Detained in Oaxaca: Human Rights Violations

Please send press enquiries to Jen Lawhorne at the following email:

j_law@riseup.net


Press Release

Oaxaca January 30, 2010


On Thursday January 28, at around 9 p.m. Andrea Caraballo, Guadalupe

Rodriguez Lopez, James Wells and Jennifer Lawhorne were eating ice cream

in the zocalo of Oaxaca. At that time, one of us recognized the face of

the governor of Oaxaca who was about nine feet away from us. As a friend

of Brad Will, a U.S. journalist who was killed in Oaxaca in 2006, one of

us took advantage of the governor's presence to ask him about the case of

Mr. Will, which to this day remains unresolved. We didn't receive a

response from the governor who continued walking and we continued

strolling in the zocalo with our ice creams. Five minutes later, between

six and eight police agents, some in official uniform and others dressed

in plainclothes, surrounded us, demanding to see our identifications and

made us walk with them to a municipal police truck. While the police

forced us to get into the back of the truck, we asked them why they were

taking us away and to where they were going to take us. The police refused

to give us any information. We were actually very afraid and worried for

our safety.



After traveling for half an hour, we arrived at the police headquarters of

Santa Maria Coyotepec, located outside of the Oaxaca city limits.. Once we

entered, the police took photographs of us and asked us questions. We

demanded the presence of an attorney, which was denied by the police

officials. We spent an hour there surrounded by police, faces covered with

ski masks, who humiliated and threatened us. Later, the police put us once

again in the police truck and without telling us to where we were going,

we left the headquarters. The truck stopped about half a block away from

the state General Procuradaria of Justice (PGJO in its letters in

Spanish), the police ordered us to leave our belongings in the darkness of

the street and when we refused to do that, they insisted by threatening us

for half an hour while recording us with video. After entering the offices

of the PGJO, the police ordered us to leave our belongings with them and

that we make a declaration one by one without the presence of an attorney.

We remained firm that we weren't going to do anything until our attorney

arrived.



After waiting for more than an hour, we were taken to a room where we

supposedly were going to make a call to our lawyer. While in the room, a

police officer read to us a document explaining our charges and to our

surprise we were accused of scuffling and causing harm to two police

agents. In that document, our arrest was ordered and without making the

call to our lawyer, we were pushed and dragged out of the room, while

twisting the wrist of one of us. That's how we were taken to the jail

cells at 12:30 in the morning. At 1:30, we were allowed to see a lawyer,

Jesus Alfredo Lopez Garcia, who we agreed to be our legal representative.

From then on we knew that were going to spend the night in jail.

Throughout the night, the police continued to intimidate us, asking us why

we were there. We continued to state that we didn't do anything to cause

our incarceration because we never committed any crime. Confused, we did

our best to sleep on the cold jail floor.



The next day, Friday January 29, we learned that the gravity of charges

that had been filed against us had increased. One of us was taken to make

a statement when she learned that we were being accused of assaulting two

police officers and damaging a police radio valued at about $3000 (USD).

We continued to demand our right to not make a statement. At around 4

p.m., our attorney informed us that for a lack of evidence, we were going

to be set free without charges and without having to pay bail, under the

provision of passing through a review with officials from National

Immigration Institute. Upon arrival at the federal immigration offices

located in the center of the city, we presented our passports and visas

and shortly we were allowed to walk free.



After learning about the situation, the U.S. consul, Mark Leyes, invited

us to visit him at his office the same evening and told us that he was

sorry for what had happened to us. We would like to thank the attorney

Jesus Alfredo Lopez Garcia from the Mexican Protectorate for Human Rights,

our friends and family members for all of their support and care.



