After the forced disappearance and murder of Higinio Trinidad de la Cruz, indigenous defender of the Sierra de Manantlán, on November 25, human rights and environmental organizations demanded an investigation free of impunity and the safety of the community of Ayotitlán, Jalisco, in the face of other possible threats and aggressions, as has happened in the past.
“At present, we still have no clear reports on the investigation process and the urgent measures to safeguard the life and integrity of the defenders of the territory and their families, who number in the dozens,” said Eduardo Mosqueda, lawyer and director of the Tsikini organization, during a press conference.
Higinio was dedicated to the defense of the Sierra de Manantlán against illegal logging and mining, as well as fair payment for iron extraction work carried out at the Peña Colorada mining company, owned by the companies Ternium and ArcelorMittal. Since 2021, it has been part of the Federal Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists.
According to the information presented so far, the last time he was seen was when he attended a meeting with Jesús Delgado, the municipal president of Cuautitlán de García Barragán, on November 24. After that, he was not seen leaving for the main income and his relatives reported him missing. His body was found the next day at the “Las Marías” ranch.
The municipality has denied being related to the disappearance and the homicide. According to reports, that day the mayor was in Guadalajara resolving some issues related to his position.
Gabriel Rocha, head of the Human Rights Defenders Program of the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Project (ProDESC), and Eduardo Mosqueda, lawyer and director of Tsikini. Photo: Patricia Ramírez.
For his part, Higinio had received constant threats. Last February, he reported that armed people entered his home and threatened him. The response from the Federal Protection Mechanism was to install cyclonic mesh and security cameras, which the defender reported for weeks that they were not working. Human rights organizations described measures to ensure their safety as ineffective.
The community of Ayotitlán has been constantly threatened for its territorial defense activities. In addition to what happened this year, in May 2022, Higinio and another defender were taken from their homes and threatened by armed groups. De la Cruz had even worked with Celedonio Monroy, the leader who disappeared in 2012.
“This is not the only case in which the municipal president and municipal police are systematically carrying out forced disappearances,” Mosqueda said during the press conference.
In July 2021, another community defender (whose name was reserved) was also summoned by the municipal presidency of Cuautitlán de García Barragán. He was held and questioned about his actions to defend against logging and mining in Sierra de Manantlán, which is a Protected Natural Area classified as a Biosphere Reserve.
Just three months earlier, defender Santos Isaac Chávez had been reported missing and found dead with signs of torture. His family also reported receiving threats.
Laura Furones, advisor to Global Witness, and Fernanda Venzon, lawyer at the Environmental Defender Law Center (EDLC), during the press conference. Photo: Patricia Ramírez.
Laura Furones, advisor to Global Witness, was also present at the press conference, who reported that Mexico is in fourth place in the world in terms of murdered defenders, below Colombia, Brazil and the Philippines.
“In 2022 alone, we had to document 31 murders in Mexico alone and in just one year. This is a chilling figure. What all this reveals is that the country is facing a very serious security crisis in which defenders are suffering more and more,” said Furones.
In her participation, Fernanda Venzon, a lawyer at the Environmental Defender Law Center (EDLC), shared the actions that are expected as an effective investigation; ensuring the safety of communities; suspending mining activities in Peña Colorada; as well as calling mining companies to account for the impact of their activities.
“That the Attorney General's Office and the Financial Intelligence Unit investigate and punish those responsible for all previous homicides, disappearances and illegal mining in the territory of the Ayotitlán community,” added ProDESC, who accompanies land defenders, in its statement backed by 60 organizations.
To conclude, the organizations present insisted on the importance of ensuring security measures for the community of Ayotitlán in Jalisco while investigations are being carried out.
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