LIVE PRESENTATION OF THE DISAPPEARED
JUSTICE FOR MURDERED COMRADES BETY CARIÑO AND JYRI JAAKKOLA
END THE ATTACKS AND SIEGE ON THE AUTONOMOUS MUNICIPALITY OF SAN JUAN COPALA

On Tuesday, April 27, an solidarity caravan made up of Oaxacan civil society organizations and international solidarity activists was ambushed by state-backed paramilitaries. They were bringing much-needed supplies and attempting to break the siege of San Juan Copala, an autonomous Triqui community encircled and accosted by the same paramilitaries. Around 15 armed men from the paramilitary organization UBISORT ambushed the convoy, killing Bety Cariño, director of the Center of Community Support Working Together (CACTUS), and Jyri Jaakkola, an international solidarity observer from Finland.

Two reporters accompanying the caravan, Érika Ramírez and David Cilia, remain disappeared. Just before the ambush, two Triqui women from San Juan Copala were disappeared by UBISORT.  At the scene, several surviving caravan members received death threats from UBISORT.

Join us in standing in solidarity with the autonomous project of San Juan Copala, to demand justice for Bety Cariño and Jyri Jaakkola, and that the disappeared are returned alive, immediately.

For more information see El Enemigo Común: http://elenemigocomun.net.

Called for by Friends of Brad Will. For more information, contact Scott Campbell, soupshow@hotmail.com.

*Phone Calls to Governor Urged So That He Orders State Police to Rescue the Wounded*

by Kristin Bricker

A solidarity caravan headed to the autonomous municipality of San Juan Copala, Oaxaca, was attacked as it passed through La Sabana, a town controlled by UBISORT, a paramilitary organization that is allied with the ruling Institutional Revolution Party. One young woman managed to make it to a hospital where she is being treated. She reports that there are 15 wounded people. Alberta Cariño, the director of the community radio organization CACTUS, is reported as disappeared. No one saw what happened to her, but she is among neither the wounded nor the uninjured.

The Puebla-based human rights organization Nodo de Derechos Humanos reports that the Oaxacan State Police who are in the area refuse to rescue the wounded “because they don’t have orders to do so from the State.”

San Juan Copala declared itself autonomous following the 2006 uprising in Oaxaca, and the autonomous government declared itself adherent to the Zapatistas’ Other Campaign. The autonomous municipality has been the target of paramilitary violence ever since. Countless San Juan Copala residents have fallen victim to paramilitary violence. The most prominent case was the
execution of two young Triqui radio journalists.

This past November, paramilitaries opened fire on San Juan Copala’s town hall during a caravan that was traveling to San Juan Copala from San Salvador Atenco. UBISORT had put up a highway blockade to stop the caravan, which was comprised of People’s Front in Defense of the Land (FPDT) members. While the FPDT was trapped outside the town, paramilitaries attacked the town hall. They shot four children, killing one of them.

The official action alert from the Nodo de Derechos Humanos is reposted below. They request that people call Gov. Ulises Ruiz Ortiz to demand that he orders the State Police to rescue the wounded. Here’s a quick line in Spanish: “Que manden la policia estatal a rescatar los heridos en San Juan Copala.” It means, “They need to send the state police to rescue the wounded in San Juan Copala.”

****

*URGENT:* The solidarity caravan that was en route to the Autonomous Municipality San Juan Copala in the Triqui region, which was made up of international observers, members of CACTUS, VOCAL, Section 22 of the teachers union, the the APPO, was attacked with firearms in the La Sabana community, which is controled by the organization Unidad de Bienestar Social de la Region Triqui (UBISORT). This organization is impeding the rescue of the wounded. Reports indicate that there are at least 15 wounded, it is unknown if there are any deaths. It is reported that Alberta Cariño, director of CACTUS, is disappeared. We fear that this action constitutes a provocation that could be used to justify the militarization of the Triqui region.

