Urgent action 10 February 1999
During the morning of the 10th of February human rights organizations were able to visit the two Tzeltal men, Daniel Gómez Velazco and José Angel Gómez Velazco, who had been disappeared on the 6th of February. The two men had been detained by members of the Mexican Army at the military checkpoint at 'La Península' in the municipality of Ocosingo. Several human rights and civil society organisations had tried unsuccessfully to find where the two men were. They were finally found in the Interior Ministry section (Agencia del Ministerio Público of the PGR (State Prosecution Police) in Ocosingo. It had previously been denied that they were there.
The first account of the capture of the two indigenous men came from the driver with whom they were travelling when stopped. According to him, the men were blindfolded and then beaten. This version was confirmed by the prisoners, who said that the soldiers took their shirts to blindfold them with and then punched and kicked them for almost an hour. They were then taken to the State Prosecution Police station.
In the police station the interrogations continued. They were beaten and tortured, physically and psychologically. They were threatened that the rest of their family would be arrested and ill-treated if they did not sign a statement saying that they were Zapatista activists and that they were carrying ammunition. Yesterday evening (9th February) they were visited by a man who identified himself as the PGR (police) ophthalmologist (eye specialist). After beating them, he threatened them, saying that they would be in prison for at least forty years.
As a result of this illegal imprisonment, not being able to contact anyone, and the humiliation and lack of food they have been subjected to, the two indigenous men are suffering physically and emotionally. They stated that during the nterrogations they were shown a photograph of one of them taken in Mexico City on the 12th of September, 1997, on the March of the 1 1111* . They also said that the interpreter they were given for the interrogations said he did not understand everything they were saying.
Yesterday (February 9th) they were brought before a court and the case registered as Number 32-99. The Federal Interior Ministry, in the name of the state government, is accusing them of breaking federal firearms and explosives law by transporting ammunition, and also of rebellion. They have been assigned a public lawyer of the Ocosingo general court, Miguel Angel Hernández Morales. The two are expected to be transfered to Cerro Hueco prison in Tuxtla Gutíerrez this evening.
On the night of the 9th of February Enlace Civil AC made a formal complaint to the National Commission on Human Rights denouncing the violation of the human rights of the two indigenous men and asking for measures to protect their integrity and their right to make statements in the presence of a lawyer they trust.
We reject the Federal Amy's attempt to use the charges against the prisoners to make the public believe that the Zapatistas are building up supplies of ammunition.
We demand an end to the violations of the human rights of the prisoners.
We ask people to send urgent actions to the Procurador General de La República (State Prosecution Police) demanding that the men be allowed to contact whoever they want. We ask the Commission on Concordance and Peace to intervene, given that actions like this make any return to peace talks more difficult.
Parejo S'cotol, Ciuspaz, Asamblea Municipal de la Resistencia de Nicolás Ruíz, Enlace Civil AC, Kinal, Cepaz.
*translator's note: 1 111 Zapatistas from communities in Chiapas lead hundreds of thousands of people peacefully through the streets of the capital on 12th September 1997
Translated by Mark Connolly