Steve's PBI Mexico Update

Indigenous human rights defender Obtilia Manuel with PBI Volunteer

2005-05-23T13:39:00.000-05:00

PBI volunteer Hermine Diebolt from France with Obtilia Eugenio Manuel (director of the Organization of Indigenous MePhaa People) and her two daughters during an accompaniment and visit to the town centre of Ayutla.

Tlachinollan Legal Team in Ayutla

2005-05-23T13:36:00.000-05:00

Members of the Tlachinollan legal team, Rogelio Telez and Claudia Vizquez, in front of the Ayutla office. Claudia and Rogelio are instrumental in providing human rights and legal protection to the region's extensive MePhaa and Mixteco indigenous communities.

Steve's PBI Mexico Update #6- May 23, 2005

2005-05-23T13:17:00.000-05:00

Dear Family and Friends~

It is truly hard to believe that I find myself at the end of my term here with PBI Mexico after a year that has been and always will be memorable with some of the richest and most challenging experiences I have ever had the privilege of sharing in my five decades.

As far as work here in Mexico and the state of Guerrero, much has happened since my last update sent out in early January with the acceptance of two more accompaniments of human rights organizations who focus on working with and protecting the rights of indigenous communities in some of the country’s poorest regions here in Guerrero…

Organization of Indigenous People Me-Phaa New Accompaniment
Although we have been limited by our smaller team of five volunteers, we recently accepted petition for accompaniment from an organization called “Organization of Indigenous People Me-Phaa” or OPIM for short.
In February we were informed that OPIM’s founding director, Obtilia Eugenia Manuel, an indigenous woman of the Me-Phaa ancestry- had received anonymous death threats and was being regularly followed and harassed by unidentified individuales. Obtilia and OPIM provide human rights advocacy to indigenous victims of human rights abuses perpetrated by the military and local state and police authorities. The office and home of Otilia is located in the isolated southwest region of Guerrero known as the Costa Chica. Sadly, this region of Guerrero has a long history of poverty, marginalization, discrimination and human rights abuses suffered by the indigenous populations at the hands of police and the armed forces. Obtilia, along with her husband Cuauhtémoc Ramirez and her sister Andrea, are founding members of OPIM. They work long hours and their modest home serves as an impromptu office that attends to the needs of indigenous campesinos who often travel on foot for hours from the surrounding regional communities to seek their assistance and advice.
Along with OPIM we have also agreed to accompany the Human Rights Centre of the Mountain- also known as “Tlachinollan” where they have set up an office in Ayutla where Obtilia and the OPIM are based. Tlachinollan has worked with indigenous communities since 1994, giving legal assistance to indigenous persons with their human rights complaints, and providing human rights education workshops and advocacy training to these communities.
Tlachinollan’s work on behalf of the indigenous populations is crucial in order to support and promote the defense of indigenous human rights and to put a stop to the impunity that is exercised by the government and military authorities. Obviously, such work is not always viewed positively by authorities in the area. Beginning in 2001, as a result of threats received by its director, Abel Barrera Hernandez, our PBI Mexico team of volunteers began accompanying Tlachinollan. More recently, threats have been directed against the centre’s legal advocates, Claudia Vizquez and Rogelio Teliz who work in the centre’s Ayutla office, disturbing developments which led PBI to decide to accompany Claudia and Rogelio. For more information about Tlachinollan and the admirable work they do you can visit their website (Spanish): http://www.tlachinollan.org/tlachinollan.htm

A matter of growing concern since the 1990’s has been the increased military presence in the region. This growing military presence has brought with it a disquieting rise in complaints from the indigenous communities of abuse of authority, intimidation, extortion, kidnapping, torture, extrajudicial killings and sexual attacks. One disturbing example of military abuses and impunity occurred in 2002 when two indigenous Me’ Phaa women, 17 year old Valentina Rosendo Cantu and 27 year old Ines Fernandez Ortega, filed human rights complaints stating they were raped by soldiers of the Mexican military stationed in the area. The soldiers were reported to have entered the homes of the two women, verbally and with their weapons threatened the women, and, in the presence of their children, sexually violated them. During the last three years, the legal staff of Tlachinollan have represented and provided vital legal assistance to Valentina and Ines in their cases against the military. To date the alleged attackers of Valentina and Ines have not been brought to justice in spite of a recommendation by the Mexican National Human Rights Commission*.

Equally troubling, since 2002, Valentina and Ines have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation by unknown individuals. These threats and intimidation have extended to Obtilia Manuel, whom we now accompany from OPIM, because of her work in advocating and translating for Ines and Valentina. As I mentioned above, in December 2004 Obtilia received a written note threatening her with death if she did not stop assisting Valentina and Ines with their cases. In an effort to seek justice and place pressure on the Mexican authorities to fully and impartially investigate these complaints, Tlachinollan presented the cases of Ines and Valentina to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (ICHR) for a legal assessment and referral to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. A decision is still pending on their cases, In the meantime, the Inter American Commission of Human Rights has ordered the Mexican government to put into place a series of protective measures to ensure Obtilia’s safety and well-being. Unfortunately, these protective measures have not been implemented fully and Obtilia continues to be subjected to ongoing harassment and intimidation in the form of individuals and unmarked cars that follow here during her excursions outside of her home.

In the meantime, PBI accepted the petition to accompany Obtilia and her family in Ayutla and on excursions to indigenous communities in the countryside. Obtilia is an incredibly gentle and dedicated woman who has worked at great personal risk to advance the rights of indigenous persons in her community. Obtilia is also a proud mother of two young daughters aged 2 and 4, and is expecting a third child in October of this year. I marvel at her capacity to care for her family and her community- a dedication and passion that does not seem to have any boundaries. Each time we visit with Obtilia I am impressed and moved with the support she has of her extended family. On any given visit to their modest home there are sure to be sisters, brothers, parents or grandparents who are their to welcome us, offer us a place to sit, something to drink and are generous with their time. Often we will go for a stroll with Obtilia and her daughters into the town centre in an effort to maintain a high level of visibility with the townspeople and the local authorities. In small towns such as Ayutla, it does not take long before the entire town square and market are aware of the presence of the “gringos” who are sporting their PBI t-shirts. Furtive glances of curiosity and acknowledgement come from almost all of those we come into contact with. News of our presence travels fast and wide causing Otilia to become somewhat of a “celebrity” who has gained the attention of the international community. As part of the strategy to protect Obtilia during our accompaniments, PBI also meets with local authorities such as the mayor, the police chief and the representative of the attorney general’s office. By presenting ourselves to these authorities we hope to keep them apprised of our concern for Obtilia and to deter the authorities from harassing or intimidating her. The sad fact is that often these same authorities are the ones responsible or at least negligent for allowing human rights defenders to be threatened, harassed or attacked. In some small way meeting with authorities and making clear our concerns acts to deter or dissuade them from permitting human rights abuses or actions that would bring the attention of PBI and the international community. At this local level such dissuasion can make a difference between life and death…

End of Term with PBI
So now as I head into my last days with PBI, I am saying goodbye to many wonderful people I have met and worked with during the last 14 months. Mexicans who have shown me a level of dedication and commitment for making positive change, often at great personal risk, that is unparalleled. A dedication that, together with a human warmth and passion, has embraced me and made me feel welcome throughout my stay here. And then there were the 14 or so volunteers I have had the privilege of working and living with. Volunteers from a variety of countries (Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, Italy, United States) who each gave up a year of their lives to try to make a difference in their lives and those of others All of them are younger ( at least than me), smart, passionate, dedicated and hard-working. I have learned a lot from them. I have had the privilege of working, living and traveling in conditions that were barely tolerable at best and insufferable at worst. I will miss it all, the wild roller coaster ride of each day and week, the long hours traveling in hot and humid conditions in a cramped taxi truck or walking for hours on end, of having to share a house and office that offered little privacy or peace, of having to work long and tedious hours dictated not by the clock but by constantly changing work priorities, limited human resources, new human security needs, and always learning to improvise and reacting to emerging security risks not only to those we accompany but also to ourselves.