*Requested Action*

Call the Government of Oaxaca and demand that the necessary conditions be established so that the State Police and rescue teams can rescue them and provide them with medical attention.

Governor of Oaxaca

*Ulises Ruiz Ortiz*

Tel. +52 951 5015000 ext. 13005

Fax. +52 951 5015000 ext. 13018

–
Kristin Bricker

Freelance journalist / periodista freelance
http://mywordismyweapon.blogspot.com

Join Friends of Brad Will for a public talk, discussion, video screening and photo exhibit with:

John Ross, Mexico City-based author, poet and rebel journalist. John will discuss the manipulation of the case of Brad Will in U.S.- Mexico relations, the broader attacks against journalists in Mexico, and the lethal U.S. ‘drug war’ aid package to Mexico known as Plan Mexico.

Mark Read, from Friends of Brad Will. Mark will discuss his March trip to Oaxaca, where he met with Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno, the Oaxacan activist falsely charged for the murder of Brad Will, and will screen footage of his interview with him.

Hinrich Schultze, Hamburg, Germany-based photographer with the Ya Basta Zapatista Solidarity Network and Cafe Libertad. Hinrich was with Brad in Oaxaca in 2006 and will be displaying photos of the 2006 protests and street art. The photo exhibit will be opening Tuesday, April 20 at 8pm and run through Friday evening of April 23.

Brad Will was an Indymedia journalist killed by government paramilitaries in the Mexican state of Oaxaca in 2006, while documenting a teachers’ strike and popular uprising against corruption and impunity and for democratic change.

For more information contact Scott Campbell: soupshow@hotmail.com.

Note:  At the exhibit opening on Tuesday, April 20, people can join the Sixth Street Community Center for dinner at Organic Soul Café which serves from 6:30pm – 9:30pm. Veggie dinners are $11 and with wild Alaskan salmon option $15.

FORMER RCMP OFFICERS PREPARE MISLEADING REPORT CONCERNING KILLING OF AMERICAN JOURNALIST, BRAD WILL, IN OAXACA, MEXICO

MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: www.friendsofbradwill.org; Scott Campbell: soupshow@hotmail.com

* * *

On October 27, 2006, Brad Will, an independent journalist from the U.S., was shot and killed while documenting a protest in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.

Since June of 2006, there had been a massive popular mobilization in Oaxaca, calling for democratic change and rallying against corruption, impunity and poverty in a state long dominated by the PRI (Institutional Party of the Revolution) headed by the regime of Ulises Ruiz.

In response to the people’s pro-democracy movement, the state and federal governments unleashed a wave of repression against the movement, killing at least 26 people and violating the human rights of hundreds of others.  Brad Will was one of those 26 killed.

One year later, in 2007, the Bush Administration announced a three-year international agreement known as the Mérida Initiative, authorizing the disbursement of $1.4 billion to Mexico, Central American countries and the Dominican Republic, with the vast majority of funds going to Mexico.  A major focus of the Merida Initiative was to be the so-called “war on drugs”.

Original release of the funds was accompanied by a U.S. State Department call for a “thorough, credible and transparent investigation” into Brad Will’s murder.  While those who shot him have been clearly identified by eyewitnesses as police and local PRI party officials, the Mexican Attorney General’s Office (PGR) charged pro-democracy protester Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno for Brad’s murder in 2008.  Human rights groups such as Amnesty International, Physicians for Human Rights, Reporters Without Borders, and the Committee to Protect Journalists, as well as the Mexican government’s own National Human Rights Commission and the Will family, vigorously disputed the Attorney General’s claims.

To bolster their fallacious claims, the PGR requested assistance from the Canadian Embassy in Mexico. In response, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) recommended three individuals, including two former RCMP officers, to carry out an “independent” investigation.

The Canadians’ report, released in July of 2009, supported the fallacious claims of the PGR that Will was shot at close range by a protester.  Physicians for Human Rights, Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission and the Will family dismissed the report, pointing to the well documented facts that ballistic, sound, and photographic evidence point to a shot fired from a distance and from the direction from which police and local PRI party officials were firing at the protesters.

