Letters to the Other Campaign from Oaxaca’s Political Prisoners
Written for the Day of Action Against Police
Brutality
By Oaxacan
Political Prisoners
To “The
Other Campaign.”
To the organizations that
defend human rights.
To the
people of good will.
To the
non-governmental organizations.
To the
people of
To the
democratic teachers’ union Secion 22,
To the communications
media.
PRESENTE:
I send to you from this
prison a warm and fraternal salute, and express to you the following:
My name is Isabel Almaraz Matías, held prisoner in
the Ixcotél prison of
I was arrested on
I have been separated from my
children since my arrest. In that year my first daughter was four and my second
one year and six months. These two girls were left completely abandoned by the
hateful policies of the state government. I have now spent three years and
eight months deprived of my freedom, but the authorities have shown no
political will to deal with and resolve the problem. They have gravely violated
my rights as a woman, but in their speeches they prattle on and chant slogans
about how their main goal is attention to the indigenous groups, that they are
serving in the tradition of (liberal mid-19th century indigenous president
Benito) Juárez. Our rulers tell great lies.
As an indigenous woman, I
cannot keep my arms passively crossed. From this place, I raise my voice and say, I have the freedom and the right to fight for the
liberty I long for. The authorities have oppressed the indigenous people of the
Loxicha region, but I when I think about the fact
that I did not commit the crimes that they accuse me of, that
gives me strength to keep fighting for my freedom.
I demand that the state
government stop the dirty war against the indigenous people of the Loxicha region.
I call for the immediate
release of the political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in different
prisons across the country.
I ask that the country’s
democratic organizations support me as I continue to struggle for my freedom. I
hope that you take on the problem that I am living through, as this missive is
open to all people of good will.
Thank you for listening to my
words.
Respectfully,
Isabel Almarás
Matías
* * *
To the Compañeros
and Compañeras of the Other Campaign
To the National and
International Communications Media
To the General Public
We know that, as an
initiative of the Other Campaign, today, March 15, a day in which people all
over the world demonstrate against police brutality and repression, actions
will be held for the freedom of this country’s political prisoners and
prisoners of conscience.
Up to today the state
governor has done an excellent job at continuing the dirty war against dissent
and non-conformity, of which there is a great deal. There are now about 50
prisoners here in jail for political reasons. We prisoners are not pedophiles,
we are not rapists, we are not drug traffickers, we are not white-collar
criminals, because if we were, we would be enjoying our freedom and living in
prosperity and opulence.
Faced with this situation, in
addition to saluting this initiative and recognizing the brave stance you have
taken in supporting the cause of those of us who are now paying for the crime
of thinking differently, the crime of dreaming of a different Mexico with
peace, justice and democracy, the crime of struggling to make real those dreams
that we share with you. From our lonely cells we call out to you to keep
building unity, and from us comes a commitment not to
give up and to contribute to this with our best efforts.
Freedom for political
prisoners and prisoners of conscience!!
Down with repression and
police brutality!!
Fraternally,
Pedro Castillo Aragón
Prisoner of Consicience
Santa Maria Ixcotel Central Penitentiary, Oaxaca City,
Oaxaca, Mexico, March 15,
2006
* * *
To the Network of Democratic
Organizations of
To the People of Good Will
To the Progressive Students
and Professionals
To the Democratic Teachers’
To the Communications Media
PRESENTE:
We the undersigned, the 13
indigenous political prisoners and prisoners of conscience from the Loxicha region, direct ourselves to you to send a warm and
fraternal salute to the participating organizations and the written and
electronic communications media for their important work and express the
following:
The prisoners of the Loxicha region add our support to this day of diverse
activities that the Network of Democratic Organizations is undertaking at this
step in the struggle in search of FREEDOM for all
political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in this country.
We welcome the initiative and
the will and interest of each of the organizations in speaking out and
demanding mechanisms to win the release of we who are victims of injustice and
today remain deprived of our liberty because of various crimes that we never
committed.
We know that the struggle you
are beginning is not easy, but as long as there is will and effort on the part
of each of the participating organizations, we must together and overcome any
obstacle that we find along our way. We must achieve our objective with the UNITY and STRENGTH of all who are
conscious and struggle always to move forward.
From the Central State
Penitentiary we call on all organizations and people of good will to ensure
that unity and brotherhood prevail in order to face the wicked policies of the
state and federal governments. Because the politicians today prattle on in
their speeches about governing in the tradition of Juárez,
but this is really a great lie to society, because Juárez
was a person who fought from his heart to defend his indigenous brothers and
his country.
Respectfully,
Indigenous Political
Prisoners and Prisoners of Conscience of the Loxicha
Region
C. Juan Díaz Gómez
C. Ricardo Martínez Enríquez
C. Fortino Enríquez Hernández
C. Álvaro Sebastián Ramírez
C. Estanislao Martínez santiago
C. Justino Hernández José
C. Urbano Ruiz cruz
C. Agustín luna valencia
C. Mario Ambrosio Martínez
C. Cirilo Ambrosio Antonio
C. Abraham García Ramírez
Source: Narco
News, http://www.narconews.com/Issue40/article1682.html