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President Zedillo Called on to Release Earth Defenders
Groups Hold Vigil, Congress Sends Letters to Zedillo and Clinton
Washington, DC: Concerned for two farmers and environmental activists who were arrested
and allegedly beaten and tortured by members of the Mexican military, the Sierra Club,
Amnesty International, and members of Congress are calling on President of Mexico Ernesto
Zedillo to release the two prisoners and investigate the allegations of torture. Sierra
Club and Amnesty International, along with Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), will
tonight hold a vigil outside the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where Zedillo is addressing
U.S. business leaders.
Last week, 40 members of Congress signed a letter authored by Rep. Pelosi to President
Zedillo, asking him to immediately and unconditionally release the two activists, and to
investigate the allegations of torture. Additionally, Reps. Pelosi and Peter DeFazio
(D-OR) co-authored a letter to President Zedillo asking that the two heads of state
discuss the status of the two environmentalists during Zedillo's official visit. The
letter to President Clinton was also signed by 20 House members.
"This is President Zedillo's chance to show the international community that the
Mexican government respects the rights of activists to protect the environment," said
Alejandro Queral of the Sierra Club's Human Rights and the Environment program.
"Montiel and Cabrera's only 'crime' was to protect the forests by protesting the
clear-cut logging of Mexico's old-growth forests."
"We are thankful to those members of Congress, especially Reps. Pelosi and DeFazio,
who have worked to bring attention to this case," continued Queral. "And we hope
that President Clinton discusses the issue with President Zedillo when they meet on
Friday."
The two imprisoned environmentalists received international attention in April when
Rodolfo Montiel was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize and the men were
declared "Prisoners of Conscience" by Amnesty International. Recently,
conditions for Montiel and Cabrera have worsened as they have experienced loss of weight
and have reportedly been refused medical care on several occasions. Both prisoners need
proper medical treatment, which prison medical services reportedly cannot provide.
"Montiel and Cabrera must be immediately and unconditionally released," said
Andrew Miller of Amnesty International USA. "These serious allegations of human
rights abuse and worsening medical conditions demand attention."
Montiel, one of the founding members of a Mexican environmental group, had been organizing
farmers to oppose the rampant, and possibly illegal, logging in the mountains in Guerrero,
Mexico. On May 2, 1999, Montiel and Cabrera were arrested by members of the 40th Infantry
Battalion of the Mexican Army, who beat them, threatened them at gunpoint and allegedly
tortured the two men, forcing them to confess to trumped-up charges of drug trafficking
and illegal possession of weapons. The Sierra Club and Amnesty International believe that
these charges were created to imprison Montiel and Cabrera for their environmental
activism.
This case is part of a pattern of intimidation against environmentalists in Guerrero. Most
recently, Maximino Marcial Jaimes, another member of the environmental organization, was
reportedly abducted on March 13 by members of a paramilitary group. Amnesty International
is concerned for his safety.
Last year Amnesty International USA and the Sierra Club launched a joint campaign,
"Defending Those Who Give the Earth A Voice." The case of Montiel and Cabrera
was one of the first cases taken on by the new campaign. The report can be accessed via
the groups' joint website, http://www.defendtheearth.org.
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