While feuding drug cartels are responsible for much of the violence in Mexico, abuses by security forces are not uncommon.

An April 2009 Human Rights Watch report identified 17 cases of abuse by the Mexican military, including “killings, torture, rapes and arbitrary detentions”. And, activists say the line between the state and the cartels is often blurred by corrupting infusions of drug money.

In August, the government fired more than 3,200 police officers – almost 10 per cent of the federal force - including the police chief in Cuidad Juárez, because of widespread corruption and links to cartels.

But despite this widespread evidence of human rights abuses and corruption, Mexico and the US are moving to increase militarisation.

Read the full article here.

For those who don’t remember, Juan Manuel is a member of the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca who is being scapegoated for the October 27, 2006, murder of Indymedia journalist Brad Will, actually carried out by paramilitaries linked to the governor of Oaxaca, Ulises Ruiz Ortiz. He has been in jail since September 2008.

In exciting news, on December 30, 2009, a state court ordered Juan Manuel released within ten business days for lack of evidence, citing that the testimonies against him had “lost all probative value.” Juan Manuel was to be released on January 16, barring an appeal by the PGR.

Everyone was skeptical, as the PGR has been pathologically pursuing its sham of a case against Juan Manuel for more than a year. Yet, things looked even brighter when the PGR communicated to Juan Manuel’s family that they would not be appealing the ruling.

And then, of course, on January 15, just before time ran out to appeal, the sick bastards at the PGR filed an appeal against his release. The case now must go to the Supreme Court, which will take several months at least, and all the while Juan Manuel remains in prison.

Full Story

Ocober 23, 2009

“The tragedy and injustice of Brad Will’s death and Juan Manuel Martínez’s unfounded prosecution are part of the failure to investigate and hold to account those responsible for widespread human rights violations committed in Oaxaca in 2006 and 2007.”

“It is time for the killing of Brad Will to be impartially investigated and prosecuted on the basis of reliable evidence and according to international fair trial standards.”

Click here for full article

juan-manuel-protest-flier
 
WHAT: Protest against Mexican judicial corruption and the practice of impunity
WHERE: Mexican Consulate in New York City, 27 East 39th Street.
WHO: Friends of Brad Will

WHEN: Monday July 13 at 4 pm
 
Contact:
Mark Read: 917-776-8847
Harry Bubbins: 646- 648-4362
Spanish Speaking Contact:
Salvador Pantoja: 646-257-6178
 
July 13th, NYC–On Wednesday, July 8th, Judge Rosa Perez reversed course from her January ruling. She now accepts hearsay testimony previously determined to be “deficient” as factual evidence in the case against local activist Juan Manuel Martinez Moreno for the 2006 murder of U.S. journalist Brad Will.  It was also ruled that Moreno will remain indefinitely imprisoned pending a verdict in his case. 
 
The case is being closely monitored by international human rights organization such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and was even singled out by the U.S. Congress when they passed the funding bill for the Merida Initiative in July 2008, calling in that bill for “progress in conducting a thorough, credible, and transparent investigation to identify the perpetrators of this crime and bring them to justice.”
 
Despite an independent report from Physicians for Human Rights debunking the government’s case against Moreno, and a condemnation of the case by Mexico’s own National Commission for Human Rights, the government has refused to investigate the most likely suspects—Mexican government officials who were videotaped and photographed openly firing on protesters, including Will. Instead, the judge has accepted the testimony of two “witnesses” that, according to their own words, were not present at the murder of Brad Will.   These two “witnesses” are the heart of the case against Moreno.
 
“The Mexican government has to come up with a conviction in Brad’s case because the U.S. Congress told them they had to,” says Mark Read, a friend of Will’s.  “If they want those U.S. taxpayer dollars, they have to put somebody away, but the real killers walk around with impunity while the government proceeds with this bogus case against one of the people that Brad was there trying to report on, an activist who rose up against corrupt government rule. This recent reversal makes it pretty clear that the Mexican government intends to railroad Moreno despite all the best evidence. It’s corruption, pure and simple.”

