April 13, 1998

NEW RAID IN CHIAPAS,MEXICO

11 de abril de 1998

TRANSLATION TO ENGLISH BY: N.A.P-USA

COMMUNIQUE FROM FRAY BARTOLOME' HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER,CHIAPAS,MEXICO-APRIL 11,1998.

NEW RAID IN CHIAPAS

Today, police from Public Security, personnel from the Mexican Federal Army, Immigration agents and Federal Judicial Police carried on a new raid, similar to the one carried out last Wednesday April 8th, (this new raid took place)*in the community of Taniperlas, municipality of Ocosingo.

In the raid, that started at 4:30 in the morning, the following illegal detentions took place: Tomas Sanchez Gomez, Luis Menendez Medina member of the "fray Pedro Lorenzo de la Nada Human Rights Center", Nicolas Lopez Gomez, Antonio Lopez Vazquez, Mateo Gonzalez (Gutierrez)Lopez, Nicolas Mazarriegos Perez, Sergio Valdez Rubalcaba, Antonio Lopez Vazquez y Sebastian Chulin Gonzalez. Mr.Sergio Valdez Rubalcaba was beaten by police at the time of his arrest.

In the same way, the following international observers were also arrested: Julie Marquette (CANADA), Sarah Mireille Baillargen (CANADA), John Sabato Michael (USA), MIchael Zap (USA), Jeffrey Wright Conant(USA), Travis Blaize Loller(USA), Marta Sanchez Zaragoza (CANADA), Lambot Gautier (BELGICA), Berger Dominique Jean Guillaume (BELGICA), Olga Claveria Iranzo (ESPANHA),Ana Lopez (ESPANHA), Juan Cobos (ESPANHA) Y Marion Landich (ALEMANIA).

The military encircled the community impeding free movement on the outside of the community as well as the inside while the raid took place. Public Security Police carried out searches of private homes using violence. The houses to be searched were pointed out from a list one of the policeman was carrying and the actions took place without search warrants.

A construction of 10 meters by 30 meters in the center of the community, was destroyed and burned by persons from the same community who were members of the PRI party aided by the police.

The group of national and foreign observers that were in the community were harassed, video taped and threatened verbally, even threatened with death and like the rest of the community, they were forbidden to move about.

Federal Judicial Police encouraged members of the community who are members of the PRI party to assault the observers. Children and women were being paid to harassed the observers.

This Human Rights Center demands freedom for those arrested since their individual human rights were violated, and calls for the reparation of the damage caused during the raid.

This Human Rights Center considers indispensable that the Rule of Law be established in Chiapas, but that does not justify new actions that violate the human rights of any individual, as took place in this case.

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Fray Bartolome Human Rights Center
Francisco Leon 5
Barrio Santa Lucia
San Cristobal de las Casas
Chiapas,C.P. 29250
Mexico

tel: (967)8 35 48
fax:(967) 8 35 51
Email: cdhbcasas@laneta.apc.org
http:www.laneta.apc.org/cdhbcasas/
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