaza bristling with weapons, backed by armored
vehicles. But the government...claimed that extremists and Communist
agitators had initiated the violence...It is Mexico's Tiananmen
Square, Mexico's Kent State: when the pact between the government
and the people began to come apart and Mexico's extended political
crisis began." Kate Doyle, Director, Mexico Documentation
Project, TLATELOLCO MASSACRE: DECLASSIFIED U.S. DOCUMENTS ON MEXICO
AND THE EVENTS OF 1968 National Security Archive, George Washington
University.
B. Human Rights Violations of the Mexican
Government __B1. Murder
Emilio Alvarez-Icaza, Director of the
National center of Social Communication, describing the PRI's
reaction to its steadily diminisghing status, commented that ,
"Six hundred PRD members and sixty independent journalists
have been killed since 1988." Wilson M. Powell ; 5/7/98.
Email Veterans for Peace
The Mexican Constitution states that the
Army is allowed out of its barracks only to defend the nation's
borders and to respond to natural disasters. However, now "the
army is out of its barracks," complained Deputy Benito Miron
Linze, Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the Mexican Senate.
"Since the popular uprising of the Zapatistas in Chiapas,
in 1994, the Mexican army has built a presence in the area of
over 75,000 men under arms, 45,000 since December, 1997."
(On December 22, the Acteal massacre occurred, during which 45
people, mostly women and children, were murdered in a raid carried
out by paramilitaries armed and directed by the Mexican army.
).... "The elimination of social leaders by arrest and murder
is alarming. In Oaxaca, there has been a wave of repressions --
ever since the People's Revolutionary Army (EPR), made its appearance
in three coordinated attacks on local military bases in Guerrero
and Oaxaca on the 28th of August, 1996." Wilson M. Powell
; 5/7/98. Email Veterans for Peace__B2. Expropriation of the Poor
We heard stories of mass arrests, disappearances,
disingenuous deceptions by state governors. "Why is this
happening?", asked Benito Linze, rhetorically. "Land
tenancy. Prior to 1992, ejido land (communal land held under constitutional
guarantees by indigenous communities) could not be sold. Then,
Article 27 was passed. The government, for the first time, authorized
the sale of previously exempt ejido lands. Under pressure from
NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), large landowners,
who wanted to expand and convert subsistence farmland to high-productivity
agribusiness, pressured the indigenous communities to sell or
move out. They exerted pressure by controlling the costs of transport
and marketing of ejido products, offered cash bribes, threatened
bankruptcy and, even death. Some of the lands were desired for
timber and mineral resources. Of course, there was no provision
for those who sold to make a living other than as cheap labor
for the large land holders. "What's happened," he said,
"Is that accelerated privatization has made the government
incapable of meeting its constitutional obligation of supporting
and preserving indigenous communities." Wilson M. Powell
; 5/7/98. Email Veterans for Peace__Disappearance of communal
lands activist in Tabasco. December, 1998.__B3. Clandestine Prisons
__Israel Ochoa, attorney for the oppressed: "There are clandestine
prisons in the country, used for illegal detention and torture.
One powerful evidence of a rising consciousness, is the encampment
of the women of the imprisoned indigenous on the steps of the
governor's palace in Oaxaca. They have been there nine months,
eating, sleeping in full view of the world, their signs of protest
posted around them, telling their stories to all who will hear.
"The pattern of arrests and releases is to take a few and
release a few, keeping a pretty constant number behind bars. Recently,
10 cases were dropped for lack of evidence. The law is manipulated
shamelessly. The same charges that don't hold up in one jurisdiction
are levied in another." The government charges the detainees
are guerrillas, Ochoa disproves it. The government links Ochoa
with the EPR, it links the Mexican League for the Defense of Human
Rights (LIMEDDH) with the EPR They move prisoners to prisons 1000
miles away (to Mexico City) so that families cannot visit, favorable
witnesses cannot afford to travel there to testify. Ochoa himself
is shunned by people because the government has them believing
he is associated with the EPR and they are afraid, because the
EPR is so "dark" and unknown. Wilson M. Powell ; 5/7/98.
Email Veterans for Peace__B4. GAFE--a trail of pain, death and
terror. _
The Special Forces of the Air Transportation
Group, better known as GAFE.Their fame transcends Mexico's borders.
