Amnesty International Demands Release of "Prisoners of Conscience" EFE
go to original April 1, 2012

MEXICO CITY – Amnesty International is demanding the immediate and unconditional release of two imprisoned Mexican indigenous rights defenders it says are “prisoners of conscience.”

Jose Ramon Aniceto Gomez and Pascual Agustin Cruz, “have been unjustly detained for the past two years” in the central state of Puebla, the Mexican chapter of the London-based human rights watchdog said in a statement.

Both men were arrested in January 2010 and sentenced to more than six years behind bars for vehicle theft after judicial proceedings that were “plagued by irregularities,” the group said.

The trial was conducted in Spanish and at no time did the Nahua Indians have access to an interpreter, which “severely” hindered their ability to mount a defense, Amnesty said.

The group said courts in Puebla “unquestionably accepted the irregular evidence” presented by prosecutors while simultaneous ignoring the evidence providing by the defense.

Since the beginning of the case, reliable reports suggest the vehicle was never stolen and in fact had been abandoned by the complainant and kept at a police station before it was returned to its owners, AI said.

However, “these facts were never investigated,” according to the rights group, which concluded after reviewing the case that the accusation “was fabricated in retaliation for their work to guarantee broad access to water for the Nahua indigenous community of Atla.”

Rupert Knox, AI’s investigator for Mexico, said the two activists are victims “of a judicial system that frequently is used to punish those who work to defend those who suffer human rights abuses,” adding that their case is not an isolated one.

He said AI in recent years has documented how Mexican prosecutors make groundless accusations against activists, who face unfair trials and baseless sentences due to their legitimate activities.

Amnesty said it hopes the Mexican Supreme Court quickly rules on an appeal filed by attorneys from the Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez Human Rights Center, adding that the case is an opportunity to bolster respect for due process and ensure fair trials for Indians facing criminal charges.

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