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Judge Rules Against Mexican Environmentalists Sierra Club and Amnesty International pledge to continue international campaign Washington, DC: The Sierra Club and Amnesty International today condemned the conviction of two Mexican campesino environmentalists as a severe blow to human rights and environmental protection in Mexico. A Mexican judge today handed down a written verdict convicting Montiel of weapons and drug charges and Cabrera of one weapons charge. Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera were illegally detained, beaten and tortured in May 1999, by Mexican soldiers. They were forced to confess to trumped up charges of possession of illegal weapons and planting marijuana. Sierra Club and Amnesty International believe that the arrest and conviction of the two environmentalists stem from their efforts to stop the rampant logging in the southern state of Guerrero, Mexico. A press conference will be held in Mexico City on Tuesday, August 29 by Montiel and Cabrera’s lawyers along with Human Rights and Environmental Groups (see details below). "The arrest, torture and conviction of Montiel and Cabrera are clearly linked to their efforts to protect the forests in Guerrero," said Alejandro Queral, director of the Sierra Club's Human Rights and the Environment Program. "This represents a serious blow to Mexico's fragile environment." "Amnesty International condemns the conviction of Montiel and Cabrera, both Amnesty International's Prisoners of Conscience." said Diego Zavala of Amnesty International. "The Mexican authorities have demonstrated complete disregard for the human rights of these two men and sent a chilling message to other environmental activists." Montiel, one of the founding members of the Organization of Campesino Environmentalists of the Sierra de Petatlán and Coyuca de Catalán, was a recipient of this year's Goldman Environmental Prize for his efforts to organize farmers to oppose the rampant and possibly illegal logging in the mountains in Guerrero, Mexico. On May 2, 1999, members of the 40th Infantry Battalion of the Mexican Army arrested Montiel and Cabrera. During the raid, the soldiers shot and killed Salomé Sanchez Ortiz, a local farmer. On July 14, Mexico's National Commission on Human Rights, a governmental organization, acknowledged that Montiel and Cabrera had been illegally detained and tortured by members of the Mexican Army. The report also rejected the allegation that the two men were carrying weapons at the time of their arrest. Montiel and Cabrera Conviction Continued: Forensic doctors working for the Danish section of Physicians for Human Rights confirmed the torture after examining Montiel and Cabrera, and concluded that the physical signs and symptoms coincide conclusively with the timing and methods of torture previously described by the two activists. Amnesty International and the Sierra Club are asking President-Elect Vicente Fox to start his presidency with a commitment to human rights and environmental protection by immediately releasing Montiel and Cabrera when he takes office. Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club |