United States veterans speak of them, as do European military
specialists. In inner circles, their direct and indirect participation
is known in operations which have left a trail of pain, death
and terror in civil society. They are Mexican Army troops, highly
prepared and trained in 17 of the major academies, schools and
specialized bases of the United States armed forces. In these
centers, Mexican officals are prepared and trained in various
military disciplines. In "low intensity warfare" strategies
at the School of the Americas, located in the state of Georgia;
in counterinsurgency in the countryside, at the Special Forces
School in North Carolina; on intelligence, at Bolling Air Force
Base In Washington DC; on techniques of night helicopter flights,
at Fort Tucker in Alabama; helicopter repair in San Antonio, Texas
and various preparations in 12 other military bases in the United
States. Triunfo Elizalde, "The Special Groups": Yankee
Collaborators, La Jornada ( Spanish Language original), August
15, 1998. Translated from the Spanish by Nuevo Amenecer Press
Email address __B5. Attempts to improve military human rights
record
Military personnel in Mexico, accused
by rights groups of violating human rights and enjoying impunity
in the shelter of military courts, have begun attending courses
aimed at fostering respect for constitutional guarantees.
* The Secretariat of Foreign Relations
announced this week that it had instructed the Secretariat of
Defence to expand coverage of the courses, which got underway
a few months ago. It also asked the army to make it obligatory
for military personnel to carry a card with information on the
promotion and observance of human rights.
* Activists described the measures as
positive Wednesday, saying impunity was ingrained on many members
of the military, who moreover were frequently forced to act in
clear violation of human rights, such as in the conflict in the
southern state of Chiapas. United Nations special rapporteur on
torture, Nigel Rodley, said earlier this year that Mexican troops
seemed immune to civilian justice and were generally protected
by the military courts. Rodley, who visited the country last year,
said police and members of the army continued using torture and
other forms of abuse.
* The armed forces staunchly refute such
accusations, claiming that they simply do their duty....But rights
groups disagree, asserting that never before have there been so
many reports of violations as under the Zedillo administration.
* Amnesty International, Human Rights
Watch, the International Federation for Human Rights and the U.S.
State Department have all expressed concern in the past few years
over the deterioration of Mexico's human rights record. Several
organisations have objected to restrictions and regulations set
on visits by foreign observers, most of whom are interested in
visiting the state of Chiapas, where the Zapatista National Liberation
Army (EZLN) is based. Alleged guerrillas or drug traffickers detained
by soldiers this year have denounced that they were forced by
physical or psychological torture into signing a declaration.
* Activists say there can be little doubt
as to the veracity of such reports, because many members of the
armed forces have received training in line with the theories
of the School of the Americas, a ...U.S. military training centre.
Close to 400 Mexican officers have attended courses on counter-
insurgency tactics, intelligence work and psychological operations
at the School in the past two years. The School of the Americas
"is a school of murderers," where officers are taught
how to torture, according to the U.S.-based non-governmental School
of the Americas Watch, headed by Catholic priest Roy Bourgeois.
According to official documents circulated by the press, at least
20 officers trained at the School of the Americas are in charge
of fighting the EZLN and the smaller Popular Revolutionary Army.
But the Secretariat of Defence insists that the army's counter-
insurgency work is only aimed at restoring law and order, and
does not breach civil guarantees.
Source: Diego Cevallos, "Troops Schooled on Human Rights,"
InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS), August 12, 1998. For
more information, send a message to Peacenet, a non-profit progressive
networking service.
C. United States Involvement and Support
Leading to Human Rights Violations
History of U. S. Military Interventions:
MEXICO/1913/Naval/Americans evacuated during revolution. MEXICO/1914-18/Naval,
troops/Series of interventions against nationalists. S. Brian
Willson, "Who are the Real Terrorists?", citing several
sources including William Blum, Killing Hope: U. S. Military and
CIA Interventions Since World War II, Monroe, Maine: common Courage
Press, 1995 __C1. American-provided Arms, Equipment, and Training
_
A delegation of Veterans for Peace recently
returned from Chiapas and Oaxaca, Mexico, with observations and
testimonies establishing that U.S.-supplied arms, equipment and
training is being used by Mexican military and police forces and
para-military groups to displace, kill, and terrorize Mexican
civilians. Wilson M. Powell ; 5/7/98. Email Veterans for Peace
Between 1996 and 1999, 3200 members of
Air Transportation groups of the Special Forces (GAFE) of the
Mexican Army "will take two-week courses with the 7th Group
of the Special Forces of the United States," in order to
then return to Mexico to train "rapid response" units,"
noted Darrin Wood, European expert on Latin American military
affairs. Citing information from the US newspaper, The Washington
Post, he said Mexican officials will be accompanied in these courses
by the same Green Berets who were in El Salvador in the 80's,
during the confrontations with the insurgent guerrillas. Triunfo
Elizalde II, "Mexico is Now the Country Which Sends the Greatest
Number of Forces to United States Military Schools", La Jornada
( Spanish Language original), August 16, 1998. Translated from
the Spanish by Nuevo Amenecer Press Email address __C2. Mexicans
trained to accomplish American objectives.