My year in Mexico with Peace Brigades International has challenged and pushed me in so many ways emotionally, psychologically, physically and intellectually. I cannot help but wonder what life will be like once I return home to the very safe and comfortable confines of Victoria. Having said all that, I very much look forward to sharing my experiences with any individuals or groups that may be interested in hosting me. Although I return to Victoria on the 9th of June, I anticipate that I will need a few weeks to re-adjust and reflect before getting my thoughts and experiences together in a coherent way. But if any of you are interested in such a presentation please feel free to let me know via email at: sbaileys@telus.net

With lots of appreciation and well-wishes,

Steve

*[1] Tlachinollan has asserted that the investigation carried out by the Military Public Ministry and the Attorney General of Guerrero was filled with irregularities and inconsistencies. In addition, Amnesty International in a recent report[2] recommended that the Mexican government address these two cases, as well as a number of others, by undertaking a number of meaningful reforms of the military justice system. To date these cases remain unresolved.

2005-01-31T00:54:00.000-06:00

Emiliana and Francisco Cerezo at the activist cafe they operate with other members of the Cerezo Committee. All funds raised at the cafe go towards the legal defense costs of their three imprisoned brothers.

2005-01-31T00:13:00.000-06:00

Participants dressed up as the Reyes Magos or the Three Kings during annual Christmas holiday parade celebration in Chilpancingo.

Steve's PBI Mexico Update #5 January 2005

2005-01-30T23:45:00.000-06:00

Dear friends and family~

Where does the time go?…another blink and another four months have passed by for me here in Mexico since my last update in September. Apologies at this point are fruitless…

As per usual, so much has transpired since my last email update. Before I continue, though, I do want to remind everyone that I have placed this update and fotos in a pretty nifty personal internet Blog site at: http://stevemexicoupdate.blogspot.com/ …so feel free to click and read on there…

PBI Mexico Project-Financial Survival Achieved!
In my previous and continuing chapters of this unexpected drama, most of you were aware that our PBI Mexico team had been facing a financial crisis brought on by an unexpected drop in international funding and overly optimistic fundraising forecasts. For the last six months the team, the project coordinators and our volunteer committee worked very hard to resole this crisis and ensure the project’s sustainability into 2005. I am very pleased to say that after a lot of belt tightening and restructuring the team has been able to pay off its debt and we now start 2005 off with a clean financial slate. A number of you made contributions to PBI when you learned of the financial crisis and the daunting implications for the Mexico Project. I would like to thank you all for your generosity, since every little bit has helped. The project is not out of the economic woods yet, but we are living within our means and with the support of the 17 PBI country groups we hope to be able to ensure mid and long term funding for the remainder of 2005 and beyond.

I am sorry for the pitch here, but if any of you have money left over from your holiday bonuses or those GST rebates, I would ask you to consider making a worthwhile donation to support the work of PBI in Mexico. I can assure you that every dollar counts and will go a long way to support the team and the needed work we do here. On average, the team requires approximately $4,000 per month to house, feed, pay travel expenses and support our five volunteers. Really not an extraordinary amount of money when you consider the positive impact and role PBI has here in Mexico. Contributions can be made via the PBI Canada at their website at:
http://www.web.ca/~pbican/

To ensure the money is directed to the Mexico Project, just earmark it on your cheque or indicate it on the credit card form on the website…sorry for the shameless commercial break…we now return to our regular programming…

Christmas Holidays Mexican Style
Mexicans have a capacity for celebration that is unmatched by anything I have ever seen in our part of the world. Here the tradition holiday season begins with the celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe on December 12 and continues for the next six weeks embracing Christmas, New Years and culminating with the Dia de Los Reyes Magos (Day of the Three Kings) on January 16. Fiestas, religious pilgrimages, celebrations in town squares, in homes, concerts, church services, fireworks and piñatas all provide an incessant and revolving swirl of activities that make one dizzy.

The traditional holiday celebration here in Mexico is the “Posada” where friends and family will go from house to house, open the doors of their homes and ply one and all with food and drink while breaking piñatas and spoiling the children with unending sweets and knick knack toys. Our neighbors here on Calle Lerdo celebrated the Posada in style. They closed off the entire street, rented a large sound system and invited all the households to place tables of food and drink for all to enjoy. We exhausted ourselves eating an endless supply of tamales, tacos, enchiladas, drinking atole (sweet corn-based drink), collectively broke at least 14 piñatas (Shrek, donkeys and stars shaped), set off fireworks and then danced into the wee hours of the morning fueled by tequila and beer. The celebration was generous and fun…

Our team of five spent most of the tradition holiday season here in Chilpancingo. The five of us from Canada, Spain, France, Germany and Italy shared holiday traditions as we decorated the house, bought a plastic Charlie Brown tree and took to the kitchen to create culinary delights from our countries of origin. For one reason or another I volunteered to make a traditional Canadian Christmas dinner with a 14 pound turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and broccoli. Don't ask what possessed me to take on such a task as I had never cooked such a beast with all the trimmings before...but with the frequent experience of many a Thanksgiving and Christmas watching, nibbling and carving in my parent’s kitchen, I figured I had absorbed enough turkey cooking lessons to give it a go...To my delight and culinary surprise, after about 12 hours in the kitchen, punctuated with a few gulps of Guerrero’s finest mezcal, and interrupted by a three hour break to visit a local church and take in the City Carnival, we returned to the house at around midnight to enjoy a multi-course Canadian style dinner that tasted like home all the way...my companeros began eating with curiosity that quickly gave way to gorging on what for many of them were new food stuffs. By daybreak the turkey was literally bones with a few scraps of meat clinging on...a good time was had by all and I can only hope they never ask me to try and top this minor culinary miracle!

Holiday celebration aside, my life here continues to be very busy with work as we plough into 2005. I can say that I am finding more time to relax as the rainy season has now passed giving way to picture perfect warm days that are kept pleasant with breezes that start in the late morning and continue throughout the day. With all this warm weather it is hard to believe we are at the end of November since I am used to grey, rainy and cold weather of BC. It has been so nice to skip winter this year!