Sincerely,

Andrea Caraballo, Guadalupe Rodriguez Lopez Jennifer Lawhorne and Jimmy Wells









Oaxaca, Sábado 30 de enero de 2010



Comunicado de prensa



El día jueves 28 de enero como alrededor de las 9:00 de la noche, Andrea

Caraballo, Guadalupe Rodriguez Lopez, James Wells y Jennifer Lawhorne, nos

encontrábamos en el zócalo de Oaxaca comiendo un helado. En ese momento,

uno de nosotros reconoció al gobernador que estaba a menos de 3 metros de

nosotros. Siendo un amigo de Brad Will un periodista estadounidense

asesinado en el 2006, uno de nosotros aprovechó del momento en que el

gobernador estaba cerca para preguntarle sobre el caso de Brad Will que

hasta la fecha no ha tenido solución. No recibimos una respuesta el

gobernador siguió su camino y seguimos de paseo con nuestros helados en el

zócalo. Cinco minutos después, entre seis y ocho policías, algunos

oficiales vestidos de civil y otros uniformados, nos rodearon y nos

solicitaron nuestras identificaciones y nos hicieron acompañarles a una

patrulla camioneta de la policía municipal. Nos forzaron a subir en la

patrulla, preguntábamos porque y adonde nos estaban llevando. Se negaron

en todo momento a informados porque nos detenían y adonde nos llevaban.

Realmente estábamos muy asustados y preocupados por nuestra seguridad.



Luego de viajar durante media hora llegamos al cuartel de policía en Santa

María Coyotepec a las afueras de Oaxaca. Entramos, nos tomaron fotografías

y nos hicieron preguntas. Exigimos la presencia de un abogado a lo cual

nos fue negado. Pasamos una hora ahí rodeados por policías encapuchados

que nos humillaron y amenazaron. Luego nos subieron otra vez a la

patrulla y sin decirnos adonde íbamos, salimos del cuartel. Pararon a una

media cuadra de la Procuraduría General de Justicia estatal, nos ordenaban

dejar nuestras pertenencias en la oscuridad de la calle y cuando negamos

hacer eso, nos insistían mientras que nos grabaron con una pequeña cámara

de video. Nos llevaron adentro de las oficinas de la PGJ ordenando que

dejáramos nuestras pertenencias con ellos y que declaráramos uno a uno aun

sin la presencia de nuestro abogado. Nosotros seguimos firmes en que no

haríamos nada hasta que nuestro abogado llegara. Luego de esperar mas de

una hora nos condujeron a una habitación donde supuestamente nos iban a

permitir hablar con nuestro abogado, en ese mostraron nos leyeron donde

decía nuestros cargos y para nuestro asombro estábamos acusados de golpes

y daños a dos agentes de la policía. En ese documento se ordenaba nuestro

arresto y sin hacer la llamada a nuestro abogado nos empujaron y

arrastraron torciendo la muñeca de una de las mujeres. Así fuimos llevados

a las celdas, siendo en ese momento las 12:30 de la noche.



Recién siendo la 1:30 am pudimos ver al abogado Jesús Alfredo López García

a quien reconocimos como nuestro defensor. A partir de ese momento supimos

que ahí pasaríamos la noche. Todo el tiempo nos seguían intimidando y

preguntando que habíamos echo para estar ahí, nosotros continuábamos

diciendo que no hicimos nada para estar presos porque no cometimos ningún

delito. Confundidos intentamos dormir en el frío suelo de la celda.

Al día siguiente, viernes 29 de enero, el expediente había crecido y los

supuestos hechos habían incrementado, a una de nosotras la llevaron a

declarar y conoció que los acusaban de agredir a 2 policías y dañar un

equipo de radio de valor $35000.



Nosotros nos reservamos el derecho a no declarar. Alrededor de las 4 de la

tarde nuestro abogado nos informo que por desvanecimiento de pruebas nos

dejarían libres, sin pagar fianzas y sin cargos pero pasaríamos a

disposición de las autoridades de migración. Al llegar a las oficinas de

migración ubicadas en el centro de la capital, mostramos nuestros

pasaportes y visado por lo cual sin contratiempos quedamos en libertad.

El cónsul de los Estados Unidos, Mark Leyes al enterarse de lo sucedido

nos invitó a visitarlo a su oficina el mismo día y nos manifestó que

lamenta que nos hallan sucedido este tipo de cosas.

Queremos agradecer al abogado Jesús Alfredo López García, Presidente del

Protectorado Mexicano para los Derechos Humanos, a nuestros amigos y

familiares por todo su apoyo y cariño manifestado.



Andrea Caraballo, Guadalupe Rodríguez López Jennifer Lawhorne y Jimmy Wells.