"The first step in developing the
study plan at the school "is identifying the kind of instruction
necessary for meeting the political objectrives of the United
States in Latin America and the Caribbean," since, "given
the high cost of direct intervention in nations" in the zone,
the SOA "trains officials in those countries to meet their
{US} objectives." In this way, he emphasizes, "the Mexican
government has the dubious honor (sic) of being the primary collaborator
on issues of United States security on the continent." Triunfo
Elizalde, "The Special Groups": Yankee Collaborators,
La Jornada ( Spanish Language original), August 15, 1998. Translated
from the Spanish by Email address __C3. Mexican Coursework at
the School of the Americas includes Counter-insurgency.
Darrin Wood, European journalist specializing
in Latin American military subjects, analyed the the courses taken
over the last 36 years by Mexican military personnel, with a minimum
rank of lieutenant, in the SOA. Triunfo Elizalde, "The Special
Groups": Yankee Collaborators, La Jornada (Spanish Language
original), August 15, 1998. Translated from the Spanish by Nuevo
Amenecer Press Email address
* He notes that between 1961 and 1970,
a total of 75 officials were prepared: 11 in counterrevolution,
one in counterinsurgency, six in military intelligence, six in
guerrilla warfare, four in jungle operations and 47 in other disciplines.
*Between 1971 and 1970 there was a marked
increase in the number of trainees. 197 military personnel took
courses: three in counter- revolution, two in urban counterinsurgency,
three in domestic defense, four in military intelligence, six
in guerrilla warfare, 60 in training, three in command, 26 in
jungle operations and 90 in other techniques.
* While between 1981 and 1990, 539 Mexican
officers attended the SOA, who were instructed in: 19 in military
intelligence, three in psychological operations, 27 in commando
work, 210 in courses related to training, 12 in anti-drug operations
and 268 in other specialties.
* Regarding the first seven years of this decade, the journalist
reveals 623 Mexican military personnel attended courses at the
SOA, of which 121 received military intelligence instruction,
29 in psychological operations, 163 in "training;" 32
in educational administration; 56 in special Mexican training;
30 in commando work; 20 in civil-military operations; 70 in anti-drug
operations, and 102 in other areas.
* This means that during the last 37 years,
in the School of the Americas alone, 1327 Mexican Army officers
have taken the following courses: counterrevolution, 14; urban
counter- intelligence, three; military intelligence, 150; guerrilla
warfare, 12; jungle operations, 30; various disciplines, 460;
courses related to training, 433; domestic defense, three; psychological
operations, 32; educational administration, 32; special Mexican
training, 56; civil-military operations, 20, and, in anti-drug
areas, 82.
* C4. School of the Americas Graduates
conduct summary executions.
Lopez Ortiz, Juan. One of the most notable
of the first 90 officials and military soldiers who arrived at
the School of the Americas (SOA) between 1953 and 1960. Then a
lieutenant, he studied weapons and infantry tactics. Years later,
now a general, "he was in charge of fighting the Zapatista
Army of National Liberation (EZLN) in Ocosingo, in January 1994,
where there was a summary execution of zapatista prisoners in
the public market, according to Darrin Wood. Triunfo Elizalde
II, "Mexico is Now the Country Which Sends the Greatest Number
of Forces to United States Military Schools", La Jornada
( Spanish Language original), August 16, 1998. Translated from
the Spanish by Nuevo Amenecer Press Email address
In 1971 there were four Mexican military
persons in the SOA, and two of them were in Chiapas during the
EZLN uprising. Triunfo Elizalde II, "Mexico is Now the Country
Which Sends the Greatest Number of Forces to United States Military
Schools", La Jornada ( Spanish Language original), August
16, 1998. Translated from the Spanish by Nuevo Amenecer Press
Email address
* Gaston Menchaca Arias attended the course
on guerrilla warfare operations, from March 29 to June 4, 1971.
Menchaca Arias was designated as Commander of the 31st Military
Zone in Rancho Nuevo, Chiapas
* Miguel Leyva Garcia, attended the course in commando and General
Staff operations, from March 15 to December 13 of the same year.
