Juarez and Chihuahua
XV Years of Murder, Impunity, and Indifference Against the Women Jaurez and Chihuahua
At the hands of:
The Federal Government of Mexico, The State Government of Chihuahua, The Municipal Government of Jaurez
Supported by:
Advocate General of the Republic, Advocate General of the State of Chihuahua, Special States Attorney's Office for Attention to Victims of Crimes
March 8, 2008 Ciudad Jaurez, Chihuahua, Mexico
9:00 AM - Plaza de Armas
10:30 AM - March towards the International Bridge
11:00 AM - Placement of Offerings
12:00 PM - Ecumenical Service
Sponsored by:
La Red de Solidaridad con México Pacto por la Cultura Pastoral Obrera Centro de Derechos Humanos Paso del Norte Sin Violencia, A.C. Rescatando Una Cultura Muerta Alianza Internacional Ecologista del Bravo Red Mesa de Mujeres Organización Popular Independiente, A.C. Programa Compañeros ATSE-UACJ
**** **** **** **** ****
PRESS BULLETIN RELEASED March 3, 2008 - BY Justicia Para Nuestras Hijas
Discriminatory treatment of the women of Justicia Para Nuestras Hijas in the Congress of the state of Chihuahua
In the second session of Congress on March 3, 2008, the mothers of the disappeared and victims of femicide, members of the organization Justicia Para Nuestras Hijas, with the aim of supporting the proposal that Deputy Victor Quintana was introducing for the creation of a Special Commission to Investigate the Femicides.
The action planned by the mothers was to present themselves at the official area to support this initiative but the security guards for the Congress tried to block their passage.
The intention was that the deputies (congress men and women) would see the real existence not only of the mothers of the victims but also of the problem of the lack of justice of the cases that they were representing with photos of the assassinated and disappeared women.
Recess was called for the session with the pretext that the mothers were creating “disorder”. This was totally false because those of us that were there saw that none of the women that intended to enter the congress ever spoke one word or behaved in a disorderly fashion.
The President of the Congress suspended the session. This was unequal treatment for women and the problems that they face. For example, the meeting before was concerning the case of the accounts of the city of Chihuahua. There was a large contingent of support for Mr. Blanco, with true disorder. In this case, the meeting was not suspended but the participants were granted their full rights under the Article 30, section 13 of the Organic Law of Legislative Power.
**** **** **** ****
Sadly, another young woman is missing from Juarez. Her name is HILDA GABRIELA RIVAS CAMPOS and she disappeared on February 25th on her way home from school, again from the center of the city. This time the authorities instituted the Alba Protocol, which is intended to link various police agencies in an immediate search, similar to Amber alerts in this country. She is the third young woman to disappear from Juarez in 2008.
Adriana Sarimiento Enriquez disappeared January 18, 2007.
Ana Christina de la O Espino disappeared on January 23, 2008.
See our website for more information on these three young women. The central area of Juarez is now officially considered an area of high risk.
The response to Amigo’s email about Adriana’s disappearance was immediate. Amnesty issued an urgent action. Unfortunately, Adriana is still missing.
Please join us for international Women’s Day, March 8th in Juarez at the Plaza de Armas for a demonstration making a shameful 15 years of femicides. See our website for details.
Http://www.amigosdemujeres.org Click on upcoming events.
**** **** **** ****
DAVID MEZA FREED!!!
After spending nearly three years behind bars, falsely accused of murdering his cousin Neyra Azucena Cervantes, David Meza Argueta was released from prison Thursday afternoon, accompanied by his mother, Carmen Argueta, and the mother of Neyra, Paty Cervantes. David’s story is poignant indictment of Mexico’s (in)justice system, political class and police. None functioned with even a minimum of ethics or a sense of justice.
The story began on May 13, 2003, with the disappearance of Neyra, a vibrant 17-year-old who vanished from downtown Chihuahua City after completing her workday in a clothing store. Neyra was the latest victim in a growing series of femicides that plague Chihuahua City and Ciudad Juarez. David, who lived in Chiapas at the time and is Neyra’s cousin, came to Chihuahua City to help Neyra’s family after her disappearance. David was particularly active in pressuring local authorities to investigate the case, leading many local demonstrations and speaking for the family at press conferences. Previously, he spent five years in Los Angeles where he worked with community based organizations in solidarity with the Zapatista movement. During this period he became an adept organizer, skills which served him well as the family organized a movement pressuring police officials and politicians to find Neyra.
Two months after disappearance, on July 14, Neyra’s body – or more precisely, her bones, with no flesh attached - was found in a mountainous area on the outskirts of the city. The only access is via a police shooting range on one side and the state police headquarters on the other side. The closest road is an hour hike up steep mountains. The same day, police identified the body, and arrested Neyra’s father and her cousin, David, both of whom accompanied Paty Cervantes to police headquarters to identify Neyra’s clothing. Family pressure resulted in the quick release of the father, though not before he was tortured by police in an effort to extract a confession. This is a common police “investigative” procedure. Unfortunately for David, he remained in custody where he suffered three days of torture, later documented in detail by forensic experts. After three days, he signed a “confession” - prepared by police and laden with contradictions. He was immediately imprisoned, and spent the next two years and eight months trying to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, police considered the case closed and refused to investigate other potential leads.
A combination of internally contradictory evidence and grassroots pressure, both national and international, finally forced the state Supreme Court to release David for lack of evidence. Upon his release from prison, David said, “justice hasn’t been done in my case until they find out who murdered Neyra. … after being imprisoned for three years without being guilty, and seeing the family suffer, seeing the injustice that has been done to Paty, well then I’ll leave it up to you to decide how one should feel. … I don’t believe in resentment, rather it is a feeling that in Mexico things are not done as they should be done. I don’t resent any individual but rather the society. There are people who have power to do things and they don’t use that power for our benefit.”