I introduced myself as Nick from Friends of Brad Will and told her who Brad was and she said she was sorry about his death. I told her that we were concerned about human rights abuses taking place in places where we have free trade agreements like Peru and the deaths there last week. She replied that she was waiting for Obama’s cue on that. I replied that indeed Obama had mentioned union leaders in Colombia in the debates, but that people were dying now and this tends to happen wherever we have these free trade agreements — corporations get better access to resources and indigenous get displaced. She thanked me for telling her. Then Rad talked to her about student loans.

listen to this guy

This morning, three human rights activists representing Friends of Brad Will, Houston Indymedia, and Houston Food Not Bombs met with The Consul General at the Peruvian Consulate in Houston.Ellie Sequeira, Rachel Clarke, and Nick Cooper expressed concerns and delivered a letter (below) about the role of the Peruvian government, oil corporations and free trade in the deaths of dozens of indigenous Peruvians. The Consul, Carlos R. Polo, expressed the government position that unarmed police were attacked by indigenous when trying to re-open roads that were keeping essential supplies from the poor in those regions. Nick Cooper, representing Friends of Brad Will, responded that while many facts of what happened on June 5th will continue to be disputed, that the violence against indigenous groups is not something that happens only at gunpoint — indigenous people die and lose their land and ways of life whenever petroleum is extracted, sometimes with bullets, sometimes with toxins, etc. Rachel Clarke from Houston Indymedia encouraged the Consul to visit the website Amazon Watch to see the horrible photos of the indigenous victims. The meeting was respectful with all parties having the opportunity to express their thoughts and finished with a photo and an agreement to continue the dialogue.Hours later, the Houston activists held a press conference on the steps of the Petroleum Club where, last year, a Shapibo indigenous leader interrupted an auction of indigenous lands to oil developers, respectfully telling the bidders about the devastating toxic effects of 35 years of petroleum development on indigenous territories. Houston also hosted two Achuar leaders visited Houston to discuss oil drilling in the Amazon in 2006.

Letter in English (Spanish below)Nick Coopernick@nickcooper.comWednesday June 10th, 2009re: June 5 military police raidCarlos R. PoloConsul GeneralConsulate General of the Republic of Peru5177 Richmond Ave., Suite 695Houston, TX 77056-6707Esteemed Carlos R. Polo,It is with a heavy heart that I contact you on the essential matter of the treatment of the indigenous people of Peru. I have had the honor to meet these brave and resolute Achuar and Shapibo leaders, and have heard first hand of the suffering caused by petroleum extraction from their lands.

The Friends of Brad Will, an organization committed to non-exploitative international communication and exchange, asks you in the strongest terms to help influence the government of Peru to:

- immediately suspend violent repression of indigenous protests and the State of Emergency

- repeal the Free Trade Laws that allow oil, logging, and agricultural corporations easy entry into indigenous territories

- respect indigenous peoples’ constitutionally guaranteed rights to self-determination, to their ancestral territories, and to prior consultation

- enter into good faith process of dialogue with indigenous peoples to resolve this conflict

Sincerely,
Nick Cooper, Friends of Brad Will
Border States Chapter Congressional Liaison
friendsofbradwill.org

————-Nick Coopernick@nickcooper.comMiércoles 10 de Junio, 2009Asunto: la redada militar del 5 de junioCarlos R. PoloCónsul GeneralConsulado General de la República del Perú5177 Richmond Ave., Suite 695Houston, TX 77056-6707Estimado Carlos R. Polo,Es con el corazón pesado que me pongo en contacto con usted sobre la cuestión
fundamental del tratamiento de los pueblos indígenas del Perú. He tenido el honor
de conocer a estos valientes y determinados líderes Achuar y Shapibo, y he escuchado
de primera mano el sufrimiento causado por la extracción de petróleo de sus tierras.

