18 January, 2011The International Metalworkers' Federation joins with a network of solidarity organizations in calling on its affiliates to immediately write to the Mexican authorities demanding protection of the life and integrity of labour rights advocates under threat in Mexico.
MEXICO: The Executive Director and several members of the Center for Worker Support (CAT), an organization that has been assisting in the organizing of workers at Johnson Controls in Puebla, Mexico, received threats on their life and security on January 14, 2011, following a series of earlier threats.
The International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF) joins with a network of solidarity organizations in calling on its affiliates to immediately write to the Mexican authorities demanding protection of the life and integrity of these labour rights advocates.
On January 11, 2011 at 5 p.m., Blanca Velázquez, Executive Director of CAT, tried to log into the organization's e-mail account. However she could not log into CAT's institutional e-mail account or her personal e-mail account, both of which had been hacked.
On January 14, 2011, an e-mail went out from CAT's institutional e-mail account to the members of the team, including Blanca Velazquez, as well as to other people who had worked closely with CAT, which described an earlier violent attack on an activist in Mexico.
This threat follows a series of acts of repression made against people working for and with CAT. On April 2, 2010, two former workers from Johnson Controls Interiors (JCI), Enrique Morales, who also works for CAT, and Coral Juarez, were assualted.
On August 9, 2010, in the San Luis Teolocholco Tlaxcala community, Enrique Morales, Coral Juarez and Maria Luisa Rosina, members of CAT, were threatened while doing field work with workers of JCI. On this occasion, the men said; "they knew that they were with CAT and to tell Blanca (the director of CAT) that if she kept messing with CROM (the former protection union at JCI) there would be consequences."
On August 16, 2010, Candido Corona Barruecos and Virgilio Melendez Morales, both workers of JCI and working with CAT, were beaten and deprived of their liberty for more than seven hours during which they were physically assaulted by the members of the Confederation of Union Organizations (COS).
Finally, on December 20, 2010, CAT offices were robbed and its members were threatened via a message painted on the wall that said: "YOU DO NOT KNOW WHO YOU ARE MESSING WITH".
For further information see the urgent call for action from PRODESC and CAT published in English and Spanish on the IMF website here.
The IMF with ICEM, UNI and ITF are holding Global Days of Action demanding trade union rights in Mexico from February 14 to 19, 2011. For more details go to: www.imfmetal.org/mexico2011
Please send letters asking for:
- The necessary measures be adopted to ensure the life and integrity of labour right advocates Blanca Velazquez, Catalina Guzman, Victoria Hernandez, Cecilia Medina and Enrique Morales Montaño, and all members of CAT.
- That a thorough investigation of the events that transpired immediately take place and with the highest international standards in mind.
- That the implementation of the Declaration about human rights advocates be ensured, adopted by the General Assembly of the U.N., which establishes that every person has the right, individually and collectively to promote and procure protection and realization of human rights and fundamental liberties in national and international arenas. (art. 1) The U.N. has established that all persons have the right to have his/her honour respected and the recognition of his/her dignity, for which nobody will be the object of illegal attacks on his/her honour or reputation, every person has the right to protection under the law against such attacks. (art. 12)
Send to:
Presidente Constitucional de la República Mexicana
Lic. Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa.
Residencia Oficial de los Pinos, Casa Miguel Alemán, Col. San Miguel Chapultepec, C.P. 11850, México DF. Tel: +52 55 27891100; Fax: +52 55 50934900. E-mail: [email protected]
Secretario General de Gobernación.
Lic. José Francisco Blake Mora
Bucareli 99, 1er. piso, Col. Juárez, Delegación Cuauhtémoc, México D.F., C.P. 06600, México, FAX +52 (55) 5093 34 14. Email: [email protected]
Procurador General de la República
Arturo Chávez Chávez
Procuraduría General de la República, Paseo de la Reforma nº 211-213, Piso 16, Col. Cuauhtémoc, Del. Cuauhtémoc, México D.F., C.P. 06500, Fax: +52 55 53 46 09 08; + 52 55 27 89 11 13 (si responde una voz, digan: "tono de fax, por favor"), Correo Electrónico: [email protected] / [email protected]
Lic. Mario Marin
Gobernador del Estado de Puebla
Palacio de Gobierno, Av. Reforma 711 Altos Col. Centro Puebla 72009 Zamora 169 despacho 2B Colonia Condesa, C.P. 06140, México D.F. Tel/Fax. 5212 2229/5212 2230 http://www.prodesc.org.mx/ 3