Human Rights Activists Emiliana and Francisco Cerezo
Last week I traveled to Mexico City- about a three hour bus ride from Chilpancingo- where we accompanied sister and brother human rights activists Emiliana and Francisco Cerezo of the Cerezo Committee. The Cerezo Committee is one of six organizations we provide ongoing accompaniment to here in the country. The story of the Cerezo’s is a fascinating, but heartbreaking one. In August of 2001, the three younger brothers (Alejandro, Hector and Antonio) of Emiliana and Francisco were imprisoned after being accused of detonating explosives in front of several banks in the city. They were also accused of belonging to the Revolutionary People’s Army (ERP), a popular revolutionary organization that has a history of armed struggle in Mexico, particularly during the 1990’s. According to many Mexican human rights activists, the investigation and conviction of the three Cerezo brothers was fraught with irregularities, the use of torture and planted or falsified evidence. The brothers were arrested and immediately placed into a maximum security prison outside of Mexico City while their cases remain on appeal with the Mexican Supreme Court.

Over the last three years, Emiliana and Francisco have struggled to have their brothers exonerated. They have become strident activists not only on behalf of their brothers, but for all of Mexico’s political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. The use of torture and falsification of evidence is a well documented practice by both judicial and police authorities. Emiliana and Francisco’s activism on behalf of their brothers has often included sharp criticism of the Fox government and of federal authorities for the manner in which this matter has been handled. As a result, Emiliana and Francisco have been subjected to a variety threats and harassment including: ongoing surveillance by unidentified males, placement of a concealed video camera outside their home, anonymous email threats and anonymous death threats left on their phone machine. The intimidation and harassment has spilled over to include other members of the Cerezo Committee, including university student Pavel Gonzalez, who was found dead hanging from a local monument after he went missing for several days last spring. The official government investigation is still underway to determine whether Pavel’s death was murder or a sophisticated suicide. Human rights activists believe Pavel’s death was murder- as there were signs of torture on his body and he was missing for three days before his body was found. The fear among the human rights community is that Pavel’s death was intended to send a message to Emiliana, Francisco and other members of the Cerezo Committee as a way to blunt their criticism of the Fox government in their campaign to the have their brothers freed. PBI has no opinion or involvement on the legal issues pertaining to the death of Pavel or the imprisonment of the Cerezo brothers. Our role is to provide a physical presence that allows Francisco and Emiliana to carry out their lawful right to pursue their campaign to have their brothers freed without fear of threat or intimidation. In the meantime, we accompany Emiliana in her visits to the maximum security prison where she visits her brothers. We also accompany Francisco and Emiliana to public human rights events and meetings- providing an international presence and visibility that we hope will deter any future acts of aggression or harassment.

Elections in Guerrero and CommonBorders
Next Sunday February 6th, the people of Guerrero will go to the polls to elect their new governor. The same political party known as the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) has held power in this state for nearly 75 years. The perception internationally is that with the election of Vicente Fox in 2000, democracy has taken root and flourished in this country. Unfortunately, that is not the case in Guerrero. According to the human rights organizations we work with, politics in Guerrero has been and is still very much practiced using the coarse tools of intimidation, party bosses, state resources, bribery, corruption, and fraud to shape the election outcome. How else can one explain having the same party in power for more than seven decades? Not Santa Clause would get elected for 12 consecutive terms. This election campaign for governor has been an extremely close contest between the ruling PRI party and the left of centre Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD). With six days to go until the election, the PRD is holding a narrow 5% advantage in the polls. I will hold off on more electoral details until my next update, but suffice to say that there have been numerous accusations of fraud and bribery as well as violence against party supporters and campaign workers. As this last week progresses there are fears the climate here will become even more charged with a corresponding increase in violence. An election of this magnitude and import, with its potential for disputed results, can certainly benefit from the presence of international observers to be the eyes and ears of the world community. I am pleased to report that my home town of Victoria will be providing an international presence at these elections. The Victoria-based election observer organization, CommonBorders, will be sending a delegation to Guerrero on Monday January 31st. Three Victorians, Alvaro Moreno, Douglas Sandoval and Kathy McKay will be leading the delegation along with 10 other Victorians who will join them. Check out the CommonBorders website for more information about the delegation at: http://www.commonborders.org/

Cuba Libre!
Finally, I will be heading to Cuba on February 11th for two weeks to join up with my former conga teacher Nancy Issenman and a group of Victorians who are going to take percussion and dance workshops with Rumba-barra (you may remember them from previous summertime Latin-Fests at Market Square). It will be an amazing trip as I have long wanted to go to Cuba to enjoy all that country has to offer with music, beaches, rum and dance. Maybe even enjoy a cigar with Fidel…oh, right, he stopped smoking them about 20 years ago…well maybe a shot of rum then…

Well friends, that is more than enough information in this update to keep you apprised of my experiences here in Mexico. I hope you all continue to do well and please drop a line when you can as it is always, always nice to hear how each of you are doing!

Un abrazo fuerte,

Steve

2005-01-12T16:41:00.000-06:00

Arturo Bahena, lawyer for the Miguel Augustin Pro Juarez Human Rights Centre, in front of the state jail in Ometepec. A PBI volunteer, from France, is standing just to the left. We journeyed to Ometepec with the PRODH who were seeking the release of an indigenous leader from Xochistlahuaca after having been arrested a day earlier.

2005-01-12T16:33:00.000-06:00

Myself with two members of the Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon Human Rights Centre, Cassiana (on the left) and Victorino (on the right). Morelos y Pavon handles a number of cases related to indigenous rights in the area of Chilapa- one hour south-east of Chilpancingo.

2005-01-12T16:31:00.000-06:00

Members of the Sembrador de la Esperanza Human Rights Centre located in Acapulco, along two of the residents of La Colonia de la Autentica Obrera and three volunteers from PBI.

2005-01-07T01:18:00.000-06:00

Tita Radilla, Vice President of AFADEM (Families of the Disappeared) and Steven Baileys-PBI Volunteer- in front of Tita's home in Atoyac Guerrero.

2005-01-07T01:16:00.000-06:00

Indigenous community members from Xochistlahuaca protesting in front of the state jail in Ometepec seeking to have one of their community leaders freed.

Steve's PBI Mexico Update #4 September 2004

2005-01-06T23:24:00.000-06:00

Querido friends and family~

Hello to all of you once again from Chilpancingo, Guerrero. I know it has been awhile since my last update. Now just between you and me, my intent had been to send this fourth update out somewhat sooner given that my goal when I first undertook this adventure was to produce one update a month. This is the fourth update in my five months here. Not too bad nor too unpunctual for “Mister I’ll just be a little late.”

Before I launch into a review of what I have been up to these last 10 weeks, I do want thank all of you who have sent emails with news from home, keeping me up to date about your lives, our friends, your families, and about our fair city. It all helps me to feel connected even though we are truly worlds apart. I have also been amazed as some of you have actually been pestering me (in some cases demanding) as to when my next update would see the light of your monitor screen. Thanks, again, your thoughts, your news, and your timely reminders are all appreciated- muchas gracias. Much too much, of course, has happened since the last update at the end of June (as I will detail below).

In a rather large coconut shell, during the last 10 weeks we have managed to: close the PBI Mexico City office; reduce our team from 12 to 4 members; reconsolidate our work and strategy; and continue to work hard to be as effective as possible under some challenging circumstances.As for me, it is truly hard to believe that five months have now gone by since I unloaded myself off of that Air Canada flight to Mexico City last April. The pace of our work and the dearth of information keep me busy, challenged and never ever bored. Some days I am exhausted while other days exhilarated. A Mexican bus ride has not got this many twists and turns. And yet, through it all I remain in awe of the Mexicans human rights defenders we work with and accompany. They continue to do so much with so little. My coworkers are candidates for the Mother Theresa award (if such a thing exists). They each continue to astonish me with their resilience, hard work and dedication in the face of some truly not easy circumstances. I jokingly refer to them as the team of “caballos” (horses) and to myself as the humble “burro” (donkey) that trots along doing my best to keep pace with them. For some reason they laugh when I tell them that…but it is the truth. At their tender and relatively young ages of 27, 29 and 36 there is certainly something to be said for youthful exuberance! They keep me going. And they are definitely the reason this PBI Mexico team is able to accomplish so much with what has now become relatively little in terms of human resources.

