Urgent Action 3-25-09

URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA

To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
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For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa08209.pdf

25 March 2009

UA 82/09 Fear for safety

MEXICO Miguel Angel Casillas Baez (m), his family and other journalists of the newspaper,
Diario de los Altos

Miguel Angel Casillas, editorial director of local newspaper, Diario de los Altos, was
threatened on 18 March2009 by a man claiming to be an official in charge of the Zetas’
department (a notoriously criminal organization responsible for hundreds of murders). The
threat was made because Miguel Angel Casillas, and the newspaper he works for, have given
critical coverage to a dam development project in el Zapotillo, Los Altos region, Jalisco
state.

On 18 March, Miguel Angel Casillas received an anonymous call on his mobile from a man
saying "We know who you are, where you live, where you go, who your family are, and we
want to know how you are going to cooperate with us" (sabemos quien es usted, sabemos
donde vive, sabemos como se mueve, sabemos quien es su familia y queremos saber como piensa
colaborar con nosotros). The caller insinuated that he was acting on the behalf of a
politician who wished to damage Miguel Angel Casillas, and added that "from this point on,
you and your family are at risk" (corre peligro a partir de ahora, usted y su familia).

The day before receiving the anonymous phone call, Miguel Angel Casillas noticed that both
his personal email and that of the newspaper he works for had been hacked. The hackers had
left a message stating that "Today the email of the newspaper has been kidnapped. Careful
what you publish we don’t want to hurt anyone. Regards from Jalisco State Congress, from a
friend that likes you a lot and is watching anxiously over you. Rightist Jalisco." (Hoy
el secuestro fue del korreo elektonico del medio kuidado kon lo ke publican no keremos
lastimar a nadie. Saludos desde el congreso de Jalisco de un amigo que te quiere mucho y te
vigila con ansias de encontrarte. Yunque Jalisco)

Miguel Angel Casillas has submitted a official complaint with the Jalisco State Public
Prosecutor’s Office and the State Human Rights Commission.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The project to build el Zapotillo dam in Jalisco state on the Rio Verde has led to concern
among local communities, particularly those of Temacapulin, Palmarejo and Acasico, which
will be flooded. Despite previous commitments by the state government to consult the
public on the project, the Diario de los Altos and local human rights organizations have
been critical of the project and the failure of the authorities to consult adequately with
local communities or provide reliable and detailed information on impact and compensation
packages.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- calling for safety measure to be provided for Miguel Angel Casillas Baez, his family and
other journalists at the Diario de los Altos, and for protection measures to be implemented
in accordance with their wishes;
- call on the authorities to instigate a thorough, prompt and impartial investigation into
the email and telephone threats against Miguel Angel Casillas, including any possible links
to local politicians, for the results to be made public and for those responsible to be
held to account;
- call on the authorities to fulfill their obligations under the UN Declaration on the
Rights and Responsibilities of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and
Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and ensure that human
rights defenders can carry out their activities without any restrictions or fear of
reprisals.

APPEALS TO:
Governor of Jalisco
Emilio Gonzalez Marquez
Gobernador del Estado de Jalisco
Palacio de Gobierno
Av. Corona No. 31, Planta Baja
Col. Centro
Guadalajara C.P. 44100
Estado de Jalisco
MEXICO
Fax: (011 52 33) 36 48 1601/02
Email: emilio.gonzalez@jalisco.gob.mx
Salutation:Dear Governor/ Senor Gobernador

Attorney General of Jalisco
Lic. Tomas Coronado Olmos
Procurador del Estado de Jalisco
Procuraduria General de Justicia del Estado
Calle 14 no. 2567
Colonia Zona Industrial
Guadalajara, C.P. 44940
Estado de Jalisco
MEXICO
Salutation: Dear Attorney/ Senor Procurador

Minister of Interior
Lic. Fernando Francisco Gomez-Mont Urueta
Secretaria de Gobernacion
Bucareli 99, 1er. piso
Col. Juarez, Del. Cuauhtemoc,
Mexico D.F., C.P.06600
MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 55 5093 3414
E-mail: secretario@segob.gob.mx
Salutation: Senor Secretario/Dear Minister

COPIES TO:
Human Rights organization
Instituto Mexicano Para el Desarrollo Comunitario (IMDEC), A.C.
A.C. Pino 2237-A, Col. del Fresno, Guadalajara, Jalisco C.P 44900
MEXICO

Human Rights Commission of Jalisco
Lic. Felipe de Jesus Alvarez Cibrian, Presidente de la Comision Estatal de Derechos Humanos
de Jalisco, Pedro Moreno No. 1616, Col. Americana, Guadalajara C.P. 44160, Estado de
Jalisco,
MEXICO
Fax: (011 52 33) 36 69 11 01
Salutation: Dear President/ Senor Presidente

Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan Casamitjana
Embassy of Mexico
1911 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Washington, DC 20006
Fax: 1 202 728 1698
Email: mexembusa@sre.gob.mx



PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 6 May.