La Jornada
November 5, 2001
By Victor Ballinas

Members of the Organization of Ecologists of the Sierra of Petatlan and Coyuca of Catalan, Guerrero will go today to "Los Pinos" [the Mexican equivalent of the White House] hoping to be able to talk with President Fox, to "demand justice for the assassination of Digna Ochoa; and an end to the persecution, incarceration and assignation of the campesinos that defend the forests." They will also ask for "economic support for the region, because the municipal government does not attend to the needs of the communities."

The secretary general of the organization, Felipe Arriaga, said: "We left our communities to present our problems to President Fox, to the chief of the Government of the Federal District, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and to the social organizations that want to hear and support us. We came to denounce the fact that the army harasses us for defending the forests. The "political bosses" (caciques) fabricate charges against us, and the government supports them. The army protects the caciques."

Roberto Cabrera Torres, another member of the organization, added, "We came to demand justice for Digna Ochoa. This week we will present a video from her visit to the Sierra of Petatlan from the 1st to the 3rd of October. During the visit, when the soldiers saw the lawyer and Harold Ihmig -- delegate from the First Information Action Network (FIAN) -- they started to ask the questions of the community members."

"The soldiers asked the children who the visitors were. And when [Digna Ochoa] realized that the soldiers were interrogating the local population, and that this scared the community members, she started to film the soldiers. When the soldiers saw that she was filming, they disappeared. They left, but we could identify them as the 19th Battalion."

Because of this, we ask President Fox for justice for Digna Ochoa, that for once and for all he put an end to the repression in the Sierra, that the soldiers stop following us, that the army not protect the caciques, and that [the government] support us with economic resources, because the municipal government does not attend to our communities" stated Cabrera Torres.

Both members pointed out that in their communities there aren't any programs that attend to the misery in which they live: "We don't receive "Progesa" [a social assistance program] or any social program. There aren't any schoolteachers for the children, and the state government doesn't do anything about it. Nor do we have decent roads, or even any clinics. We don't even have medical supply kits. When there are fires, while we go to look for help, the fire destroys everything."

Yesterday the ecologists announced that they would go to "Los Pinos" in hopes of a meeting with the chief of the Executive office. Tuesday they spoke with the Chief of the Government of the Federal District [the mayor], Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and with the Attorney General of Justice of the Federal District, Bernardo Batiz, "and with all the social organizations that want to support us."

They also stated that there have been "unjust arrest warrents against [OCESP member] Jesus Bautista Fuerte, Servando Bautista Fuerte, Rodolfo Cabrera Gonzalez, Eutiquio Cabrera Gonzalez, Palemon Cabrera Gonzalez, Rogelio Carillo Mendoza and Roberto Cabrera Torres."

The added: "We also have three members who have been unjustly jailed. They are Pilar Martinez Perez, Francisco Bautista Valle, and Gerardo Cabrera Gonzales."

Finally they stated that four of their members have died for the cause. They mentioned Jesus and Sergio Cabrera Gonzalez.