As well, the Canadian investigators, former RCMP officers recommended by the Canadian embassy, did not speak or read Spanish, so they had to rely on the PGR for translation and access to information; they did not reconstruct the murder scene or conduct witness interviews; their report displayed significant bias against Brad Will and the protesters; and it was riddled with inaccuracies.

After 16 months in prison, under false charges of murdering Brad Will, Juan Manuel Martínez was released on February 18, 2010, due to lack of evidence.

WE ARE ASKING YOU TO CONTACT THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT AND PRESS IT TO EXPLAIN:

1. The process by which they recommended former RCMP officers who assisted the Mexican government in attempting to cover-up of the murder of a journalist and if, as news reports state, the PGR “turned to Canada…to bolster their case,” if the Canadian embassy in Mexico recommended individuals knowing they would support the PGR version? [1]

2. Why the Canadian government has not publicly condemned the manipulated report, done by former RCMP officers, on the murder of U.S. journalist Brad Will?

3. What is the Canadian government’s policy regarding the use by retired RCMP officers of their former RCMP affiliations in authoring reports at the request of a foreign government?

4. Will the Canadian government make public the information provided by the Canadian Embassy to the Mexican government regarding the investigators it proposed?

USING THE ABOVE TALKING POINTS, PLEASE SEND EMAILS TO THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS:

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada: enqserv@international.gc.ca, bcm@international.gc.ca

Canadian Embassy in Mexico: mxico@international.gc.ca

Royal Canadian Mounted Police: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cont/comment-eng.htm

* * *
[1] http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cache:2U4-kJik-kwJ:www.canada.com/business/Victim%2Bfamily%2Bquestions%2BRCMP%2Bpart%2BMexican%2Bmurder%2Bprobe/2072833/story.html

FOR MORE INFORMATION: or to get involved in the case of Brad Will and the social movement in Oaxaca,
visit: www.friendsofbradwill.org;
join the Friends of Brad Will listserv: http://lists.interactivist.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/justiceforbrad;
contact Scott Campbell: soupshow@hotmail.com.

* * *
www.rightsaction.org / info@rightsaction.org

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Please read, take action, and spread the word!

As you may know, on February 18, 2010, Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno – the Oaxacan social activist falsely accused of the 2006 murder of Indymedia reporter Brad Will – was released after 16 months in prison.  This is an important victory, but Martínez Moreno, his family, and other activists remain at risk.

Since his release, Martínez Moreno and his family have been subjected to constant harassment.  They have received death threats and the government-linked paramilitaries which eyewitnesses and photographic evidence tie to the murder of Brad Will have frequently been seen standing outside the Martínez Moreno home.

For fear of being killed or rearrested, Martínez Moreno has gone into hiding.  There is also fear that the Attorney General may attempt to scapegoat other members of the social movement for Will’s murder.

Please join us in demanding the harassment and threats against Martínez Moreno and his family cease and that those truly responsible for the murder of Brad Will be brought to justice.

Please send the below sample letter in Spanish – or your own – to the email addresses provided.

Estimado ___,

Le escribo hoy para exigir que cede el acoso y las amenazas contra Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno y su familia de forma inmediata. Desde que Martínez Moreno fue liberado de la carcel, donde fue detenido sin prueba ninguna por el asesinato del periodista estadounidense, Brad Will, él y su familia han recibido amenazas y otras formas de acoso constante. Han recibido amenazas de muerte y los funcionarios locales que fueron grabados en 2006 disparando contra Brad Will se han visto en frente de la casa de la familia Martínez Moreno en varias ocasiones.

Exigimos que tomen las medidas necesarias para asegurar el bienestar y seguridad de Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno y su familia, ya que su seguridad es responsabilidad del gobierno estatal de Oaxaca tanto como el gobierno federal; cualquier ataque que ocurra contra ellos se verá como falla del gobierno mexicano, por no haber actuado.

