URGENT ACTION ALERT

Mexican Labor Rights Activist Martin Barrios Receives Death Threats;
Demand Protection for Barrios and his Family and Co-workers

[Information provided by the Maquila Solidarity Network]

The warnings came on the same day that Zapatista leader subcomandante Marcos (now known as delegado Zero) delivered a speech at a rally in the nearby community of Altepexi, condemning the state governor and maquila owners for the arbitrary arrest and detention of Barrios, and for exploiting maquila workers. The warnings also came in the midst of a national scandal in which compelling evidence has been made public linking the Puebla state governor and a major blue jean manufacturer with a plot to arrest and rape another human rights advocate, Lydia Cacho.

Barrios had been detained for two weeks in a Puebla state prison on trumped up charges alleging he had attempted to blackmail a Tehuacan maquila owner, Lucio Gil Zarate. Read background information here. Barrios’ arrest and detention appears to be a crude attempt to obstruct the work of the Commission at a time when it is defending the rights of 163 maquila workers who were unjustly fired by Gil for taking part in a legal strike. The Commission has been demanding that the employer pay the workers their lawful severance pay.

According to the Commission, Barrios’ arbitrary arrest and detention were part of an ongoing campaign to discredit and criminalize its work and that of other human rights promoters in the state of Puebla. On January 2, a paid ad, signed by 30 maquila owners, appeared in a Tehuacan newspaper. The ad expressed the owners’ support for Barrios’ arrest and detention and accused the Commission of organizing protests and strikes that discourage foreign investment in order to blackmail the owners.

On January 12, Barrios was suddenly released from prison after being told by state authorities that Gil had agreed to “pardon” him. According to Barrios, his release was the result of the enormous local, national and international pressure that was brought to bear on the state authorities, not the good will of those authorities or his accuser.

At the time of Barrios’ release, members of the Commission warned that maquila owners in Tehuacan were angry about the state government’s decision to bow to public pressure and set Barrios free, and expressed their serious concerns for the safety of Barrios, his family and his co-workers.

In response to this dangerous situation, the Mexican Human Rights Centre “Miguel Augustín Pro Juárez” has submitted a request to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for protection for Barrios, members of his family, and members of the Commission. Amnesty International has also sent out an urgent alert, calling on the Puebla state governor to ensure Barrios’ safety.

REQUESTED ACTION:

Please send a letter today to Puebla State Governor, Mario Marín Torres, with copies to the Mexican Embassy in Washington and to the U.S. government, calling on the governor to take appropriate steps to ensure the following:

* Protection for Martín Barrios, members of his family, and other members of the Commission;
* An end to persecution of human rights promoters and to attempts by state authorities to criminalize their legitimate activities.
* Justice for the 163 illegally dismissed workers at the Calidad en Confecciones factory, and respect for workers’ rights in the state’s garment export factories.

SAMPLE LETTER

(Please write your own and send a copy to the Maquila Solidarity Network)

Mario Marín Torres, Gobernador del Estado de Puebla
14 Oriente, No. 1006, Colonia El Alto, Puebla
Puebla, México
Fax: 52-222-213-8805
E-Mail: gobernador@puebla.gob.mx

Estimado Gobernador Marín Torres:

I am writing to urge your government to take immediate action to ensure the safety of Martín Barrios, President of the Mexican Human and Labor Rights Commission of the Tehuacan Valley, as well as members of his family and other members of the Commission.

I have received disturbing reports indicating that Barrios life may be in danger. If these reports are correct and your government fails to take immediate action to provide protection for Barrios and his family and co-workers, your government will share responsibility for the consequences.

In order to provide assurances to international buyers and consumers that the State of Puebla respects the work of the Commission and other human rights organizations that defend the rights of garment workers, I would also urge you to ensure that there is no further persecution of members of the Commission or other human rights promoters or attempts by state authorities to criminalize their legitimate activities

Lastly, I would urge your government to take appropriate steps to ensure that the legal rights of garment workers in your state are respected, including the rights of the 163 unjustly fired workers at the Calidad en Confecciones factory in Tehuacan.

Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this critically important matter.

Cc:

(1) Ambassador Tony Garza, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. Fax: 011-52-55-5511-9980. email: embeuamx@state.gov.

(2) Ambassador de Icaza, Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Fax:202-728-1615. email: rrabiela@sre.gob.mx.

BACKGROUND:

On December 29, 2005, Martín Barrios Hernández, President of the Mexican Human and Labor Rights Commission of the Tehuacan Valley, was arrested outside his home by the intelligence division of the Puebla state police and transported from his home city of Tehuacan to the state capital of Puebla.

Barrios was arbitrarily detained for two weeks on false charges alleging he had attempted to blackmail maquila owner Lucio Gil Zarate in Tehuacan, a major blue jean manufacturing centre in Mexico’s state of Puebla.

The charge against Barrios had been filed on the same day as independent journalist and human rights promoter, Lydia Cacho, was arrested by Puebla state police in another state and transported back to Puebla to face defamation charges brought by another maquila owner, Kamel Nacif, concerning allegations that he was involved in a child prostitution ring. Cacho’s illegal out-of-state arrest was widely condemned by Mexican human rights organizations, including the Commission. Gil is a subcontractor for Nacif.

On January 12, Barrios was suddenly released from prison after being told by state government officials that Gil had agreed to “pardon” him.

In early November, Barrios and the Commission had assisted workers at Gil’s Calidad en Confecciones factory in filing a complaint before the Local Conciliation and Arbitration Board, charging the employer with worker rights violations. On November 10, Gil signed an agreement to resolve the outstanding issues, but, according to the Commission, has failed to comply with the agreement.

On November 22, Gil fired all 163 workers who had participated in a legal strike the previous day, closed the factory, and shifted production to another factory. The Commission is currently pursuing a second case against Gil for unlawful dismissal.

Two years ago, when the Commission was involved in a similar case, Barrios was attacked and beaten by unknown assailants in broad daylight, and those responsible for the crime have never been brought to justice.

The extent of the involvement of the Puebla state governor and maquila owners in attacks on human rights promoters in the state was recently revealed when the Mexican daily newspaper La Jornada published transcripts of taped phone conversations between the governor and Kamel Nacif in which they discussed plans to arrest Cacho and to have her raped in a Puebla state prison. The publication of the article has set off a storm of protests in Mexico and calls from civil society organizations and political partiers for the Puebla state governor to resign.