To human rights defenders.
To the National and International Sexta.
To the different collectives and individuals fighting from below and to the left.
To the media.
To civil society in general.
November 13, 2023
We demand the immediate and unconditional release of our compañero Manuel Gómez Vázquez, support base of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, hostage of the state government of Chiapas, since 2020, who is being held hostage in the CERSS 16 of Ocosingo, attached is the Control Court and Trial Tribunal where the hearing for the beginning of the oral trial is scheduled for this November 14 at 10:00 am.
Our compañero is a young Mayan Tseltal man, 23 years old, who was arrested on December 4, 2020. The prosecutor’s office of Indigenous (In)justice accuses Manuel of aggravated homicide, which is a completely false accusation, since, at the time of the event, he was with his family at his home. Investigations by the prosecutor’s office have been deficient and lack scientific rigor; there is not even necropsy evidence for this homicide.
We know that there is not, nor will there be any real evidence or witnesses to accuse him, because it is a fabricated crime, so much so that on three occasions the hearing has been postponed. The prosecution has not presented the alleged witnesses to testify, which has delayed the process, and exceeded the limit of preventive imprisonment which, according to the law “in no case shall exceed two years.”
Nonetheless, Manuel has been arbitrarily deprived of his liberty for almost 3 years.
There is no reason for Manuel to be in jail. The only explanation for this situation is the unreasonable impunity and racism that characterizes the Mexican injustice system, as well as the brutality of the repression of those who fight for free and dignified ways of life in opposition to the arrogance of power.
Manuel is being punished for being a Zapatista. He was illegally and arbitrarily detained by an armed civilian group and community authorities, as there was no arrest warrant and he was not committing any crime. Manuel was tortured and later criminally prosecuted under the intervention and complicity of the Indigenous (In)Justice Prosecutor’s Office who participated in the prolongation of his detention, forced disappearance and fabrication of evidence against him.
All this time Manuel has been held hostage by the state government of Chiapas, as part of the Wholesale War of Attrition maintained by the three levels of government against our Zapatista comrades. Nevertheless, we want to tell you that our walk with Manuel and his family is firm and we will not give up until we see him released. In the spirit of this, we invite you to join in the actions and denounce this atrocity. In addition, we remind you that Manuel is not the only Zapatista support base held hostage by the Mexican state, as our compañero José Díaz is also deprived of his freedom, unjustly accused of a crime he did not commit.
Immediate and unconditional freedom for Manuel Gómez Vázquez and José Díaz, compañero Zapatista support base !
Stop the War against the Zapatista communities!
Signed:
Networks, Organizations, collectives and individuals.
Red de Resistencias y Rebeldías Ajmaq
Mujeres y la Sexta – Abya Yala
Red Movimiento y Corazón Zapatista
RRR Bien Contreras – CDMX
Colectivo La voz del Anáhuac
Universidad popular para la vida
Radio Rebelde de las Trabajadoras y Trabajadores de la Sexta Zapatista
Colectivo de colores.
Raíces en Resistencia
Mexicali Resiste
Mujeres Tierra
Red Regional de Resistencias y Rebeldía Tijuana
La Resistencia, Los Ángeles, California.
Desarrollo Económico y Social de los Mexicanos Indígenas A.C.
Espacio de coordinación Grietas en el Muro
Grupo de Trabajo No Estamos Todxs
Sindicato Independiente de Trabajadoras y Trabajadores Académicos de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (SITTAUNAM).
La Chispa Prensa
Escuelas para Chiapas
Espacio de Lucha contra el olvido y la Represión
Antsetik Ts’unun
EL Puente
Coordinación Metropolitana, Anticapitalista y Antipatriarcal con el Concejo Indígena de Gobierno:
Café “Zapata Vive”
UPREZ Benito Juárez
Colectivo Aequus.- Promoción y defensa de Derechos Humanos
Coordinación de Familiares de Estudiantes Víctimas de la Violencia
Comunidad Indígena Otomí residentes en la CDMX
SUTIEMS (Sindicato de la Unión de Trabajadores del Instituto de Educación Media Superior de la Ciudad de México)
Laboratorio Popular de Medios Libres
Regeneración Radio
Noticias de Abajo
Colectivo La Ceiba
Brigada de Salud Zapatista Pantitlán
Escuelita Autónoma Otomí
Frente Xonacatlán en Resistencia
Mexicanos Unidos
Red de mujeres del oriente del Edo de Méx
Partido de los Comunistas
Red Morelense de Apoyo al CNI-CIG/Colectividad Nuestra Alegre Rebeldía
Red Universitaria Anticapitalista
Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de las Casas
Unitierra Puebla
Red de Resistencia y Rebeldía Tlalpan
RAIS/ Red de Apoyo Iztapalapa Sexta
El quelite en el asfalto
Tejiendo Organización Revolucionaria
La Oveja Roja
Sexta por la libre Yucatán
Vendaval, cooperativa panadera y algo más
Colectivo Tejiendo Luchas
CNI Milpa Alta
Guardia Comunal Tona
Escuela Comunal Casa del Arte Tlaixco
Congreso Nacional Indígena
La Resistencia-Red Binacional
Raúl Zibechi, periodista, Uruguay
Brenda Porras Rodríguez, Mtra. en Estudios Latinoamericanos docente en FA. UNAM
Fernando Alan López Bonifacio, sociólogo docente en FA UNAM
Juana Deni López Porras estudiante de primaria
Isaura Ollin López Porras, estudiante de primaria
Peter Rosset, Ecosur
Diana Itzu Luna
Monika Jarosz
Miriam Barranco Díaz
Diana Barranco Díaz
Sergio Pérez Mejía
Teresa Díaz Díaz
Julieta García López
Roxana Bolio
Roberto Rodríguez Contreras “Gato”
John Pablo Almaráz (cantautor) y 33.
Magdalena Gómez.
Carolina Concepción González González. Baja California Sur, Mexico. Profesora-Investigadora, UABCS.
Gilberto López y Rivas
Nodo de Derechos Humanos (NODHO)
Cátedra Jorge Alonso
Alicia Castellanos
Upadi / CNUC
Colectivo Hijos del Maíz Pinto
Grupo de apoyo Solidaridad con el pueblo mexicano-Málaga
Escuela de Salud Comunitaria “Alina Sánchez”
Pueblos Unidos de la Región Cholulteca y de los VolcanesNosotrxs lxs Indixs
Lengua de Gato Ediciones
René Olvera Salinas
Colectivo del periódico El Zenzontle
Pueblos en Camino, Colombia
Luisa Riley
Ana María Vera
Israel Mora
Colectivo contra la tortura y la impunidad
Doctors For Global Health-USA (DGH)
Colectivo Resistrenzas Puebla
Nodo solidale
Radio Zapote
Elena Morua, Jobel, Chiapas
Rosa Fernanda Serna
Arnulfo Oxlaj
Espacio de Mujeres Sexta Jovel
Comité de Mujeres en apoyo al Kurdistán Chiapas