Exigimos que los verdaderos asesinos de Brad Will – y de los 25 oaxaqueños asesinados por los paramilitares vinculados al estado en 2006 – se lleven a la justicia. Una investigación sobre las acciones de la policía municipal y los miembros del PRI, Santiago Zárate, Orlando Manuel Aguilar Coello, Pedro Carmona, Juan Carlos Soriano, y Juan Sumano, quienes se ven disparando contra Brad Will en fotografías, debe empezar de una vez. No aceptamos que se eche la culpa de las crímenes del gobierno a activistas de la APPO.

Atentamente,

English translation – Please send the Spanish version

I am writing to demand that the harassment and threats against Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno and his family cease immediately.  Since Martínez Moreno was released from prison where he was falsely accused of the murder of U.S. journalist Brad Will, he and his family have faced constant harassment. They have received death threats and the local government officials filmed in 2006 firing at Brad Will have been standing in front of their home.

We demand you take all action necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno and his family.  Should anything happen to them, we will hold the state government of Oaxaca and the federal government fully responsible, as they are either complicit in the harassment or capable of stopping it and instead are doing nothing.

We also demand that the true killers of Brad Will – and the 25 Oaxacans killed by government-backed paramilitaries in 2006 – be brought to justice. An investigation should begin immediately into the actions of municipal police and PRI members Santiago Zárate, Orlando Manuel Aguilar Coello, Pedro Carmona, Juan Carlos Soriano and Juan Sumano, who were documented firing at Brad Will.  It is imperative justice is served.  We will not accept the scapegoating of APPO activists for the government’s crimes.

Sincerely,

Send to:

Fernando Francisco Gómez-Mont Urueta
Minister of the Interior
secretario@segob.gob.mx

Arturo Sarukhan Casamitjana
Ambassador of Mexico to the United States
mexembusa@sre.gov.mx

Ulises Ruiz Ortiz
Governor of Oaxaca
gobernador@oaxaca.gob.mx

Felipe Calderón
President of Mexico
felipe.calderon@presidencia.gob.mx

Evencio Nicolás Martínez Ramírez,
Oaxaca State Attorney General
buzonciudadano@pgj.net

RAUL PLASCENCIA VILLANUEVA
President of the National Human Rights Commission

correo@cndh.gob.mx

LIC. EDUARDO MEDINA-MORA ICAZA
Federal Attorney General

ofproc@pgr.gob.mx

MAG. LIC. HECTOR ANUAR MAFUD MAFUD
President of the Superior State Court
oaxtsj@infosel.net.mx

Head of the Mexican Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
oacnudh@hchr.org.mx

————————
Acción Urgente de Amigos de Brad Will (Friends of Brad Will)

Estimados Amigos y Apoyantes,

Favor de leer el reporte, tomar acción y correr la voz!

Como muchos de ustedes ya saben, el 18 de febrero de 2010, Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno – activista social oaxaqueño falsamente acusado de haber dado muerte al reportero de Indymedia, Brad Will, en 2006 – fue liberado después de estar encarcelado 16 meses. Es una victoria importante, pero Martinez Moreno, su familia, y otros activistas siguen enfrentan riesgos significativos.

Desde que fue libertado, Martínez Moreno y su familia han sido acosados constantemente. Han recibido amenazas de muerte y los paramilitares con enlaces al gobierno, a quienes los testigos oculares han vinculado con el asesinato de Brad Will, con corroboración fotográfica, se han visto varias veces parados en frente de la casa de los Martínez Moreno.

En vez de correr el riesgo de ser arrestado de nuevo, o ser asesinado, Martínez Moreno ha tenido que esconderse. Muchos temen la posibilidad de que el Ministerio Público puede tratar de echar la culpa a otros miembros del movimiento social por el asesinato de Will.

Por favor, únete a nosotros en exigir que ceda el acoso y las amenazas contra Martínez Moreno y su familia, y que los verdaderos responsables por el asesinato de Brad Will se lleven a la justicia.

