1. The report

In the latter part of July, 1998, a group of individuals met to put together a report that would bring to light the series of threats, hostilities, and attacks against civil organizations in the state of Chiapas that have been taking place since January 1994. The following researchers participated in the preparation of this report: Angelica Inda, Andrés Aubry, Gustavo Castro, and Ines Castro; the organizations that kindly provided us with information for the report were: the Historic Archives of the Diocese; the Neighborhood Movement of San Cristobal (BACOSAN); the Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations for Peace (CONPAZ) through their former director, Gerardo Gonzalez; the Women's Center for Research and Action (CIAM); Citizens of San Cristóbal for Peace (CIUSPAZ); the Women's Group of San Cristóbal (COLEM); Enlace Civil; and K'inal Antzetik.

This report was presented to the General Secretary of the United Nations while he was in Mexico, and in the Geneva session in the month of July. It was presented by a representative of Enlace Civil; it was also presented to the national and international press in a press conference attended by 8 television stations and newspapers. With certain exceptions, they did not provide the coverage that the report deserved. The press conference, held in the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas, was organized by almost all of the organizations and individuals previously mentioned, included the participation of the newspaper "Tiempo," and was facilitated by the following women's organizations: K'inal Antzetik, CIAM, and COLEM. We also announced that the report would be read and discussed on Radio UNAM and probably in a meeting to be held with the Commission on Peace and Development in Canada.

It is important to clarify that this report is of a preliminary nature, that is to say, it only begins to tell the story of the human rights violations that have taken place in Chiapas since the beginning of the conflict. One of the tasks that lies ahead is to document these attacks as widely as possible and demonstrate that every action taken against civil organizations and specific individuals within them, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is not an isolated event but rather constitutes part of a well designed strategy of warfare.

The following document allows us to see that a good deal of this psychological warfare is being waged in the urban zone and is directed against civil organizations. Finally, it is important to note that women within these organizations have been the primary target of this dirty war designed to undermine the hearts and minds of those of us carrying out honest work in support of indigenous peoples.

2. Psychological warfare in an urban context

The phrase "psychological warfare in the urban context," was introduced by the researcher Andrés Aubry, who characterizes it as a "new phase" of the low-intensity warfare that has been implemented in Chiapas since 1994. What is unique about this phase is that, while the repression of opposition political parties and peasant and indigenous organizations continues and, in fact, worsens, there is a parallel increase of repression against new civilian targets: foreigners; researchers and academics; Mexican human rights activists; independent women's organizations and movements; as well as journalists and the Diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas.

According to the same analysis, the massacre at Acteal, municipality of Chenalhó, on December 22, 1997, represented a political watershed. After this watershed we saw continuous presidential visits to the state of Chiapas, including once while the General Secretary of the United Nations was visiting Mexico; a new Secretary of State, Francisco Labastida Ochoa; a new coordinator of the negotiations with the EZLN (the word "negotiations" is now something of a euphemism), Emilio Rabasa; and a new governor of Chiapas, Roberto Albores Guillen. Meanwhile, there has also been a dramatic rise in the numbers of displaced persons, political prisoners and people thrown off their land; the growth of paramilitary groups; and increased military presence. Finally, the Mexican army and security forces have violently dismantled four autonomous Zapatista municipalities: Ricardo Flores Magón, Tierra y Libertad, Nicolas Ruiz, and San Juan de la Libertad.

3. Keys elements of psychological warfare

In previous bulletins, we have included some explanation of low intensity warfare in Chiapas. This explanation has always been of a preliminary nature and is still being discussed, because the literature with regards to low intensity warfare is practically nonexistent. What we have said is that the most important components of low intensity warfare include: a) strengthening the technical and material as well as the symbolic aspects of the Mexican army; b) attempting to legitimize the government, especially in Chiapas, where only 3 of the last 12 governors have been elected by the people; c) "taking the water away from the fish," in other words, trying to prevent more people from joining the Zapatista movement, undermining the morale of those already participating, and isolating Zapatista sympathizers; and d) minimizing international solidarity with the Zapatista movement.

Within the strategy of "taking the water from the fish," there are more specific strategies of coercion and cooptation. Coercion strategies include the formation of paramilitary groups, the forced displacement of indigenous populations, mass as well as selective assassinations, systems for gathering intelligence, psychological warfare, and the destruction of social activities (and, by extension, cultural activities). The cooptation strategies include the implementation of development projects and the spreading of rumors and gossip, especially in indigenous communities.