With the season comes the rain, and with the rain comes the corn…
Here in Chilpancingo the first days of September have made their presence known. This month heralds the end of rainy season and the beginning of the dry season. There are only two seasons- dry and rainy…very rainy. The rainy season consists of those daily storms I spoke about in the last update. The rain’s impact on the earth here over the last few months has been truly dramatic. The rains have turned the moribund grays and browns of last May’s surrounding hills and valleys into deep lush greens as far as the eye can see. And with the rains have sprouted endless fields of corn, corn and more corn. The rich brown patches of earth that once cradled neatly tilled rows of newly planted maiz (corn) last May now have become forests of robust stalks topping off at 6 feet or higher (2 meters), each weighed down with heavily cocooned cobs of white corn that will soon be stripped of their kernels, milled into flour and squeezed and patted to form pancake size tortillas. Ubiquitous, flat and brown, the humble tortilla has been around for centuries long before Cortes and his Spanish cabal arrived on the shores of Mexico back in 1525. Corn was cultivated over the centuries by the Mayans and Aztecs and their ancestor civilizations. Corn and its tortilla by-product are sacrosanct here in Mexico- particularly to the indigenous people and campesinos who live in the countryside. The tortilla has been and continues to be such a vital part of the daily diet here in spite of efforts by NAFTA and North America agricultural companies to ensure the meal tables of Mexicans are graced with Wonder Bread. Even with the persistent invasion of good ol’ sliced white bread now appearing the ever multiplying Wal-Mart stores, Mexicans still manage to consume an average of 2, 200 tortillas per person each year (or about 7 a day). And so it is no surprise that here in Guerrero, street vendors are appearing on corners and in plazas offering the sacred golden cob roasted over an open charcoal fire and served up on a stick with toppings of butter, or a mayonnaise-like cream or chili or salt. It is a time of change, a time of harvest, a time of celebration. Mexicans tell me the rains will end very soon. Then the seven long, hot months of the dry season will commence. And so will begin another cycle of life here in the countryside…until the next season of rain comes in May and the earth will again be split open and the seeds will be planted promising a new harvest of corn and tortillas…

PBI and the Cycle of Change
Not unlike the season of the corn, life here with PBI has taken on its own cycle of growth and change. During the past four weeks we closed down the Mexico City office and reduced our team from 12 members to our current complement of four. We said goodbye to a number of dedicated and talented volunteers from Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland, Sweden and Italy. All these changes have been part of PBI’s effort to eliminate the project’s debt and allow PBI to continue its vital work here while seeking new sources of funding to ensure the longevity of the project. The whole process of “downsizing” has been emotionally tough and honestly heartbreaking. Particularly difficult was breaking the news to the Mexican human rights defenders we accompany. Private meetings were arranged with each one either in our PBI house or in their offices. We informed them of the financial challenges we faced, of the need to make some drastic budget-reducing changes and of our smaller team size. The most difficult part was telling them that as a result of the smaller team we would have to reduce the frequency with which we can accompany them. In some cases we would have to suspend accompaniments until the New Year. Human emotions are raw and open and honest here. Some cried openly. Others were quiet with disbelief and shook their heads. All told us they were fearful for themselves and others. They feared they would be more vulnerable to attack. They wondered what might happen if we were not able to respond as we had been able to in the past to emergency human rights violations. They let us know that our presence and our work are vital and indispensable since we are the only international human rights organization with a permanent presence in Guerrero. They also let us know of their fear that should the authorities and other human rights abusers learn of PBI’s diminished capacity this might serve to embolden them- leading to an increase in human rights abuses. We assured them we would work hard to maintain a strong public presence and image before the authorities. We assured them that PBI would work hard to maintain the essential elements of our work via meetings with authorities and the international diplomatic corps and we would continue with the strategic accompaniments and issue regular reports on the human rights environment to the Mexican authorities and the international community. We also assured them that PBI was working hard to pay off its debt by early 2005. With some hard work and a little luck we hoped to re-establish the size and scope of the PBI teams in Guerrero and Mexico City. Each meeting ended with an embrace and an offer to assist us with a letter of support for our donors. I have rarely felt so disappointed. How much impact our words of encouragement and our vision of an optimistic future had on them is uncertain…trust is not easy to build between people from different countries and cultures, especially in a part of world where trust is often abused and taken advantaged of…

Guerrero by Numbers
Some of you have me asked about statistics and demographics here in Guerrero. So here are some interesting numbers that will give you a better sense of what this region of Mexico is about:

104 million- size of the population of Mexico
3 million- size of the population of Guerrero
14 million- size of indigenous population in Mexico
1 million- size of the indigenous population of Guerrero
65- number of indigenous cultures and languages spoken in Mexico
68- the % of people in Guerrero who live in poverty or extreme poverty
58- the % of population in Guerrero who live in homes with dirt floors
50- the % of population in Guerrero who do not have access to running water
25- the % of homes in Guerrero without electricity
80- the % of people in Guerrero who do not have access to health care
150,000- estimated size of Mexican army
40,000- estimated number Mexican army soldiers based in Guerrero alone

In just the few numbers above, the casual observer can see Guerrero has a significant indigenous population, is extremely poor (third poorest state after Chiapas and Oaxaca which also have significant indigenous populations and are both neighboring states). Guerrero is also highly militarized. Put these elements together in a very mountainous and isolated region and one can begin to understand why Guerrero has some of the highest levels of human rights abuses and impunity in the country. These statistics became even more real to me during a recent accompaniment…