Por favor, envíen la siguiente carta en español o en su propio idioma a los correos a continuación.

Estimado ___,

Le escribo hoy para exigir que cede el acoso y las amenazas contra Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno y su familia de forma inmediata. Desde que Martínez Moreno fue liberado de la carcel, donde fue detenido sin prueba ninguna por el asesinato del periodista estadounidense, Brad Will, él y su familia han recibido amenazas y otras formas de acoso constante. Han recibido amenazas de muerte y los funcionarios locales que fueron grabados en 2006 disparando contra Brad Will se han visto en frente de la casa de la familia Martínez Moreno en varias ocasiones.

Exigimos que tomen las medidas necesarias para asegurar el bienestar y seguridad de Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno y su familia, ya que su seguridad es responsabilidad del gobierno estatal de Oaxaca tanto como el gobierno federal; cualquier ataque que ocurra contra ellos se verá como falla del gobierno mexicano, por no haber actuado.

Exigimos que los verdaderos asesinos de Brad Will – y de los 25 oaxaqueños asesinados por los paramilitares vinculados al estado en 2006 – se lleven a la justicia. Una investigación sobre las acciones de la policía municipal y los miembros del PRI, Santiago Zárate, Orlando Manuel Aguilar Coello, Pedro Carmona, Juan Carlos Soriano, y Juan Sumano, quienes se ven disparando contra Brad Will en fotografías, debe empezar de una vez. No aceptamos que se eche la culpa de las crímenes del gobierno a activistas de la APPO.

Atentamente,

Envia a:

Fernando Francisco Gómez-Mont Urueta
Secretario de Gobernación
secretario@segob.gob.mx

Arturo Sarukhan Casamitjana
Embajador Mexicano a EE.UU.
mexembusa@sre.gov.mx

Ulises Ruiz Ortiz
Gobernador del Estado de Oaxaca
gobernador@oaxaca.gob.mx

Felipe Calderón
Presidente de México
felipe.calderon@presidencia.gob.mx

Evencio Nicolás Martínez Ramírez
Procurador General, Estado de Oaxaca
buzonciudadano@pgj.net

RAUL PLASCENCIA VILLANUEVA
PRESIDENTE DE LA COMISIÓN NACIONAL DE DERECHOS HUMANOS
correo@cndh.gob.mx

LIC. EDUARDO MEDINA-MORA ICAZA
PROCADURIA GENERAL DE LA REPUBLICA
ofproc@pgr.gob.mx

MAG. LIC. HECTOR ANUAR MAFUD MAFUD
PRESIDENTE DEL HONORABLE TRIBUNAL SUPERIOR DE JUSTICIA DEL ESTADO
oaxtsj@infosel.net.mx

JEFE DE LA OFICINA EN MEXICO DEL ALTO COMISIONADO DE DERECHOS HUMANOS DE LA ONU
oacnudh@hchr.org.mx

Amenazas y hostigamiento contra Juan Manuel Martinez Moreno y su familia.

Drohungen und Einschüchterungen gegen Juan Manuel Martinez Moreno und seine Familie.

Threats and harassments against Juan Manuel Martinez Moreno and his family

12 de enero 2010

Aproximadamente a las 15h una persona que Juan Manuel nunca había visto entra en la área de visita del penal de Ixcotel en Oaxaca y lo pregunta cuánto dinero quiere para confesarse culpable. El desconocido también le ofrece la presidencia del municipio de Santa Lucia del Camino. Juan Manuel le responde que él no se vende y que tarde o temprano iba a salir porque es inocente. Seguido el hombre le dice en tono amenazante: acuérdate que tienes esposa y tres hijos.

