Category Archives: press

Party of Socialism and Freedom (PSOL) in Brazil send letter to Mexican President

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The following letter was sent to President Neito of Mexico, by the Partido Socialismo e Liberdade/Party of Socialism and Freedom (PSOL)

 

Enrique Pena Neito, President of Mexico:

 

As women in the Partido Socialismo e Liberdade/Party of Socialism and Freedom (PSOL) in Brazil, we want to address the state of Mexico by sending this letter to you as president to demand the immediate release of Nestora Salgado who has been imprisoned in inhumane conditions since August 2013.

 

Nestora is a leader of Coordinadora Regional de Autoridades Comunitarias/Regional Coordination of Community Authorities (CRAC) in Olinalá, Guerrero.

 

We stand in uncompromising solidarity with Mexican women who live with the fear caused by a society dominated by drug trafficking. Thousands of women are among the over 20,000 disappeared in Mexico.

 

We condemn the situation your government maintains over the lives of jobless women as a result of the neoliberal policies in your country which deliver it to imperialist powers. Thousands of women are raped, kidnapped and assassinated without your government taking any action to end this tragic situation. We know there are drug trafficking forces within your very government. These traffickers remain at large and unprosecuted, while those who took up arms to defend their lives and families are imprisoned and persecuted by your government.

 

We want to point out that Mexico today is the only country in the world where the people have to take up arms to defend themselves. This has occurred because your government, Mr. President, has abandoned people and left them to fend for themselves against the drug gangs. If your government provided security forces, the self-defense forces would not be necessary, and neither would Mexico’s prisons be full of hundreds of political prisoners.

 

What crime has Nestora Salgado and hundreds of other political prisoners in Mexico committed? It is really a crime to defend your own children from the threats of drug gangs? Is it a crime to defend the lives of our parents and siblings?

 

We cannot accept this and condemn your government before Brazilian public opinion and that of all of Latin America for imprisoning the poor people who defended themselves only with what they had: hand guns, hunting rifles, axes and wooden sticks.

 

PSOL women fight for a free world where freedom reigns. We do not accept the fact that Nestora Salgado and thousands of other political prisoners, who have committed no crime and were simply defending their lives and their families, remain jailed in your government’s prisons.

 

We demand the immediate release of Nestora Salgado and all the political prisoners in Mexico.

 
Women of Partido de Socialismo e Liberdade, Brazil

Freedom for Nestora News Bulletin

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The Freedom For Nestora Committee – Seattle has prepared a newsletter for April, highlighting the progress of Nestora’s case such as a Mexican federal court dismissing federal charges of “organized crime” against Nestora, bringing her closer to freedom.

To read about this and other updates on the case, click here.

Rep Adam Smith writes letter to John Kerry about Nestora’s harsh treatment

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Representative in Congress, Adam Smith, from Washington’s 9th District has written a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry regarding U.S. citizen Nestora Salgado’s harsh treatment in Mexican prison, and urging attention from the U.S. embassy to monitor the case and ensure Nestora is afforded due process.

You can read the letter here.

U.S. Citizen Nestora Salgado closer to freedom in Mexico

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Seattle, WA–Nestora Salgado-García of Renton, who has been illegally detained by Mexican authorities since August 2013, won an important victory in her struggle for freedom when a Mexican federal judge dismissed significant criminal charges against her.

“This decision represents a breakthrough for Nestora,” said Professor Thomas Antkowiak, Director of the International Human Rights Clinic at Seattle University School of Law, which has led international litigation on her behalf. “The judge recognizes that she is not guilty of any crime, because she was acting legally as an authorized leader of her indigenous community.”

State kidnapping charges are still pending against Salgado. However, “this important federal precedent may well lead to the dismissal of the state charges and her release,” states Alejandra Gonza, co-counsel. Accordingly to the federal ruling, law enforcement actions by community police leaders such as Salgado could not be considered illegal.

Salgado was arrested for her courageous community work in the small indigenous village of Olinalá in the state of Guerrero, Mexico. Guerrero law and the Mexican Constitution guarantee the rights of indigenous communities to form their own justice and security institutions. Salgado was a leader of a community-policing group that legally forms part of state law enforcement, and had the express approval of Guerrero’s Governor.