The Mexico Solidarity Network has followed this case from the beginning and maintains close relationships with David’s extended family. Many MSN delegations visited David in prison and thousands of emails and faxes were sent from the US to the Supreme Court, putting justices on notice that the world was watching this case. On behalf of David and his mother, Carmen, the MSN thanks the thousands of people who made his release possible.
Femicides of Juarez and Chihuahua
For more than a decade, the cities of Chihuahua and Juarez, near the US-Mexico border, have been killing fields for young women, the site of over 400 unsolved femicides. Despite the horrific nature of these crimes, authorities at all levels exhibit indifference, and there is strong evidence that some officials may be involved. Impunity and corruption has permitted the criminals, whoever they are, to continue committing these acts, knowing there will be no consequences.
A significant number of victims work in the maquiladora sector - sweatshops that produce for export with 90% destined for the United States. The maquiladoras employ mainly young women at poverty level wages. In combination with lax environmental regulations and low tariffs under the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the maquiladoras are amassing tremendous wealth. Yet despite the crime wave, they offer almost no protection for their workers. High profile government campaigns such as Ponte Vista (Be Aware), a self defense program, and supplying women with whistles have been ineffective and are carried out mainly for public relations purposes.
Small advances in the struggle for justice are due to the perseverance of victims' families who cannot be silenced despite the efforts of state and federal authorities to keep them quiet. Campaigns by local, national and international non-governmental organizations are also important. Often grassroots groups work in a climate of threats and defamation by government officials for making one simple demand - STOP THE FEMICIDE!
We invite organizations and individuals to unite forces around the following objectives:
· Pressure the Mexican government to end crimes against women in the cities of Juarez and Chihuahua, and to punish those responsible.
· Demand punishment of public authorities responsible for the impunity.
· Create consciousness in the United States and Mexico that the crimes against women in the cities of Juarez and Chihuahua are a bi-national problem.
· Demand that maquiladora owners assume responsibility for the safety of their workers by providing safe transportation, street lights and increased security measures.
· In the US, promote the Sense of the Congress Resolutions of Representative Hilda Solis and Senator Jeff Bingaman that condemn the femicide.
· In Mexico, demand that the Fox administration intervene in the investigations and clean up local corruption and impunity.
· Promote the creation of a bi-national committee to address gender violence.
SUPPORT demands for justice for women in Juarez and Chihuahua in the following ways:
1) Organize a screening of On the Edge by Steev Hize (see info at bottom of this page) in your community as part of an educational event. You can purchase a copy of the video through Mexico Solidarity Network or from Steev directly. If you wish, we can arrange for a representative from the MSN to come to your community co-present with this powerful documentary. Contact msn@mexicosolidarity.org or call 773.583.7728.
2) Organize a delegation with your community, church or school to Juarez. Meet the people struggling against impunity and for justice in Juarez. Visit the colonias. Speak to maquila workers about their lives and working conditions. Return to the US with a renewed sense of how and why people in the US have a unique responsibility to fight for women's security and dignity. The Mexico Solidarity Network can help you organize the delegation. Contact MSN@MexicoSolidarity.org or call 773-583-7728 for details.
3) Host a speaking tour with an activist from Ciudad Jaurez or Chihuahua. The MSN organizes frequent speaking tours through the US. Contact MSN@MexicoSolidarity.org for details.
4) Sign on to an on-line petition in support of the families:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/JUAREZ/petition.html
5) Donate to grassroots organizations in Juarez and Chihuahua that are in need of funds to keep their vital work going. Donate through MSN and 100% of the money is passed on to local projects working to support victim's families, to educate people about the crisis, and to defend the falsely accused. Send check or money order to: MSN, 4834 N. Springfield, Chicago, IL 60625 and indicate that it is for Chihuahua organizations on your check. You can also donate online via our secure server.
Justicia Para Nuestras Hijas (http://espanol.geocities.com/justhijas/), a Chihuahua city based organization of mothers and friends of the disappeared and murdered young women in Chihuahua that are demanding justice. Contact: 01152(614)419 3401 or almagomez@ch.cablemas.com
Casa Amiga Centro de Crisis (www.casa-amiga.org), an organization that offers psychological, legal and medical help for people who have suffered from violence and their families. Contact: 011 52 656 6153850 or echavez0@infosel.net.mx
Centro de Estudios y Taller Laboral (CETLAC), an organization that provides training and information to Juárez residents concerning labor problems such as discrimination, occupational health and safety, and legal rights. Contact: 011 52 (16) 16-20-73 or cetlac@infosel.net.mx
Nuestras hijas regreso a casa (www.geocities.com/pornuestrashijas), an organization founded by family and friends of the disappeared and murdered young women in Chihuahua that denounces the crimes and is seeking justices for the families. Contact: 011 52 (656) 625-9949 or nuestras_hijas@hotmail.com.
View this 5-minute piece that summarizes the situation in Juarez and Chihuahua City, where approximately 400 young women have been murdered with virtually no action taken by the police or government. This video was produced by Steev Hise, who traveled on the West Coast leg of the International Caravan for Justice in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua in October and November, 2004. This is a study in preparation for a longer, complete documentary about this situation that summarizes the situation in Juarez and Chihuahua City, where approximately 400 young women have been murdered with virtually no action taken by the police or government. The longer version is now available. Click here for more info.