Los Amigos de Brad Will es una organización dedicada a la no explotación de la
comunicación e intercambio internacional, y le pedimos en términos
enérgicos que ayuden a influir al gobierno del Perú a:

– suspender de inmediato el Estado de Emergencia y la represión violenta de las protestas indígenas.

– revocar las leyes de libre comercio que permiten entrada fácil a las empresas petroleras, forestales, y agrícolas a los territorios indígenas

– respetar los derechos garantizados por la constitución a los pueblos indígenas a libre determinación, territorios ancestrales, y consulta previa

– entrar en un proceso de diálogo en buena fé con los pueblos indígenas para resolver este conflicto

Sinceramente,Nick Cooper, Los Amigos de Brad WillEnlace Congresional de los Estados Fronterizosfriendsofbradwill.org

Read the entire story April 21, 2009 by Kristin Bricker via the Narcosphere here.

The organization, which was established two and a half years ago when the journalist was killed by Mexican paramilitaries while covering a teachers’ strike, has called on Congress and the Bush State Department to aid in obtaining justice for their murdered friend. They described the Obama-Calderon meeting as “an important opportunity to move forward not only on Brad’s case but also on many Mexican political prisoners’ cases.”

They asked callers to Obama’s transition team to urge Obama to ask explicitly about Brad’s case and those of other innocent people arrested, raped or killed (in Atenco, Juarez, Chiapas, Oaxaca and elsewhere).

Manuel Red Pebble Perez, Coordinator of Binational Indigenous Peoples’ Outreach for Friends of Brad Will, declared “(t)he United States should not be supplying lethal aid to unaccountable ’security’ forces in Mexico or Latin America that have shown themselves incapable even to bring to justice the Mexican government paramilitaries witnessed in broad daylight killing our colleague, Brad Will”. He pointed reporters to the report by Reporters without Borders (see: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=19485) and to the International Physicians for Human Rights forensic team’s findings which sited culpability of Mexican government paramilitaries for Mr. Will’s and others’ murders as ignored by Mexican State and Federal prosecutors.

Under pressure from the U.S. government for resolution of the case, the Mexican authorities have arrested and put out arrest warrants for 11 innocent people, at least 4 of whom courageously stepped forward with Brad’s parents to provide their eyewitness testimony to the Mexican govt. The Mexican government is now scapegoating these innocent people in a travesty of justice labeled by Kathy Will, Brad’s mother, as ‘absurd.’

Joy Ophelia, a spokeswoman for Friends of Brad Will said that “(t)he notorious corruption and lack of accountability of Mexican security forces and their widespread human rights abuses makes Bush’s Merida Initiative (aka Plan Mexico) a terrible, impractical idea, which Obama should discontinue.”

Background information:

Plan Mexico Backgrounder: http://americas.irc-online.org/am/5118

Witness to Brad Will’s Murder Denounces Recent Arrests
http://elenemigocomun.net/1704

“. . .Juan Manuel has been falsely charged with the homicide of U.S. journalist Bradley Roland Will. (H)e is . . .an active individual, committed to his community through his parish and municipality.”

Video: A Call to Action from the Family of Juan Manuel (one of the wrongly accused)
http://elenemigocomun.net/1928

President-elect Obama to Meet with President Calderón

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President-elect Barack Obama will meet with
Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón on Monday, January 12. The meeting
will be in Washington, DC at the Mexican Cultural Institute. There is
a long-standing tradition, since 1980, of U.S. presidents meeting with
the Mexican president prior to being sworn in to underscore the
important relationship between the United States and Mexico. This
meeting is in keeping with that tradition.

###

After the hearing last Monday was awaiting the decision, these days are important to take actions and exert pressure before the trial judge. Juan Manuel wants to return to his family.