12. Januar 2010

Ca. um 15h betritt ein Mann, den Juan Manuel noch nie gesehen hat, den Besuchsraum des Gefängnisses Ixcotel in Oaxaca und sagt zu ihm: Wie viel Geld willst du, um dich schuldig zu bekennen? Ausserdem bietet der Unbekannte Juan Manuel die Präsidentschaft im Bezirk Santa Lucia de Camino an. Juan Manuel antwortet, dass er sich nicht verkaufen lässt und dass er früher oder später das Gefängnis verlassen wird, weil er unschuldig ist. Worauf der Mann in drohendem Ton sagt: Vergiss nicht, dass du eine Frau und drei Kinder hast.

January 12,  2010

At approximately 3 pm a person Juan Manuel had never seen before came to the visiting area of the Ixcotel prison and asked him how much money he wanted to declare his guilt.  This unknown man also offered him the presidency of municipality of Santa Lucia (where Juan Manuel lives).   Juan Manuel responded that he was not selling himself and that sooner or later he would be freed because he is innocent.  Then the man said to him in a threatening tone:  remember you have a wife and 3 children.

15 de enero 2010

Aproximadamente a las 13h20 los tres niños de Juan Manuel se percatan que un hombre desconocido  (posiblemente un agente de la afi) en un auto volkswagon golf color café con placas del distrito federal les está tomando abiertamente fotos con una buena camera con teleobjetivo.

15. Januar 2010

Ca. Um 13Uhr20 bemerken die drei Kinder Juan Manuels, dass sie von einem unbekannten Mann aus einem Auto heraus fotografiert werden. Der Mann hat eine moderne Kamera mit einem Teleobjektiv. Sie vermuten, dass es sich um einen Agenten des Bundeskriminalsamts Mexikos handelt.

January 15, 2010

At approximately 3:20 pm Juan Manuel’s 3 children realized that an unknown man (possibly a federal investigative agent, afi)  in a brown volkswagon model golf car with Mexico City license plates was openly taking photos of them with a good camera with telephoto lens.

18 de enero 2010

Aproximadamente a las 8h la esposa de Juan Manuel recibe una llamada en su celular con un número del distrito federal. La persona dice: Si no te callas lo vas a pagar con lo que más quieres. Además dice cosas muy feas y groseras. Desde ese día los niños ya no van a la escuela ni juegan afuera.

18. Januar 2010

Ca. um 8Uhr erhält die Frau von Juan Manuel auf ihrem Mobiltelefon einen Anruf mit einer Nummer des Bundesdistrikts Mexiko. Die Person sagt: Wenn du nicht schweigst wirst du mit dem bezahlen was du am meisten liebst. Ausserdem sagt er ihr sehr hässliche und ordinäre Sachen. Seit jenem Tag gehen die Kinder nicht mehr in die Schule und spielen auch nicht mehr draussen.

January 18, 2010

At about 8 am Juan Manuel’s wife received a cell phone call from a Mexico City number.  The caller said  if you don’t keep quiet you’ll pay with what you love the most, along with other vulgar comments.  Since then the 3 children have not attended school or played outside.

8 de febrero 2010

Aproximadamente a las 19h la  esposa de Juan Manuel sale junto con su hija más pequeña de la casa para ir a una tienda que queda a unas tres cuadras. La niña anda unos metros adelante en bicicleta. De repente desde una esquina sale un carro camioneta blazer color negro con vidrios polarizados con alta velocidad. Casi atropella a la mama. Ella grita a la niña para que salte al lado. El carro sigue con la misma velocidad. Vecinos salen en auxilio.

8. Februar 2010

Ca. Um 19h verlässt die Frau von Juan Manuel zusammen mit ihrer jüngsten Tochter das Haus, um sich zu einem Laden zu begeben, der sich drei Strassen weiter befindet. Das Mädchen fährt auf dem Fahrrad voraus. Plötzlich nähert sich ein Auto Marke Blazer Farbe schwarz mit verdunkelten Scheiben mit hoher Geschwindigkeit. Die Mutter wird beinahe überfahren. Sie schreit damit ihre Tochter auf die Seite springen kann. Das Auto fährt mit der gleichen Geschwindigkeit davon. Verschiedene Nachbarn eilen zu Hilfe.

