TheNewsMexico.com
November 11, 2001
By Zoltan Simon

MEXICO CITY - The renowned environmentalists Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera, who were freed by President Vicente Fox on Thursday, said they would fear for their lives if they were to return to their homes and continue defending the environment, the Mexican press reported.

"We are not going back to live in our communities (in Guerrero state) because to return would be to face a certain death," Montiel told Mexican daily La Jornada.

The activist said his and Cabrera's release -- ordered days prior to Fox's speech to the United Nations General Assembly -- was a result of the October 19 murder of Digna Ochoa, who until last year acted as the defense attorney during their trials.

Since Ochoa's murder, the Fox administration has been under pressure to demonstrate its commitment to the protection of human rights.

"This is a Mexico that defends and protects human rights and democracy, in every hour and in every place," Fox said during his speech at the UN.

The president freed Cabrera and Montiel on "humanitarian grounds" due to the two activists' poor health, but the president's decision did not establish their innocence against weapons and drug charges, which rights organizations have argued were planted on them by the Mexican military.

Montiel said if Fox is serious about respecting human rights in Mexico, he should order the removal of the Mexican army from communities in Guerrero, because the military "supports local power barons who oppress (those communities)."

Montiel also said those responsible for his and Cabrera's torture and incarceration should be brought to justice.

A report of the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) last year concluded the army "illegally" and "unjustifiably" detained Montiel and Cabrera. It said the activists were not armed at the time of the arrest, weapons were planted on them, and they were tortured during their detention.

Montiel and Cabrera continue to suffer from a number of medical problems incurred during their torture.

Amnesty International declared the activists "prisoners of conscience," and Montiel was awarded the prestigious 125,000-dollar Goldman prize for environmental activism last year.