Accompaniment and Indigenous Human Rights Movement
Just a few weeks ago I travelled to a region in south-west Guerrero known as “La Montana”. This area is about a 5 hour bus ride from Chilpancingo through roads that wind through endless isolated mountain and valleys areas. If there is rain the roads are impassable. Almost 95% of the residents have no electricity (compared with 23% in the rest of the state), and the illiteracy rate is nearly 80%. Much of this is due to insufficient school building, lack of teachers, bad roads and lack of transport. The high levels of poverty obviously have a direct impact on education levels. Here many children stop going to school in order to help with the family business--usually agriculture. Not coincidentally, these regions have the highest indigenous populations in the state.On this particular evening we received a late night phone call from a local human rights centre asking us to provide an emergency accompaniment to the town of Ometepec in the La Montana region described above. Two human rights lawyers from the Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez Human Rights Centre (PRODH), Arturo and Gaudencio, requested our accompaniment during their journey to the jail in Omotepec where an indigenous leader from the indigenous community of Xochistlahuaca (Zo-chis-la-waca) had been detained by the state authorities. The PRODH lawyers feared the indigenous leader would be subject to torture and deprivation by the police in order to illicit a quick confession for a crime he did not commit. Time was of the essence. We were asked to leave early that morning at 3:30am. Normally, as part of our security policy, PBI does not travel after dark. Travel during night time on countryside roads often means being stopped at a roadblock by the military or paramilitary groups or, even worse, bandits. Personal security can be very tenuous to say the least. After debating the security ramifications versus the need for accompaniment, our team decided to take on the accompaniment. Two of us (myself and Elena from France)packed our bags and at 3:00am we headed on foot out onto the deserted streets of Chilpancingo to meet the human rights lawyers, Arturo and Gaudencio. We found a taxi parked on the street with its driver fast asleep. A few raps on the windshield glass and the driver was awake and willing to take us to our destination. We braced ourselves for the 5 hour ride to Ometepec. The lawyers informed us that the indigenous leader had been arrested and put in jail because he and others community leaders are viewed as a threat to the official government. In recent years, a number of indigenous communities have begun to establish autonomous governments based on their traditional practices. These “autoridades tradicionales” use community based traditions to make collective decisions regarding land use, education, justice, etc. After centuries of abuse and neglect by the official/mestizo form of government, these autonomous governments have been sprouting up to better meet the needs of their constituents. Such emerging traditional governments are a real threat to the official government and, to put it simply, this drives the state and municipal authorities crazy. It threatens their power, often achieved unfairly through fraudulent and corrupt elections. And so the tactic of putting traditional indigenous leaders in jail is a strategy used to intimidate and destroy such indigenous governments. On our way to Ometepec, Arturo and Gaudencio told us the community leader had been arrested as part of a state government strategy to make examples of such leaders in an attempt to stem the creation of "traditional" governments. This is an emerging human rights issue here in Guerrero as more and more indigenous communities, inspired by the Zapatista indigenous movement in Chiapas, seek to create governments that are autonomous and reflect the needs of the communities. State and municipal authorities have further responded by increasing their support of armed paramilitary groups and beefing up the police and military presence. Threats, intimidation, destruction of property, arbitrary arrest, disappearances or assassinations are the common tools used by government and the security forces to eliminate indigenous traditional governments.

At approximately 8:30am we arrived in Ometepec, weary after a bumpy and hair-raising taxi ride. We headed straight to the jail where the indigenous leader, Genaro Cruz Apostol, was incarcerated. Arturo had come prepared to negotiate with the state and municipal authorities to gain the release of the leader. Even at 9am the sun was already scorching at 25 degrees celsius. This was my first accompaniment under this type of emergency circumstance and we were told there was the potential for violence. Outside the jail, Arturo pressed up against the large iron bar gate of the main entryway in an attempt to speak to the guard and officials who stood inside on an elevated cement stairway perch. Arturo beseeched the guard and officials to let him in to see his client and to secure a meeting with the authorities. Unresponsive to Arturo’s request, the officials remained motionless and responded to Arturo in a barely audible voice. Whatever was said to Arturo we could not hear. We only saw that Arturo was unable to gain entry. We remained outside a few meters from Arturo and Gaudencio and were told to await the arrival of other leaders from the community of Xochistlahuaca.

A few minutes later, a small group of campesinos dressed in their traditional cotton white pants and shirts with sweat soaked sombreros in hand appeared. Accompanying them was the wife of Genaro Cruz.

As neutral observes we were unable to engage directly with the parties, so we stood off to one side as the lawyers from PRODH and their campesino leaders discussed strategy. We were told that no decision was to be made until later that morning. Everyone was told to be patient. Elena and I, left the jail area to find a strong cup of coffee and some breakfast. About an hour later we returned expecting little to have developed in our absence. To our amazement, nearly 100 members from Xochistlahuaca had gathered in front of the jail. Perhaps it was the growing size of the campesinos who had gathered in front of the jail or maybe it was because the authorities now knew that “foreigners” had come to witness the morning’s events… Whatever it was, the lawyers from the PRODH and a number of campesino leaders and the wife of Genaro Cruz were almost immediately allowed into the jail for an audience with the authorities. Once inside the negotiations continued for hours. Outside the jail the women, the men, the old and the young of Xochistlahuaca stood in silent vigil with banners in hand enduring the afternoon 35 degree sun. We took refuge in the nearby shade and observed. Up on the jail rooftop a number of guards took videos of those present- both local and foreign. The curious passerbys stopped, observed and then continued on. Two speeches were given in Spanish and the native language of the participants, Amuzgo- each demanding the release of Genaro Cruz and respect for indigenous rights. After approximately three hours, the protestors silently divided into two orderly groups. One group remained in front of the jail. The second group headed off on foot to stage a sit-in in front of the offices of the state attorney general. The lawyers, the leaders and Genaro Cruz´s wife remained inside the jail.

Then, with little fanfare, the group of negotiators emerged through the jail gate. Speaking with the press out front, we learned that the lawyers were unable to secure the release of Genaro Cruz. The official government said Genaro’s release would have to wait until the following week and only if the community was able to raise bail in the amount of $150,000 pesos (approximately $15,000 US dollars). The average Mexican earns about 8 pesos a day (one Canadian dollar). Bail was the equivalent of the sum of wages it would take 500 Mexican campesinos to earn while working a full year at minimum wage...

Unfortunately, Elena and I had to return to Chilpancingo that evening since we were overstretched as a team and unable to provide accompaniment for longer than 24 hours at a time. Upon departing from Ometepec, a number of community members of Xochistlahuaca and the PRODH lawyers thanked us for our presence. They told us how much it meant to them to have the moral support and physical presence of PBI. They were certain that because the state and municipal authorities had become aware of the “foreigner’s” presence, the community leaders and lawyers were able to gain an audience and negotiate with them. They had also been able to meet with jailed leader Genaro Cruz and ensure he was not being abused. To them this made a difference...

It was a raw, exciting, satisfying, long and meaningful day. We returned home 20 hours later tired, hungry, dirty and sleep deprived, but it did not matter.

Frida Makes a Comeback
A few week-ends ago I was in Mexico City to attend several meetings and a good-bye fiesta for our volunteers in the Mexico City office. I took advantage of my presence in Mexico City to visit the Frida Kahlo museum/house in the area known as Coyoacan. I had first visited Frida’s former home nearly 15 years ago and felt it was time to refresh my appreciation of her. Perhaps most of you are familiar with Frida. Maybe you have seen the movie “Frida” that was released last year with Selma Hayak. If not, make a night of it with a DVD and a bag of popcorn. You won’t be disappointed. Her paintings are amazing surreal depictions of her life- at times agonizing personal struggles both physically and emotionally. Physically because she suffered from polio as a child and later, as a teenage girl, survived a streetcar accident that resulted in a metal bar that pierced her body exiting out of her abdomen. She miraculously survived, but was left crippled and during the next 30 years faced dozens of back operations. Frida, during her tempestuous and short 47 years of life, endured an endless series of spinal operations that kept her encased in upper body casts for months at a time up until her death in 1954. She literally lived months without leaving her bed. Her only escape from the pain and the body cast was through painting, done with the aid of a special easel connected to upper canopy of her bed posts. In 1992 when I first visited Frida´s home I was virtually the only person in the house/museum. On this visit I had to wait in a 20 minute line-up before being able to enter. Hundreds of Mexicans and a handful of foreigners crammed the site to soak up and learn firsthand of Frida´s life while wandering the rooms and gardens of her home turned into a museum. The life and art of Frida is enjoying a renaissance with Mexicans. She is an immense source of growing national pride. I watched as mothers took their young daughters by the hand and explained to them the significance of Frida's paintings and the traditional dresses on display which Frida took to wearing to show her affinity with her country's indigenous peoples. Mainstream Mexico has now embraced Frida and her once scorned life-long struggle to be her "own" person within the constraints of Mexico´s patriarchal/machismo society. I left Frida's home with a deeper sense of appreciation of her life, her struggles and now, 50 years after her death, the impact she is having on contemporary Mexico.Well, this week Mexico is preparing for its independence day celebrations and it promises to be filled with lots of colour, celebration and cacophony (I had to get that word in while I could)…Mexicans love a good fiesta and I plan to join them with a drink or four of the local drink called mescal (kind of like tequila but even stronger!)…

I hope and know you are all doing well.