Please add your name to this letter and send it to the judge in the case. The english version is first and spanish follows.

Just sending a fax we can make a difference.

——————————————————–

ENGLISH
SUPPORT JUAN MANUEL BY SIGNING THIS LETTER AND SENDING IT TO THE JUDGE PRESIDING OVER THE CASE Lic. Rosa Iliana Noriega Pérez
Juez Quinto de Distrito
Calle de Amapolas núm. 1202 Colonia Reforma
Oaxaca, Oaxaca, México CP 68000
Teléfono:(+52) 951 5 13 56 40
FAX: (+52) 951 5 13 23 51

DATE, PLACE

Honorable Judge:

I/We ________________ (name and/or organization), citizen(s) of ____________ (nationality) would like to take this opportunity to send my/our regards and additionally to refer to the case of Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno.

To my/our knowledge, despite the fact that he is an active individual, committed to his community through his parish and municipality, Juan Manuel has been falsely charged with the homicide of U.S. journalist Bradley Roland Will.

This past October 29th the detainee was represented by his defense counsel in the Federal Court to seek an injunction against the formal writ of imprisonment placed against him by the judge of the Fourth Division of the Central Judicial District in Oaxaca on October 22nd for the crime of homicide supposedly committed against the abovementioned journalist. Said injunction was circulated with docket number 1311/2008 in the court that your honor now presides over.

I/we also understand that sufficient proof does not exist to justify the charges placed against Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno. According to the judicial proceedings, the only proof presented consists of two testimonies, neither of which refers directly to Juan Manuel at any point. There is a clear lack of precision in these two testimonies that detract from their value as evidence. It is important to note that in the course of the criminal investigation by the PGR there have been around 70 testimonies, none of which point to Juan Manuel; it is alarming that persuasive evidence cannot be found to support the accusation against Juan Manuel after so many people testified before judicial authorities. Similarly, I/we understand that the expert rulings are lacking in scientific rigor and consequently arrive at conclusions lacking in methodological substance in addition to the lack of suitable expert evidence.

It is greatly concerning that the judge of the Fourth Division of the Central Judicial District in Oaxaca has conceded probative value in two vague testimonies in spite of their imprecision and incongruence, and that based on this evidence paired with deficient and insufficient expert opinions, he intends on stripping an innocent person of his liberty, processing him for a crime without sufficient proof his guilt. Even more disturbing is the fact that this judge threw out the opinions of a group of independent experts from the International Forensic Program of Physicians for Human Rights, which clearly point to the inconsistencies in the investigation. Similarly, the judge in the case also managed to reject the recommendations 050/2008 of the National Commission for Human Rights, which determined that the shots that impacted Brad Will´s body were fired from 32 meters away, not 2 meters as the PGR is claiming.

Last Monday, December 15th, the constitutional hearing of the legal injunction was held in your honor´s court with Juan Manuel present. Now that the case is proceeding to sentencing, I respectfully ask your honor to take into account the arguments that have been put forth in his defense, subject to the rights of due process established in the Magna Carta and in the international human rights agreements that Mexico has signed and ratified which, as your honor is aware, are binding under the Constitution. It is important to note that this case has received international attention, and a number of national and international organizations are aware of the case and its defendant. I am confident that your honor will closely analyze this case and will resolve it in a fully autonomous manner, without political interjection, based on the truth and in accordance with international standards for human rights. I don´t doubt that it is in that and no other way that your honor continuously carries out your duties as a judge.

