November 15, 1999
In defense of the protectors of Mexican human rights
SIPAZ requests that you take action in protest of the threats and attacks that have been suffered in recent months by the members of Mexico City's Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center (PRODH Center). Particularly, action should be taken in protest of the kidnapping and violence suffered on two occasions by attorney Digna Ochoa, legal coordinator of PRODH, whose life has been put in grave danger.
In addition to letters to Mexican government authorities, we believe it is necessary to undertake others kinds of actions to pressure the Mexican government in a way that calls into question its international image and obliges it to take serious and effective measures to stop the escalation of violence against members of PRODH.
In recent years, the PRODH Center has suffered from repeated periods of threats, harassment, surveillance, and other actions that have never been properly investigated by the authorities. Various members of the Center have been threatened with death at different times.
In August of this year, attorney Digna Ochoa was kidnapped and held in a car, with her head covered, for several hours during which she was subjected to threats and interrogation. Recently, on the night of October 28-29, she was the victim of an attempted homicide as well as verbal aggression, interrogation and intimidation by unknown individuals who entered her house.
At approximately 20:30 hours on October 28, Digna Ochoa returned to her house. At approximately 22:00 she went outside to switch on the boiler and felt someone grab her from behind and cover her mouth with something. She fell unconscious. When she regained consciousness she found that she was seated on a chair in one of the bedrooms with her eyes blindfolded. She was subjected to a harsh and prolonged interrogation session about PRODH's work and the activities and personal information of each individual member of the center. The questions were punctuated by verbal aggression and threats.
They repeated again and again their questions about supposed "contacts" of PRODH in Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Veracruz, Puebla and Hidalgo. They also asked her about alleged contacts and safe-houses connected to the EZLN (Ejéército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional /Zapatista National Liberation Army) and to the EPR (Ejército Popular Revolucionario/Popular Revolutionary Army, active in Guerrero and Oaxaca). They also asked about Antonio and Aurora, accused commanders of the ERPI (Ejéército Revolucionario del Pueblo Insurgente/Revolutionary Army of the Insurgent People, a split off of the EPR), who are currently in prison.
Later they took off her blindfold so that she could identify people from photographs that they had brought. She realized that one of the individuals was typing everything she said into a laptop computer. The other individual who was interrogating her was seated on a bench very close to her. When her blindfold was removed, they shone an intense light into her eyes, so the only thing she was able to see was that both men were barefoot. They pressured her to sign blank pieces of paper, which she refused to sign. Later they blindfolded her again and continued the interrogation. They also took photographs of her and went through her things.
This went on all night and into the morning (approximately nine hours). Digna remained seated on the edge of the bed and one of the men pushed her until she was lying down. It was then that they tied her feet and hands behind her back with bandages and an elastic waistband of Digna's. They placed an open gas tank next to her. Minutes later she managed to untie herself. When she attempted to use the telephone she realized that her line had been cut. She later found her briefcase that had been stolen when she was abducted on the 9th August 1999, along with two notebooks, one of which had the words "ha, ha" written on it.
That same morning, October 29, 1999, the door to the main entrance to the PRODH office was found open, and the Legal Defense Department offices, located on the second floor of the building, had been broken into. The window was left open and the desks were in disarray, with papers thrown around. On one desk a folder was placed in an obvious position with the words "PODER SUICIDA" (SUICIDE POWER) printed on it in red. In addition, the surveillance video camera/recorder on the first floor had been turned off.