Enjoy the fall and embrace life…

Un abrazo fuerte,

Steve

Steve's PBI Mexico Update #2 May 2004

2005-01-06T22:35:00.000-06:00

Hello friends and family~

This week marks the sixth week since my arrival in Mexico on April 10th. Time and events here are becoming a blur as I willingly and graciously adjust to the Mexican concept of time and the mountain of information and training here with Peace Brigades International.

Everyone here at the PBI house tells me that the first few months are typically fast and furious. In time, however, homesickness and weariness will settle in and take their toll causing the passage of time to slow considerably. I am heeding their wise counsel and know that as the weeks pass I too will likely succumb to deep and lasting moments of homesickness and fatigue. In the meantime I want to enjoy the exhilaration of these novel, fresh and exciting times as I try to soak up all there is to learn, understand and contribute during my time here in Mexico with PBI.

In my last update I wrote within the first few days of my arrival in Mexico City where I began my initiation into PBI. After spending a very intense and exhausting two weeks undergoing orientation and training with the PBI Mexico City team I arrived in Chilpancingo, the capital city of Guerrero, on April 26th. I will now spend the next eleven months working with the PBI team here in Chilpancingo (or Chilpo as it is affectionately called by the PBI folks).

Chilpancingo and Guerrero-Geography and Stuff
For those whose Mexican geography may be a little rusty, Chilpancingo is located about four hours south of Mexico City and three hours east of Acapulco. The population is approximately 150,000 and the geographical size of the city is comparable to that of Victoria proper. Chilpo is a 100% Mexican city. I have not seen a tourist or foreigner so far in the four weeks I have been wandering around the city centre and the myriad of narrow streets that wind into the hills that surround us. Many parts of the city look like a Mexican movie of the 1940´s or 1950´s with indigenous women in the streets selling homemade tortillas and warm tamales along side endless rows of fresh fruit and vegetable stands, while kids play in the side streets and folks meander in the main square, in the city centre or the narrow cobblestone streets. Everyone here carefully takes their time to graciously say “Buenos dias” or “Que le vaya bien” with each passing encounter. At the risk of sounding romantic, Chilpancingo has a genuine and profound sense of charm and warmth that is authentic and undeniably Mexican. To be sure it is only the outer and pleasant face of Chilpancingo and the state of Guerrero. I am learning that a much different reality lies slightly below its charming and placid surface. Having said that though, I am truly pleased and content with having been placed here as opposed to working in Mexico City. What Chilpancingo lacks in big city amenities it makes up for in so many other ways…

Casa, Sweet, Casa
The house where we live, eat, sleep and work is quite comfortable and tony by Mexican standards. The house is located on a small hill (about a third of the city is built into the surrounding hills). It is three stories high with the living room, bathroom and kitchen on the main floor; two bedrooms, a huge bathroom and the office on the second floor; and on the third floor are two small bedrooms, a bathroom and a large patio/terrace that looks out over the city. On the third floor we have an open air terrace where we can take in views out over the city centre below and the brown-green hills that envelop Chilpancingo. Ivory white towers of the many churches and cathedrals reach to the sky above the squat brick, cement and adobe buildings that make up most of the city skyline. Behind our house our two very feisty and consistent roosters who love to let us know when it is 4:30 in the morning. The roosters compete with the sounds from the street which is literally 36 inches from our doorway with vehicle traffic jostling with vendors who shout out to the neighbourhood that they bring fresh fruit, water, tamales and bread for those in need…

Ear plugs have become very good bedtime friends… I am sharing a bedroom with a guy named Inigo who is from Spain. There is also a Swiss woman named Marina; a woman from France named Helena; a German woman named Julieta; a Swedish woman named Asa and the other new volunteer who started with me from Germany, Mona. They are individually and collectively a group of dedicated and knowledgeable folks who have created a family-like unit that works diligently and supports one another. I have not quite found my place within this new “family”, being that I am at least 15 years the senior of anyone else in the team. But they are each very accepting and understanding of my older generation ways. They manage to grin and smile when I play my Santana Greatest Hits album from the 70’s…

Work and First Accompaniments
With respect to the work, I still feel like the burro that is lagging behind the thorough-bred horses. There is much to learn and most of it will only come by doing. Here in Guerrero Peace Brigades International has been providing ongoing accompaniment to a number of human rights organizations and individuals in this contentious state. Last week and this week I had my first two human rights’ accompaniments. The first was with a delegation of neighbourhood activists from Acapulco. This group of activists, known as the Colonos, has been harassed over the years by the cacique (political boss) in their barrio/neighbourhood of Colonia Leonardo Rodriguez Alcalne. Last week the Colonos met with the state congressional human rights committee to present their case and ask the governor and congress to assist them in reclaiming their homes and the rights that have been denied them by the cacique. Politics being as they are here, the cacique is part of a very powerful political party that does not look kindly on those who challenge their views or actions as the Colonos have done. We accompanied the Colonos while they attended the congressional session in teams of two for three hours each until their meetings were completed. Their struggle continues and it is not known to what extent the state authorities will assist them.

My second accompaniment was with a woman named Enedina Cervantes Salgado. PBI has provided ongoing accompaniment to Enedina since January 2002 at the request of two local human rights organizations, Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon Human Rights Centre and the Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez Human Rights Centre. PBI’s accompaniment of Enedina was requested after her husband Faustino was arrested in the middle of the night on June 17, 2002 and he was forcibly taken away by police without a warrant or formal charge. Faustino has not been heard from since and has now become one of the many of the "disappeared" in Guerrero. Since Faustino’s disappearance Enedina has been raising their two young children, Julieta (12 years) and Ricardo (6 years) on her own, while valiantly pursuing a criminal case against the police and the authorities who ordered the arrest and disappearance of Faustino. This is a rare and dangerous case in the sense that few in Guerrero dare to question or oppose the police/state authorities. Unfortunately and sadly, impunity is deeply ingrained in the political culture here in Guerrero where over 96% of criminal cases go unsolved or unpunished. Enedina’s case is important and delicate as it could be the first time that security forces/authorities are held accountable and punished for their actions. A number of warrants have been issued for the arrest of up to 15 police officers allegedly involved in the abduction, but the order was overturned by the courts and now Enedina, with the full assistance of the two human rights centers, is awaiting a decision of her appeal of the court’s decision. One conviction of a police officer has resulted from her case, but it appears from all the evidence presented that the breadth and depth of involvement and responsibility went further than one police officer. Over the past 36 months, Enedina has been subjected to various forms of subtle and overt harassment by the unknown entities and individuals. Until the case is fully resolved or a decision is rendered PBI will continue to provide her with accompaniment. Enedina’s case has also been taken on by the Inter-American Human Rights Commission (CIDH) which has recommended that the judicial authorities of Guerrero and Mexico pursue this case with vigor and transparency.