Corrupt authorities abruptly changed position, however, when the group arrested a local official for committing a crime. Salgado was immediately seized by military forces and flown nearly 1,000 kilometers away to the maximum-security prison of El Rincon, in Nayarit.  She was denied visits from her elected attorney and family members.  Among many other deplorable detention conditions, she has been refused clean water and medical treatment. Supporters hope she will be transferred to a safer facility closer to her family in Mexico.

A naturalized U.S. citizen, Salgado moved to the United States in 1991 at the age of 20. More recently, she divided her time between Olinalá and the Seattle area, where she lives with her husband, José Luis Avila, her daughters, and grandchildren.

Her daughter, Grisel Rodriguez of Renton, expressed hope after many months of despair over and advocacy for her mother. “This shows she is innocent and must be released. She cannot survive much longer in that terrible prison.”

A broad coalition of national and international supporters has demanded Salgado’s release. The Freedom for Nestora Committee – led by Fred Hyde, a retired Administrative Law Judge, and Su Docekal – has obtained the endorsement of many thousands of individuals and organizations. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and several U.S and Mexican political leaders are closely monitoring the case.

Contact: Katherine Hedland-Hansen
hedlandk@seattleu.edu
+1(206) 793-3487
Seattle University School of Law

The uphill fight to free Nestora Salgado

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By Fred Hyde

Nestora Salgado is both a naturalized U.S. citizen and an indigenous leader in her Mexican hometown of Olinalá, Guerrero. Last summer, Mexican authorities jailed her on trumped-up charges related to her role as the elected leader of Olinalá’s community police, which defends people against violent drug cartels and corrupt officials.

The grass-roots campaign to liberate Nestora is part of the hard-fought battle against neoliberalism. Over the past decades, the U.S. has joined many plans, treaties and alliances with Mexico aimed at opening up markets for the U.S., securing its oil supplies, and, ostensibly, combating narco traffic. In reality, Washington’s “War on Drugs” has been about protecting the profits of transnational corporations and foreign banks, including billions from laundering drug money.

Read more at socialism.com >>

Mexico: the right of civilian self-defense

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By Cuauhtémoc Ruiz

The emergence of community police and self-defense groups (las autodefensas) in thirteen of Mexico’s states is a major political event nationally, but also internationally. It is not every day that a sector of the population arms itself. Even more remarkable is what is happening in Michoacán: over a period of months, thousands of armed people pursuing groups of criminals and releasing territories from the control of mafias and drug traffickers. This armed organization is a great feat of the Mexican people, who have shown that their organization and will are stronger than the capitalist state.

The national and state governments together have been powerless to fight the criminals and bring security. (Nationally, the parties heading these governments have been the Partido Acción Nacional, or PAN, of Felipe Calderón, followed by thePartido Revolucionario Institucional, or PRI, of Enrique Peña Nieto; in Michoacán, the Partido de la Revolución Democrática, or PRD, followed by the PRI; and in Guerrero, the PRD.) However, the brave and organized masses have been able to accomplish this, while risking their lives every day.

Read more at socialism.com >>

Deputies require record review Nestora Salgado community leader, arrested in 2013

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By Enrique Mendez and Roberto Garduño

Mexico, DF. Representatives of the Commission on Human Rights called for the revision of the file that was opened against Nestora Salgado Garcia, coordinator of community policing Olinalá, Guerrero, who was arrested in August 2013 for military, marine, state police and municipal, and who has reported violations of their rights and be forced to sign documents to incriminate.

Lawmakers matches of the Democratic Revolution Party of Labour and Citizens’ Movement raised to consider all exculpatory evidence in favor of Salgado Garcia, respect human rights and ensure you provide all legal guarantees as imputed.

Members noted that the self-defense movement emerged Olinalá October 27, 2012 with the objective of stopping crime in Guerrero to the failure of the authorities, and that the arrest occurred Nestora Salgado allegedly in retaliation for days before police Community detained criminal suspects linked to city authorities.

Read more at La Jornada >>

PRD Press Conference en español

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Diputados del GPPRD y familiares exigieron la liberación de la señora Nestora Salgado García, presa desde agosto del 2013 en Tepic, Nayarit, por formar parte de la policía comunitaria del municipio de Olinalá, Guerrero, y quien se ha convertido –para las autoridades– en una “perseguida política”.