February 8, 2010

At about 7 pm Juan Manuel’s wife left her home with her youngest child to go to a store 3 blocks away.  The child had her bicycle and was ahead of her.  Suddenly a black Blazer pick-up with polarized windows sped from the corner at top speed almost running over the mother, who yelled out to her child to jump aside while the pick-up continued at high speed.  Neighbors came out to help.

18 de febrero 2010

Aproximadamente  a las 12h al término del mitin en el  zócalo (después de la liberación de Juan Manuel) se percatan que uno de los responsables de los hechos del 27 de octubre 2006 está sentado en el zócalo. La gente de la sección 22 se acerca y lo preguntan que hace aquí. El dice: Estoy observando. Finalmente se aleja con una risa burlona e intimidatoria.

18. Februar 2010

Ca. um 12 Uhr nach Beendigung der Kundgebung nach der Freilassung Juan Manuel bemerkt die Familie, dass einer der Verantwortlichen für die Ereignisse am 27.Oktober 2006 sich am Zocalo aufhält. Verschiedene Leute der Lehrergewerkschaft nähern sich und fragen ihn was er hier mache.. Er antwortet: ich beobachte. Schlussendlich entfernt er sich mit spoettischem Lachen.

February 18, 2010

About noon after the rally at the zocalo following Juan Manuel’s release from prison, one of the men shooting at the barricades on October 27, 2006 was sitting at the zocalo.  Some Section 22 (teacher’s union) members approached him to ask what he was doing there.  He responded I’m observing, and finally left with a mocking, intimidating sneer.

19 de febrero 2010

Aproximadamente a las 14h un día después de la salida de Juan Manuel el presidente Priista de Santa Lucia del camino se presenta junto con un grupo de gente que lo protege en un domicilio ubicado frente a la casa de Juan Manuel. Beben alcohol y con miradas burlonas miran hacia la casa.

19. Februar 2010

Ca. um 14 Uhr ,einen Tag nach der Freilassung Juan Manuels, erscheint der Pri-Präsident des Bezirkes Santa Lucia begleitet von Leuten, die ihn beschützen, in einer Liegenschaft gegenüber von Juan Manuels Haus. Sie trinken Alkohol und schauen immer wieder mit spöttischem Blick in Richtung des Hauses.

February 19, 2010

At about 2 pm on the day after Juan Manuel’s release, the PRI president of the municipality of Santa Lucia along with his bodyguards showed up at a house directly across the street from Juan Manuel’s.  They were drinking alcohol and looking at his house with  mocking sneers.

21 de febrero 2010

Aproximadamente a las 11h cuando la familia se moviliza en el auto del cuñado se fijan que son perseguidos por un carro marca surru color rojo sin placas con dos hombres en civil a bordo. Gracias al hecho que el cuñado conoce bien la ciudad logran escapar. El mismo auto fue visto dos meses antes cerca de la casa.

21. Februar 2010

Ca. um 11Uhr, als die Familie im Auto des Schwagers von Juan Manuel unterwegs ist bemerken sie, wie sie von einem  Auto Marke Surru Farbe Rot  ohne Nummernschilder verfolgt werden. Im Auto sitzen zwei zivil gekleidete Männer. Dank der Tatsache, dass der Schwager die Stadt ziemlich gut kennt gelingt es ihnen die Verfolger abzuhängen. Das gleiche Auto wurde bereits zwei Monate zuvor in der Naehe des Hauses gesehen.

February 21, 2010

At around 11 am when the family was riding in a car driven by a brother-in-law they realized they were being followed by a red surrru without license plates with 2 men inside in civilian clothes.  Fortunately the brother-in-law knows the city very well and was able to elude the pursuers.  The same car had been seen 2 months earlier near their house.

