To All Living
Things
Last Week's Column
"Three of the people who are still unaccounted for are children -- ages 10 years, 6 years and 4 months -- and one of the women in the group is expecting a child." |
Amnesty
Action:
Fear for
Safety in Mexico
Kathy Gay
his week’s action from
Amnesty International
concerns the disappearance last month of nine members of
the indigenous community of Santa Maria Tequepexpan,
Jalisco State in Mexico. Three of the people who are
still unaccounted for are children -- ages 10 years, 6
years and 4 months -- and one of the women in the group
is expecting a child.
These nine people were
among more than 1,000 members
of the community who were
violently evicted from 200 hectares of land that they had
reclaimed. According to reports, about 4,000 police
agents forcibly ejected the people at 2:00 in the morning
in an operation that left more than 40 people –
including children – injured.
Amnesty International is deeply concerned for the safety of these nine individuals who remain unaccounted for more than a month after the attack on their community in the middle of the night.
Background Information
The community of Santa
Maria Tequepexpan 
has been targeted in the past by
members of the security forces. In November 1996 members
of the police carried out an attack on an area of
communal land and a local peasant leader was arbitrarily
detained the following day.
Land dispute is a common source of conflict in Mexico and frequently involves cases in which members of the security forces operate on behalf of large landowners.
How you can help
Please send a letter to
the Governor of the State of Jalisco as soon as possible,
but no later than September 30, 1997. 
You
may use the sample letter linked below or use it as a
model to write your own letter. If you choose to use the
sample letter, please cut off or delete all website
information at the very top of the letter. If you prefer
to write your own letter, please keep in mind that its
intent is to improve the human rights situation in
Mexico. Make sure the letter is politely worded,
non-partisan (i.e., not used as a vehicle for political
expression) and written with respect for the recipient.
Be sure to include both your name and address, as well as
the date, on your letter.
U.S. airmail postage to Mexico is 40 cents.
Questions?
If you have any questions, just post a message to me (Kathy Gay) on the Activism Board, and I will respond as soon as I can. I greatly appreciate your interest and support.
To see the sample letter for this action, please click here.
__________________________________________________
Kathy Gay is a vegan, and has been a member of Amnesty International for nearly 10 years, where she has worked on numerous campaigns. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a business analyst for a leading California bank.
Kathy's column, To All Living Things, is a regular feature of VegSource On-Line Magazine.