  • Solicitaron una visita al Cereso de Tepic, Nayarit para constatar físicamente que no se le han violado sus derechos humanos
  • La señora Salgado García ha sido sometida a tratos crueles e inhumanos y limitada a recibir visitas de sus familiares
  • Comunidad del Estado de Washington exigió su liberación, pues hay campaña nacional e internacional para tenerla presa por cargos falsos

Diputados del GPPRD y familiares exigieron la liberación de la señora Nestora Salgado García, presa desde agosto del 2013 en Tepic, Nayarit, por formar parte de la policía comunitaria del municipio de Olinalá, Guerrero, y quien se ha convertido –para las autoridades– en una “perseguida política”.

En conferencia de prensa, los diputados del GPPRD Roberto López Suárez, Elena Tapia Fonllem, Aída Ramírez, Lourdes Amaya Reyes, Alejandro Carbajal González, José Luis Muñoz Soria, Víctor Reymundo Nájera Medina, Aída Ramírez Torres y Carlos de Jesús Alejandro exigieron el respeto a los derechos humanos de Nestora.

El diputado López Suárez explicó que el 21 de agosto de 2013, Nestora fue detenida en la cabecera de Olinalá, Guerrero, por efectivos del Ejército, la Marina, la Policía estatal y la Municipal de la entidad, presuntamente en represalia porque días antes efectivos comunitarios detuvieron a presuntos delincuentes vinculados con autoridades del Ayuntamiento.

Dijo que a partir de entonces fue trasladada a un penal de máxima seguridad, en Tepic, Nayarit, y sometida a tratos crueles e inhumanos, limitada en su derecho a recibir visitas familiares y obstaculizada en las acciones para su defensa legal.

En su momento, el diputado guerrerense Carlos de Jesús Alejandro indicó que el trato que se le da a la señora Salgado sin duda evidencia la “justicia desigual” que se practica en casos como éste, ejemplo de lo cual es el de Alberto Patishtán, en cuyo juicio se evidenció la violación al debido proceso.

Señaló que en Guerrero la policía comunitaria está amparada y sustentada sobre los sistemas de seguridad y procuración e impartición de justicia, establecidos en una ley local -la “Ley 701 de Guerrero”-, pero también en el marco jurídico nacional. Por ello, están configuradas algunas violaciones en el proceso de la luchadora social.

Comentó que este caso ha hecho converger de la manera más diversa y plural a todos  los grupos parlamentarios, a efectos de que el Poder Legislativo pueda contribuir “para que vigilemos porque se respeten las garantías y los derechos humanos fundamentales de las comunidades indígenas, en específico de las mujeres, como es el caso de la compañera Nestora”.

Anunció que se continuará con la exigencia para que se le den todas las garantías a efecto de que pueda romperse el cerco, la presión y el hostigamiento hacia ella y su familia, y para que puedan reunirse con ella para conocer físicamente cómo se encuentra.

Por su parte, la diputada Aida Ramírez Torres demandó suprimir las viejas prácticas de persecución de personas con ideologías contrarias a los intereses del gobierno en turno y de aquellas personas cuyo único delito fue contribuir con su comunidad.

Al hacer uso de la voz, la hija de la lideresa social, Saira Crystal Rodríguez Salgado, explicó que su madre fue detenida el 21 de agosto de 2013 por las fuerzas armadas sin ninguna orden judicial e inmediatamente la trasladaron a Chilpancingo y Acapulco, donde la obligaron a firmar documentos sin que le permitieran leerlos.

Informó que la travesía ilegal terminó en Tepic, Nayarit, a más de mil kilómetros de su casa, violando todos sus derechos y el debido proceso. Añadió que la detuvieron bajo los cargos de secuestro de un síndico, lo cual es falso. “Más bien es una mujer de lucha y compromisos para su pueblo, Olinalá, Guerrero”, comentó.

Finalmente, informó que la Comunidad del Estado de Washington exigió la liberación de Nestora Salgado, pues cuenta con documentos en el sentido de que  hay un campaña nacional e internacional para tenerla presa porque “hay cargos  falsos”.

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Coordinación de Comunicación Política Legislativa del Grupo Parlamentario del PRD en la Cámara de Diputados