On August 21, at 11PM (daylight savings time), at the Nuevo Momon crossroads, municipality of Las Margaritas, a three-ton truck, travelling from the community of La Realidad to Las Margaritas, was intercepted by a group of PRI's and paramilitaries. Travelling in this truck were: the truck driver, along with his wife, two international observers and a Mexican doctor who is a member of ENLACE CIVIL A.C.
This interception occurred at 11 PM at the Nuevo Momon crossroads by a group of 150 indigenous persons, who said they were PRIs from the communities around Nuevo Momon.
The driver got down from the truck in order to find out what was going on. The answer by the PRIs was: they were not going to allow them to travel. They immediately opened the lower part of the truck, and, when the PRIs saw the two international observers, they pulled them out violently. And, along with the doctor who was riding in the front of the truck, they began insulting them and saying that "the foreigners were the ones responsible for the current situation in Chiapas, that they were the teachers who were coming to teach the zapatistas, and they were the reason things were going badly." At the same time they warned them that they would not be leaving until the PRIs decided whether they were leaving or staying.
The two international observers and the doctor told those persons they wanted to go, and if they prevented them from going, it would mean a kidnapping, by depriving them of their liberty and making them stay there against their will. To which the PRIs responded that, if they really wanted to know what a kidnapping was, they would tie them up and take them to the community of Eden (a PRI community). All the people at the blockade began insulting them and threatening them with the machetes they were carrying. They said it was they who were giving the orders, and not the foreigners, that they didn't want people who had anything to do with the zapatistas. They began to get more upset, and said they were going to make them come and work with them if they kept on asking when they were going to release them.
A few minutes later, a mestizo-looking person appeared, who began asking the names of the persons who were detained there. The observers and the doctor refused to give him their information, and they said they would not give him their information until he identified himself. In addition, the observers and the doctor had already presented their identification at the federal army checkpoint in the community of Vicente Guerrero (a half hour away from Nuevo Momon, and where they had been held for more time than had been necessary for them to just take down their names. Because of this, they had been afraid that this action was in order to inform the people at Nuevo Momon, so they would be waiting for them). Once more the observers and the doctor asked that they be let go, because this was against the law. To which they responded that ""the autonomy of the PRI towns is above the federal government."
The doctor asked them to let her get a sweater, because it was very cold. They said no, she would have to suffer like they were.
The men blocking the way continued to insult, to assault and to threaten them. They also told them that if they were in Chiapas, they would have to suffer the consequences, and they should know what risks they were taking by being in a place where there was a problem between PRIs and zapatistas. And that they should remember 1994, and now the PRIs were going to kill the zapatistas one by one. That the foreigners should get out, as well as everyone who had come from outside.
An hour went by, and the two international observers, the doctor, the driver and his wife remained kidnapped, insulted and assaulted by the PRIs. They asked them to release them, to which they once again responded that, if they wanted to go they would have to go on foot, but that, further on, they would be detained by another group of them and they would beat them up. The threats to tie them up and to take them to Eden continued. They showed them ropes and machetes in order to intimidate them.
During this entire time that they were held kidnapped, a group of approximately 50 PRI persons, with chainsaws, axes and shovels, were cutting down trees in order to block the road, and they were also collecting rocks. When they had finished blocking the road, a person from the group came towards the observers and the doctor, and he told them they were going to continue working and they could go now. But first they would have to search their belongings, and, if they felt they could keep their things, they would. The PRIs took down the bags, and they took a camera, two books, nine rolls of film and money. When asked to return their belongings, the PRIs began to physically assault the observers and the doctor.
There were 5 PRI persons under the truck, and that was when the doctor was pulled down on her knees, and they dragged her for more than 30 feet. They held her feet and hands, keeping her immobilized while they beat her up with their fists and kicked her and pulled her hair. They tried to take off her clothes, and one of the PRIs tried to put his fingers in her vagina through her clothing. At that point, they began beating one of the international observers, throwing him to the ground and dragging him by the hair for at least 30 feet. They kicked him all over his body. They also beat up the other observer with their fists and kicked her. The beatings lasted for approximately 15 minutes.
They stopped beating them, and they returned some of their belongings to them, except for the above mentioned items. They threatened them, telling them to leave and to not come back. They were able to get back into the truck. They threatened to kill the driver if they saw him in the area again, and said they would kill the two international persons ("the two yankees").
Barely 150 feet from where the observers, the doctor, the driver and his wife had been kidnapped and beaten, the truck was intercepted again by another group of five persons, wearing federal army uniforms and asking for identification from the persons in the truck. The observers and the doctors answered them that their belongings had been robbed 150 feet from there, and they didn't have any identification. The soldiers had no response to that. It is important to emphasize that, when there are federal army checkpoints, there are signs on the road saying "HALT AT X NUMBER OF METERS/MILITARY POST," "HALT CONTROL," "COMPLETE STOP." However, there were no signs of any kind there. Fifteen feet from where they were, those federal soldiers met with a group of 10 civilians, and sixty feet away there was a private vehicle, a pickup truck, that was blocking the way. The federal soldiers warned the driver of the truck not to stop along the road until they reached Las Margaritas, because the entire road was under surveillance and they could be shot at. They let them through.
Today, August 22, 1999, is the medical part of the physical and psychological injuries of the victims.
The international observers and the doctor, as well as the driver and his wife, were conscious and oriented as to time, place and person, with a high level of adrenal energy.
SUMMARY OF MEDICAL PART
1. First and second degree abrasive injuries are observed to the
costal area, superior and inferior extremities.
2. Contusions
3. Hematomas
4. Bruising
5. Regions painful to light palpation No life threatening injuries
or injuries to the functioning of vital organs were found.
6. The psychological trauma is irreversible and permanent.
We are making this denuncia of the attacks to which Mexicans and international observers are being subjected within the state of Chiapas, holding responsible for all the attacks: the President of the Republic, Ernesto Zedillo, the Secretary of Government, Diodoro Carrasco, and Roberto Albores Guillen.
And we are holding them responsible for the physical, moral and psychological safety of all the residents of the communities of Chiapas, as well as of all national and foreign observers who are in Mexican territory.
We demand the immediate withdrawal of the blockades being maintained by the PRIs and paramilitaries on the orders of the Governor of the State and of the Department of Government, as well as the immediate withdrawal of all federal army troops who are remaining in the communities of the state of Chiapas.
Sincerely,
The Civil Observation Network (RECIO Against the War)
JUNAX, FRAY BARTOLOME DE LAS CASAS HRC, K'INAL ANTZETIK, A. C.; REGIONAL COORDINATOR FOR LOS ALTOS FOR THE CONSULTA; FORMACION Y CAPACITACION A.C.; ENLACE CIVIL A. C.; APRENDAMOS A. C.; BOLETIN QUINCENAL, RESISTENCIA; JOLOM MAYAETIK A. C.; COLECTIVO EDUCACION PARA LA PAZ A. C.; CIVIC ALLIANCE A.C.; CASA DE LA LUNA CRECIENTE; FZLN- SAN CRISTOBAL; SADEC.
S.O.S. CHIAPAS
Originally published in Spanish by Enlace Civil A.C. <enlacecivil@laneta.apc.org> ______________________________ Translated by irlandesa