1 de marzo 2010

Juan Manuel tiene que esconderse después que hay peligro que sea encarcelado nuevamente. Eso después que el juez correspondiente el 17 de febrero 2010  realiza un dictamen sin la presencia de los abogados ni de Juan Manuel donde que dice tener pruebas que Juan Manuel disparo contra Brad Will.

1.März 2010

Juan Manuel muss sich verstecken, weil die Gefahr besteht, dass er erneut verhaftet wird. Die zuständigen Behörden behaupten Beweise zu haben, dass Juan Manuel auf Brad Will geschossen hat.

March 1, 2010

Juan Manuel goes into hiding after learning he could be reincarcerated.  The state criminal judge accepted new evidence that he says may show Juan Manuel’s presence at the site of the murder of Brad Will. (The first rumors were that it showed him shooting Brad Will, for which he had just been exonerated.)  The judge accepted this evidence without the presence of Juan Manuel or his attorneys.

2 de marzo 2010

Un  hombre joven más o menos 24 anos con corte militar esta a diez metros de la casa con un celular con camera. Cuando la esposa intenta tomarle una foto el hombre se pone nervioso y se aleja.

2. März 2010

Ein junger Mann, ca. 24 Jahre alt, mit einem Militärhaarschnitt befindet sich zehn Meter  vor dem Haus von Juan Manuel. In den Händen hält er ein Mobiltelefon mit Kamera. Als die Frau von Juan Manuel versucht ihn zu fotografieren wird er nervös und entfernt sich.

March 2, 2010

A man about 24 years old with a military-style hair cut was standing about 10 meters from the front entrance to Juan Manuel’s house with a cell phone with camera.  When his wife tried to photograph the young man he seemed visibly nervous and left.

March 8, 2010

During the night a group of drunk men were outside the house of Juan Manuel’s sister’s house shouting we are going to kill your brother.

March 15, 2010

At about 10 am there was a man outside Juan Manuel’s house taking photos of the house.  His wife went out to ask him why he was taking the photos and he said he is an employee of Santa Lucia.  She then photographed him with her cell phone camera and  went to the office of the teachers’ union, Section 22, and denounced this legally with her attorney from Section 22.

Join us March 11, 2009 for the Friends of Brad Will Caravan to D.C. Or setup a meeting with your local representatives.

Below is a list of our demands and an information packet you can take to your congress person. (check periodically for updates)

You can join our efforts: http://friendsofbradwill.org/contact-us/

2. Prosecute the paramilitaries responsible for killing Brad Will and investigate the 27 other political murders in Oaxaca.

3. Stop the Merida Initiative! (aka Plan Mexico) End The Drug War!

Regarding Juan Manuel’s Martinez Moreno’s Case:
-Amnesty International Action Alert

-Reporter Without Borders Article

-A picture of Juan Manuel

-A picture of para-militaries shooting in Brad’s direction

-Physicians for Human Rights Article

-Mexican National Comission on Human Rights (CNDH): Report on Brad’s Case (Spanish)

-Narco News Article

-NY Times Article

Opposition to The Merida Initiative (aka Plan Mexico)
-AFL-CIO
-United Steelworkers

Meeting with Your Congress People

10 Tips On How to Lobby

When Brad was killed, photographs were taken of police, police commanders, operatives and PRI party bodyguards, firing guns at the protesters. These included Pedro Carmona, Abel Santiago Zarate aka “El Chino,” Juan Carlo Soriano aka “El Chapulin,” Commander Manuel Aguilar Coello, and Juan Sumano. These paramilitaries are directly linked to the corrupt Governor Ulises Ruiz, and we demand their arrest.

The Merida Initiative. Under the guise of the ‘war on drugs’, aid package threatens Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean with a return to 80s style counter- insurgency targeted at activists like us throughout the hemisphere, namely those that dissent, challenge domination and oppression and offer more fair alternatives to live together – e.g. labor, anti-neoliberal trade, indigenous rights activists. More on Plan Mexico.

For more information please contact: h.bubbins (at) gmail.com

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.

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