As might be expected, the PBI team has developed a close and supportive relationship with Enedina and her family. I am learning that accompaniment also means providing ongoing emotional and psychological support to the individuals and groups we accompany as they continue in their struggle to challenge improper and unjust actions on the part of the state authorities and those to whom they provide impunity. Last week our PBI team journeyed to Tierra Colorado to celebrate Enedina’s 30th birthday. We spent a lazy and humid afternoon playing soccer, eating, talking and singing happy birthday to Enedina in the five different languages of the PBI team. We were joined by her family and friends. As the sun set, we left Enedina’s humble home in the town of Tierra Colorado to head back to Chilpancingo. The clouds began to roll in and a symphony of thunder, lightening and heavy rain greeted us as we entered the outskirts of Chilpancingo. It rained ferociously for about half an hour with thunder and lightning that would rival anything Hollywood could conjure up. Instant floods appeared in the city centre creating mini rushing rivers that spilled into unprotected lower level homes and stalled traffic. After about an hour, calm and relative peace returned to Chilpancingo as the storm moved on. We shook the dripping rain off our soaked bodies and headed home as the street life gradually returned to normal. The weather here is as dramatic and passionate as the people and the politics of this country...

My impression so far… I have been moved and humbled by the Enedinas, the Colonos and those who work in truly shoestring budget Mexican human rights organizations. To see the dedication and conviction with which these Mexicans struggle to move forward with their cases, to create a culture that rejects impunity and embraces human rights for all in spite of very real emotional, psychological, and physical peril is moving and humbling. These folks are true heroes who put themselves at great risk, when for most it would be easier to look the other way or simply to just give up…and most do…

Free Time in Chilpo
Well, enough of work…To be sure there has also been time for leisure and relaxation during my time here. I am jogging and managing to play a little basketball at nearby courts. I have also joined a gym that is two blocks away to try to keep this aging body from deteriorating to quickly. Being able to have time alone or finding physical outlets to let off the stress that comes from this work and living with six others is much needed. I also began guitar lessons at a music school just around the corner from where we live...the instructor is a longtime resident of Chilpancingo and has a trio that plays Mexican folksongs at local celebrations. With a little bit of luck and gumption I hope to learn to play “Cielito Lindo” by the time I return to Victoria…concert fundraiser anyone?...just kidding…

I do miss Victoria and imagine how nice it must be the city is in the middle of spring with those long days and mild tempuratures. I hope you are all doing well…enjoy and embrace!

Un abrazo,

Steve

p.s. If you would like more specific information about the PBI Mexico Project feel free to browse their website at: www.peacebrigades.org/mexico.html

Steve's PBI Mexico Update #3 June 29, 2004

2005-01-06T22:21:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends and Family~

It is Tuesday June 29th and late in the evening here in Chilpancingo, Mexico. I am still ruminating on the signifigance of yesterday’s elections in the land of the Maple Leaf.

Thank goodness for the internet and CBC radio. Last evening I spent the better part of five hours listening to Michael Enwright and the CBC National radio team dissect and mull over the unexpected election results. Not one to wax too much on politics, I can’t help but feel some degree of relief that the country did not swing to the right as predicted in many opinion polls. To see the NDP given a chance to place a gentle hand on the helm of Canada’s good ship Minority Government gives me reason (call me naive) to feel hopeful that our health care system, foreign policy, social welfare, child care and education policies will gently steer away from the neo-liberal course we have been tacking towards the last 15 years or so…Okay, my political pontification is done I will now climb down from my soap box…

My Typical Day
My life down here in Mexico continues to be a hectic blend of work, travel, new experiences, learning and trying to maintain some semblance of balance and sanity. The work itself of accompanying and getting to know the various Mexican human rights organizations and defenders as they struggle to create a more just society is the most satisfying part to be sure. The long and multiple meetings, the endless report writing and the mind-numbing reading can be tedious and draining. The days are long and filled with an continuous variety of unpredictable activities, tasks, meetings, visits, etc . Boredom is never part of our daily vocabulary.A typical day will have me get up at around 7:30am (still not my favourite time of day). With a morning run followed by a couple of cups of strong coffee I am usually ready to go. At around 9am, myself and another PBI colleague may travel for an hour by bus or taxi to an outlying town to meet and accompany a Mexican human rights worker to a meeting or an appointment in another part of the state of Guerrero. We will wait for a couple of hours while the accompanied human rights defender meets with state authorities about a particular human rights case. Then we accompany the human rights worker back to his or her home where we will say goodbye and return back to Chilpancingo. Once home, we will ascend to our second floor office to write a report on the accompaniment and any new developments. Later that afternoon or early evening there might be a meeting with another human rights group in Chilpancingo to get a briefing and update on recent incidents of human rights abuses in a certain region of the state. Again, we return home and write a report on the details of the meeting. Still later in the evening, the whole PBI team will meet to discuss and analyze recent incidents which might elevate or endanger the security of ourselves or those we accompany.

For example, last week the state judicial authorities, after a two year hunt, unexpectedly arrested Arturo Valle, one of the men accussed of orchestrating the “dissapearance” of Faustino Jimenez Alvarez (Enedina Salgada’s husband who I wrote about in my last update). The unexpected arrest of Mr. Valle increased our concern that this would lead to renewed threats or harassment against Enedina and her children, since she is the principal witness in the case against the accussed. We decided to increase our weekly accompaniments with Enedina as well as making daily phone contact with her to ensure that she and her children were safe. I am pleased to say that nothing has happened to date and with each passing day we believe there is less threat or danger to Enedina and her family… such is a typical day here in Guerrero…

Human Rights Accompaniments and Tita Radilla
The pace of human rights accompaniments continue with sometimes as many as three different ones each week. I am astonished as to how productive Mexican human rights defenders are with the limited resources they have. Their offices are often just small, claustrophobic windowless rooms in a local church or a sparse two room office in a low rent building. Some have no phones. Some have no computers. The desks and chairs are old and dilapidated. If they are lucky, a cantankerous electric fan will be a luxury to combat the stiffling heat, humidity and the many mosquistos. What dedicated people here do with so little in the way of resources is simply astounding. I will never again complain about my working conditions in Canada…I promise…

This week, as part of a accompaniment, I journeyed to a small coastal town called Atoyac (about 90 minutes north of Acapulco) with a colleague of mine, Maurizio or “Mau” as we call him. Mau is a wonderfuly wacky, energetic and brilliantly bright Italian guy who is a cross between Roberto Benini and Charlie Chaplin. In Atoyac we visited and accompanied a human rights defender named Tita Radilla, whose father was "dissappeared" in the 1970's as part of the governments campaign to do away with dissidents who were suspected of belonging to a campesino/guerrilla organization led by a campesino named Lucio Cabanas. Tita Radilla is the vicepresident of Association for Families of the Detained and Disappeared (AFADEM). She is an amazing and courageous woman of 62 years of age, who, although not formally educated, has pioneered the creation of a social and polical movement in Guerrero comprised of families who have lost family members to the "Dirty War". Not surprisingly, Tita’s efforts to identify and seek justice from those who were responsible for the death of her father and so many others is viewed as a major irritant to many retired (and some not retired) politicians, police and military authorities. Tita has been threatened and harassed on a number of occassions because of her work, most recently this past Christmas when she received a series of death threats which led to PBI volunteers spending four days accompying and sleeping in her home. In spite of this danger, Tita continues to carry forward her case and those of others. How many are dead and buried in the hills outside of Atoyac no one seems to know. An Argentinian team of exhumation experts will be journeying to Atoyac next fall to begin looking for the remains of Tita’s father and others who disappeared with him. Once in Atoyac we had the privelege of spending time with Tita in her paint peeled one room office and, later, in the home of one of her five children, surrounded by the joyful and loving company of seven of her grandchildren (see attached photo). I told Tita about my wonderful nieces and how they are the same age as many of her grandchildren. She smiled. One would never look at her and know that she has received a number of international recognitions for her work or that she would be the target of death threats and harassment...