We see, then, that psychological warfare is waged in rural indigenous communities as well as in the urban zone. There are obvious differences, for example due to different levels of technology and development in general. In an attempt to classify all the attacks that take place within the urban zone, we have divided them into three categories: direct threats, direct and indirect hostilities, and concrete attempts made against a person's physical or psychological integrity.

Although elements of this categorization are debatable (for example, we consider sexual harassment directed against indigenous and mestiza women in the street to constitute a threat or a concrete attempt against physical/psychological integrity), we have tried to distinguish between receiving a threat, for example a death threat, in the strictest sense, and an action that can actually result in someone's death (which is what we are calling a concrete attempt against physical/psychological integrity). Likewise, we distinguish the fact that experiencing hostile acts in public, in the office, or at home does not always constitute a direct threat or an attempt against physical/psychological integrity.

We would like to point out that these keys elements of psychological warfare are not mentioned in the report; we present them here for those people who already have the report or will have it in the future.

In Psychological Warfare in an Urban Context, we explore three types of attacks:

Direct threats: death threats-received by telephone and by mail; threats of rape-by telephone, verbally (in public), and by mail (sometimes accompanied by photos of nude women); threats of being thrown out the state or the country (by mail); of being sent to jail (by mail); wreaths of white flowers appearing at the offices of civil organizations and the homes of people working at these organizations; arson attempts at offices and homes; women's underwear being taken out clausets, ripped, and left lying around; being followed on foot or in a car by strangers; threats made with weapons in public; graffiti with obscene and/or political messages..Direct and indirect hostilities: written messages designed to induce internal conflict in civil organizations; vigilance: most of the time in a manner so obvious as to make that person feel threatened precisely because they are being watched; tapping of telephones to extract personal information about individuals working at civil organizations as well as about the organizations themselves and their work; excrement and blood smeared on homes and private property; breeding rats in homes; "mute" prank telephone calls or playing the music "El Golpe" (The Attack) or with heavy breathing..Concrete attempts against physical/psychological integrity: theft (objects stolen from inside of cars, computers, documents, and various other belongings); break-ins at houses and offices, with or without robbery; physical attacks in public; sexual attacks in the street; arson at offices and homes; sabotage of cars (loosening the bolts of the wheels, breaking the glass of the windows, tearing the brake hoses, burning of running motors).

It is important to emphasize that many of these events, seen on their own, could lead to the assumption that they are coincidences rather than part of a well-planned psychological war. However, we have compiled a list of all these events to demonstrate that, to the contrary, they are not accidents at all, nor are they isolated events that are part of everyday life. To begin to see them as "normal" is also to give way to the very goal of psychological warfare: to weaken our hearts and minds.

It is also important to note that, according to the same report, it is women within civil organizations have been affected the most; and that certain women's organizations have been singled out: those which have held a constant stance in defense of human rights, and those that conduct research with and/or provide direct support to indigenous women through the marketing of their handicraft products and the promotion of women's rights and other similar themes (such as CIAM, COLEM, and K'inal Antzetik).

The attacks against the Historical Archive of the Diocese focused on two individuals: Andrés Aubry and Angelica Inda, and fit into the overall strategy of weakening and discrediting the Diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas, as well as the ex-CONAI (National Mediating Commission) presided over by Bishop Samuel Ruiz.

4. How to obtain the report

Psychological Warfare in an Urban Context can be requested by any individual or national or international organization through the non-governmental organization K'inal Antzetik. We request a personal or group introduction and the reasons for the interest in the report.

5. Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge Angelica Inda, Andrés Aubry, Amado Avendaño, Gustavo Castro, Martha Figueroa, and Manual Hidalgo, as well as the following NGO's: BACOSAN, CIAM, COLEM, and Enlace Civil, for all their help and participation that made this report possible.

We would also like to thank all the individuals and state, national, and international organizations that have shown solidarity with our organization after the threats that we received in the previous weeks.

Finally, our profound thanks goes to the Human Rights Center "Fray Bartolomé de las Casas" for the distribution of this bulletin and for the different displays of support and solidarity, without which, our situation would be much more difficult.

Written by: Ines Castro Apreza.