Sincerely

________________
(name/signature)

ESPAÑOL
APOYE A JUAN MANUEL ENVIANDO ESTA CARTA A LA JUEZA DEL CASO

Lic. Rosa Iliana Noriega Pérez
Juez Quinto de Distrito
Calle de Amapolas núm. 1202 Colonia Reforma
Oaxaca, Oaxaca, México CP 68000
Teléfono:(+52) 951 5 13 56 40
FAX: (+52) 951 5 13 23 51

Fecha, lugar

Respetable Señora Juez:

El que suscribe y firma (poner nombre de la persona y/o organización), ciudadano (poner nacionalidad) aprovecho la oportunidad para saludarle, y además referirme al caso de Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno

Según tengo conocimiento, pese a que se trata de una persona activa, comprometida con su comunidad a través de su parroquia y una regiduría municipal, a Juan Manuel se le ha imputado falsamente el homicidio del periodista norteamericano Bradley Roland Will.

El 29 de octubre pasado, el detenido a través de su defensa acudió ante la Justicia Federal, presentando una demanda de amparo para reclamar el auto de formal prisión dictado en su contra por el Juez Cuarto Penal del Distrito Judicial de Centro, con residencia en Oaxaca, mismo que fue dictado el 22 de octubre por el delito de homicidio calificado cometido supuestamente en agravio del mencionado periodista. Dicho juicio de amparo fue radicado con el número 1311/2008 por el Juzgado que está a su digno cargo.

Tengo entendido que no existen los elementos de prueba con los que se acredite la probable responsabilidad de Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno. Según el expediente penal, los únicos medios probatorios son dos testimonios que en ningún momento señalan directamente a Juan Manuel. Hay una obvia falta de precisión en esos dos testimonios que le restan todo valor probatorio. Es importante tomar en cuenta que dentro de la averiguación previa integrada por la PGR se cuenta con alrededor de 70 testimonios sin que en ellos se señala a Juan Manuel; resulta alarmante que no se puedan obtener elementos de convicción para sustentar la acusación contra Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno después de que tantas personas declararan ante la autoridad ministerial.
Asimismo, es de mi conocimiento que los dictámenes periciales carecen de técnica científica y por ende, arriban a conclusiones carentes de sustento metodológico, agregándose a tal circunstancia la carencia de más pruebas idóneas realizadas por especialistas.

Me parece sumamente preocupante que el Juez Cuarto Penal del Distrito Judicial del Centro ubicado en Oaxaca haya concedido fuerza probatoria a dos testimonios vagos a pesar de sus imprecisiones e incongruencias, y que en base a estas probanzas, así como a pruebas periciales insuficientes y deficientes se pretenda privar de su libertad y procesar a una persona inocente por un delito respecto del cual su probable responsabilidad no se demuestra. Más aun porque, en contrapartida, ese juzgador desechó la opinión de un grupo de peritos independientes del Programa Internacional Forense de Médicos por los Derechos Humanos, en los cuales se señala claramente las inconsistencias dentro de la indagatoria. En este mismo sentido, el juez de la causa también llegó a desestimar lo establecido por la Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos en su recomendación 050/2008, donde determinó que los disparos que impactaran el cuerpo de Brad Will se realizaran a 32 metros de distancia y no a 2 metros como sostiene la PGR.

El pasado lunes 15 de diciembre, se desahogó ante usted la audiencia constitucional dentro del juicio de amparo al que ha acudido Juan Manuel. Ahora que procede el dictado de sentencia, respetuosamente me permito pedirle que tome en cuenta los argumentos esgrimidos por su defensa sujetándose a los derechos procesales consagrados en nuestra Carta Magna y en los instrumentos internacionales sobre derechos humanos que nuestro país ha firmado y ratificado, mismos que, como usted sabe, forman parte del derecho interno por disposición constitucional. Es importante hacer hincapié en que el presente caso ha cobrado relevancia internacional, por lo que diversas organizaciones tanto nacionales como internacionales se encuentran al tanto de lo ocurrido sobre el particular.
Confío en que analizará minuciosamente ese caso y que resolverá con plena autonomía, sin injerencias políticas, con base a la verdad y conforme a los estándares internacionales de protección a los derechos humanos. No dudo que es esa y no otra la manera en que habitualmente realiza su importante labor como juzgadora.

Atentamente,

Nombre, Firma