Six members of the “Comité Cerezo”, human rights defenders: have received (...)

14 November 2011

UA: 334/11 Index: AMR 41/072/2011 Issue Date: 10 November 2011

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 22 DECEMBER 2011. Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.

Six members of Comité Cerezo, a human rights organization in Mexico City, Mexico, have received a threat by email.

On 9 November Comité Cerezo received a threatening email directed at six members of the family that founded the organization. An extract of the email reads: “Let’s make it clear that there will not be a day, month or year in which we will not be watching you, even talking to you, we have already done so with Francisco Cerezo Contreras the “smart one”, but he is not such thing, […] we hope you change Francisco, we will help you to change. What do you think? We know we will not have an answer, we know that your silence is your “intelligence”, but let’s be clear Francisco and friends, that silence also kills” (Que quede muy claro no habrá día, mes u año en que nosotros (no) estaremos al pendiente de todo, incluso de platicar con ustedes, que ya lo hemos hecho con Francisco cerezo el “inteligente”, que de eso nada tiene, […] Ojalá cambies francisco, nosotros te vamos a ayudar a cambiar. Como vez?. Sabemos que no tendremos respuesta, sabemos que su silencio es su “inteligencia”, pero sabes francisco y compañía, que también el silencio mata”).

The Comité Cerezo was founded by five siblings of the Cerezo family, after three brothers in the family were detained and accused of links to an armed opposition group in 2001. They were tortured and denied a fair judicial process, resulting in their prolonged detention and conviction of two of the brothers. After several years, they were finally released on appeal. In the last decade, the Comité Cerezo has expanded its membership and now works on a range of human rights issues. Members of the Comité Cerezo have received threats on several occasions and were granted precautionary measures by the Inter American Commission of Human Rights in 2006 which ordered that they receive protection. However, those responsible for the threats have never been held to account.

Please write immediately in Spanish or your own language:

Urging the authorities to take appropriate measures to guarantee the safety of the six, and other members of Comité Cerezo;
Calling for a full and prompt investigation into the threat, for results to be made public and for those responsible to be held to account;
Reminding the authorities of their duty to ensure that human rights defenders are free to carry out their legitimate activities without fear of reprisal.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 22 DECEMBER 2011 TO: Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.

Minister of the Interior
Lic. José Francisco Blake Mora
Secretario de Gobernación
Abraham González No.48
Col. Juárez, Del. Cuauhtémoc
México, D.F, C. P. 06600,
Mexico
Fax: +52 55 5093 3414
Email: secretario segob.gob.mx
Salutation: Dear Minister

Attorney General of Federal District
Miguel Ángel Mancera Espinosa
Procurador General de Justicia del Distrito Federal
Gabriel Hernández #56,
Col. Doctores, C.P. 06720
México D.F,
México
Fax: +52 55 5345 5558
Email: mmancerae pgjdf.gob.mx
Salutation: Dear Attorney General

And copies to:
Comité Cerezo
Email: comitecerezo nodo50.org

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country.
Ambassade des Etats-Unis du Mexique
Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 94
1050 Bruxelles
eMail: embamex embamex.eu
Fax 02.644.08.19

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Name: Francisco Cerezo Contreras, Alejandro Cerezo Contreras, Antonio Cerezo Contreras, Camilo Gabriel Cerezo Aguilar, Héctor Cerezo Contreras and Emiliana Cerezo Contreras.

Gender m/f: All male except Emiliana Cerezo Contreras who is female.

UA: 334/11 Index: AMR 41/072/2011 Issue Date: 10 November 2011