Amensty International, the UN High Commissioner & Human Rights in Guerrero
This month Guerrero had the international spotlight of human rights shining brightly upon it with the visits of representatives from the United Nations and Amnesty International. Most of us in the international community, understandly, simply are not aware of the depth and degree of human rights abuses that are a reality in Mexico. The common misconception for many of us in North America is that with the implementation of free trade accords and the election of Vicente Fox as president in 2000, human rights abuses were no longer of concern, or at least were drastically on the decline. Unfortuately, nothing could be further from the truth. While there have been some positive advances in the human rights climate, much work remains to be done. The visits to Guerrero of Rupert Knox, the Mexican Investigation Officer of Amnesty International, and Anders Kompass, the representative for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, highlighted how much work still needs to be done here in Guerrero. Anders Kompass stated during his visit on June 8 that in Guerrero the human rights situation is “worrisome” as the level of human rights violations is alarming. Mr. Knox of AI, who met with our PBI team during his visit to Chilpancingo, reported that the human rights situation in the state was “depressing” given the degree of human rights violations and the absence of key laws that are needed to protect against such abuses.

For those with some extra free time and the energy, you can check this out for yourself on the Amnesty International website and see their human rights report on Mexico and Guerrero at: http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR410252004?open&of=ENG-MEX

If you will bear with me for just a few minutes, what I have come to learn in my eight weeks in Guerrero is that, in general terms, the principal human rights issues/abuses tend to fall into the following broad categories:

1. Forced Disappearances- dozens of persons have been dissappeared at the hands of police and military authorities. There is presently a very vigorous state and international campaign underway to pressure the state congress pass a law that makes it illegal for police and military authorities to "disappear" Guerrerenses. Anders Kompass- the human rights high commissioner of the United Nations and Rupert Knox- the Latin American officer for Amnesty International were just here in Guerrero in the last two weeks as part of an effort to support human rights organizations here and convince the state congress to pass this bill that will outlaw desapariciones forzadas.

2. Impunity for police and military authorities- Impunity (no punishment) for political and security authorities that committ human rights abuses has existed for generations here in Guerrero. In the countryside, in particular, the armed security forces (police and military) are able to act much like cowboys in the wild west. Guns and force are the law and those who question or oppose such tactics will quickly become victims themselves. Currently, a number of human rights organizations here in Guerrero are carrying forward a number of human rights cases that are calling for state police, judicial authorities and military officials to be arrested, tried and held accountable for a number of human rights abuses that range from exhortion, use of torture to gain confessions, disappearances, etc.

3. Systematic use of harassment, intimidation and violence by police and military as part of ongoing strategy to intimidate the indigenous population. This is an issue that resonates particularly hard in the countryside where the majority of residents are indigenous and statistically some of the most marginalized and poorest communities in all of Mexico. Often such tactics are used under the pretext of combating narco trafficking or armed campesino groups. The mountainous regions of Guerrero have a long history of armed resistance to the Mexican government and military authorities, the legacy of which saw hundreds of Guerrerenses disappeared and killed in the 1970s and 1980s during the so-called "Guerra Sucia" or "Dirty War."

There are many other types of human rights abuses to be sure, but these are the most compelling and critical. So, as you can imagine there is much work that needs to be done, especially in the area of impunity for security and military forces who to date have been virtually untouchable and are able to engage in a range of behaviours and activities that we in Canada take for granted as being contrary to the most basic human rights rights protection.

Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head
Alas here in my corner of Mexico, I am pleased to say that the weather has turned cold as the “rainy season” has set in over the last few weeks. Of course, "cold" is a relative term here as it probably dips to a low of 15 degrees celcius and then hits highs of 30 or so during the day. Two days ago we returned from an accompaniment in quite a storm, riding in one of the hundreds of collective taxis crammed with 6 people in a small Nissan Tsuru (which I understand means “Storm” in Japanese”. The drivers here do not beleive in using their brakes for the most part, and even less so on the curvaceous mountain roads that line this state. A taxi or bus ride in Guerrero is always an adventure and thrill that would rival any carnival ride. Once I climb inside the Tsuru tin can taxi, I kind of just give myself over to the Gods of the road and place myself at the mercy of the driver. This ride was especially thrilling because it was in a driving rain storm, at night, with dozens of slow tractor trailers that just had to be passed on every curve by our driver.

Somehow we made it back to Chilpancingo, although we almost got into three accidents on the way. We numbly stumbled out of our taxi in the town centre and with great relief we walked the rest of the way back to our house, not caring that we were getting soaked to the bone and just happy to be alive...such is life here in Mexico...

Finally, I am sad and concerned to report that there have been some unexpected and significant structural and financial changes with PBI that have weighed heavily on everyone here. PBI Mexico has accumulated a significant deficit as a result of vanished funding for the Mexico City and Chilpancingo teams for the balance of the year. As a result, the decision has now been made to close the Mexico City office and to reduce the team from the present 12 volunteers to just 5 by the end of July. The hope is that once the financial picture brightens up early next year, PBI Mexico can resume a similar level of presence and accompaniment activities. These sudden and drastic changes have all been completely unexpected for us here in Mexico and very hard on each of us as we struggle to decide whether and who will stay or leave. Decisions here are made by group consensus which means that we all have to agree on any changes. It is kind of like those television programs Big Brother or Survivor except this is real life, and I mean REAL LIFE. After a lot of discussions, meetings and weighing of options, it looks like I will one of the five “survivors” who remain with PBI. But it is a bitter sweet feeling as we prepare to say goodbye to a number of excellent volunteers from Spain, Germany, Italy and France- all who had planned on staying a full year. It is is very disappointing and sad and will continue to be so until the new structure emerges in August with one team of five here in Chilpo.

All this has added to the stress and anxiety of what is already a very demanding and exhausting work environment. But I am doing the best I can to take care of myself and to focus on the work and people (both Mexicans and internationals) with whom I work with. I continue to feel truly fortunate and priveleged to be given this opportunity that is really exceptional in so many ways. If we can make the smallest of differences and contributions then that is all I can ask for…such is life here in Mexico…

Well, to all of you in Canada, the United States, Australia and other points throughout the globe, I do hope this update finds you all doing well- loving your families, spending time with friends and saying hello to your neighbours and generally embracing this thing called life.

Hasta pronto y un abrazo fuerte,

Steve