Leyva Garcia commanded the 83rd Infantry Battalion in the same
31st Military Zone, Rancho Nuevo, Chiapas.
* In 1972, Harold H. Rambling studied guerrilla warfare operations,
from February 28 to May 5, and Carmelo Teran Montero, military
intelligence, from January 10 to April 28. "In the 90's they
were concentrated in Chiapas to confront the zapatistas,"
Darrin Wood notes.
Notorious SOA Graduates from Mexico --
detail provided by School of the Americas Watch___C5. School of
the Americas and the Attack on Religion.
Rivas Pena, Jose Ruben. Received instruction
in the United States, then years later carried out operations
against the EZLN in Chiapas. After his participation in Chiapas,
sent to Oaxaca as the new Commander of the 28th Military Zone....Journalist
Carlos Marin, stated in the journal, Proceso, on January 3, 1998,
about the Army's plan for Chiapas since 1994: create paramilitary
bands, displace the population, destroy the EZLN support bases...In
addition to mentioning General Jose Ruben Rivas Pena as author
of an "historical, sociological, economics, political and
religious analysis of the conflict" in Chiapas. In that document
the former Commander of the 31st Military Zone states that "it
has been since the arrival of the Bishop of the diocese of San
Cristobal de Las Casas, Samuel Ruiz Garcia, that the traditional
values had begun to be disturbed, for the purpose, at first, of
dignifying them, taking them out of their ignorance, povery and
margination (sic). Regrettably, this change in indigenous values
was seen to be directly influenced by the theologians of liberation..."
For Rivas Pena, "The Vatican is the primary indirect cause
of the conflict in Chiapas, directly sponsoring the corrupt trend
of liberation theology in Mexico, supported by their counterparts
in Latin America, and by the majority of the national Catholic
clergy, using socialist and political organizations, gangsters
and groups against the government to carry it out...As one can
see, it is not surprising that an SOA graduate would have such
reactionary ideas concerning liberation theology," the specialist
concludes. Triunfo Elizalde II, "Mexico is Now the Country
Which Sends the Greatest Number of Forces to United States Military
Schools", La Jornada ( Spanish Language original), August
16, 1998. Translated from the Spanish by Nuevo Amenecer Press
Email address __D. What can I do? __1. Become informed.
* "Wholesale killing, the suspension
of justice, the tinder-dry makings of a full-scale revolution
are piling up in a country we vacation in, buy goods and services
from, invest in and exploit for cheap labor. It's on our southern
border and we hardly, as a society, know it exists. Wilson M.
Powell ; 5/7/98. Email Veterans for Peace_
* See excellent analysis of U. S. Policy on Mexico: Reconfiguring
Mexico Policy. In Focus: Volume 4, Number 7, February 1999. Written
by Eric L. Olson, Washington Office on Latin America. Editors:
Martha Honey (Institute for Policy Studies) and Tom Barry (Interhemispheric
Resource Center)
* Write our newspapers and ask them why they don't print the stories
of Chiapas and Oaxaca and Guerrero. Why aren't they sounding the
alarms, the way they do when a president dandles an intern? Wilson
M. Powell ; 5/7/98. Email Veterans for Peace__3. Write and ask
your congressman what he thinks of military arms and equipment
and training that we supply for "drug interdiction"
being diverted to such base, "un-American" uses. For,
don't they believe it is un-American to abrogate justice by wholesale
false arrests, imprisonment without charge or conviction? Isn't
it against our guarantees of free speech, freedom of assembly,
freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, to support, however
unwittingly, the use of military force to promote a political
view, force into being an economic principle not acceptable to
the people of the land? Wilson M. Powell ; 5/7/98. Email Veterans
for Peace__4. Above all else, GO THERE -and be seen by the oppressors.
* We heard time and again from the Abejas
who lost so many at Acteal, from their brothers and sisters all
over those mountains and in those valleys, that the human rights
observers were saving lives. They bring the light of informed
public opinion to bear upon acts that would be secret. And by
doing so, they hamper and restrict those who would commit them.
Wilson M. Powell ; 5/7/98. Email Veterans for Peace
* See account of trip to Chiapas by delegation
from Howard County Friends of Latin America.
* CONTACT: Global Exchange, 2017 Mission
Street, Room 303, San Francisco, California 94110
* Call: Ted Lewis, Director of the Mexico
section, at (415)255-7296, ext. 230 Email totedlewis@globalexchange.org
* Or Wilson Powell, 902 Imperial Point, Ballwin, MO 63021 (314)
225-1151. Email towpowell4@ix.netcom.com
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