Campaign for 're-appearance' of José Ramón García steps up

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Demonstration at National Palace demands 'reappearance' of García (below).

MEXICO CITY—The international campaign for the re-appearance of José Ramón García, the first prominent political activist to "disappear" in Mexico under newly elected President Carlos Salinas de Gortari, continues unabated.

Jose Ramon disappeared on Dec. 10, 1988, in the city of Cuautla in the state of Morelos. He was last seen "entering" a white unmarked car with several men, the by-now typical vehicle of the notorious White Hand death squads of Mexico. His "disappearance" was immediately perceived as an act of terror against the workers and peasants movement of Mexico.

Salinas de Gortari took office Dec. 1, 1988, amidst widespread charges of fraud emanating from the entire opposition-from right to left. As a member of the Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT), José Ramón had led the struggle in the state of Morelos to declare the government illegitimate.

Conscious of the wave of repression of which the disappearance of José Ramón was a clear harbinger, all the organizations participating in the defense of the vote convoked meetings and mobilizations throughout Mexico to demand the re-appearance of José Ramón.

Mounting pressure on regime Under increasing pressure from a national and international campaign-including efforts by Amnesty International and delegations to the Mexican Embassy in many countries—the Mexican government created a Presidential Commission to investigate José Ramón's disappearance. Ana Santander, wife of José Ramón; Edgard Sanchez, a leader of the PRT, and Rosario Ibarra, the PRT's 1988 presidential candidate, were integrated into the Presidential Commission.

In September 1989, several of the leaders of the International Tribunal Against the Debt held in Lima, Peru, joined Ana Santander in a meeting with the Mexican ambassador to Peru. They proposed that an international delegation meet President Salinas-and the Mexican ambassador agreed to request it.

After the President's office informed Ana Santander that President Salinas was in agreement, the meeting date of Feb. 22, 1990, was proposed. Accordingly, Ralph Schoenman and Victoria Melgar, both of whom had met with the Mexican ambassador, traveled to Mexico City to join with Ana Santander and trade-union activists in demanding the re-appearance of José Ramón.

At a press conference held Feb. 21, representatives of the teachers' union, militants from peasant organizations, and human By HAYDEN The campaign to free Mark Curtis has been carried to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland. Mark Curtis is the unionist and socialist sentenced to 25 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.

Curtis has been recognized as a political prisoner by labor unions, civil rights groups, and thousands of individuals throughout the United States, Canada, and several European countries.

A delegation of the Curtis Defense Committee has brought the case to the United Nations (U.N.). The U.N. maintains the Centre for Human Rights, which has the power to investigate violations of human rights throughout the world.

Through meeting delegates and winning new support, the Curtis defenders were able to get the case raised formally before the Commission. Pedro Custodia Lopez, president of the Central American Commission, raised the question of the Curtis case.

"I include here," Lopez said in a formal address, "the case of Mark Curtis ... his conviction assuredly has its origin in his active solidarity against the attempted firing and deportation of 17 Latin American workers from his place of work."

Delegates of the Curtis Defense Committee made gains through meetings with rights activists joined Edgard Sanchez, leader of the PRT, and the delegation.

The meeting at the Presidential Palace took place not with the President, but with his first secretary, Jorge Valdez. .. ÷ Valdez indicated the President had given the Minister of Interior the urgent task of finding the whereabouts of José Ramón García and said that the Commission would be meeting imminently with results. (Earlier, the head of the government's Human Rights Commission had told the delegation that the President could now guarantee "good news" within a very short time-a clear signal that José Ramón was alive.)

Ana Santander observed that this had been said for over a year. The union representatives noted that in the time the government took to shed light on the fate of José Ramón, popular leaders throughout Mexico had been murdered or kidnapped. Ralph Schoenman commented that the international campaign would not disappear.

El Universal While the meeting was taking place, a large demonstration was unfolding outside of the Palace, and the slogans echoed through the huge Palace with its army units lined up in the courtyard: "The disappeared belong to us." — "We shall continue to defend them like lions!"— "Present José Ramón alive!" — "Salinas, the people have judged you!"

The demonstration continued into the night. The many rally speakers included Rosario Ibarra, representing the Eureka Committee of the Disappeared; trade-union representatives, spokespersons for the disappeared from the states of Chiapas, Guerrero, and Puebla; Edgard Sanchez, for the Coordinating Commission on Human Rights and the PRT, Victoria Megar, for the International Federation on Human Rights; Ralph Schoenman, and Ana Santander.

Press coverage included principal Mexico City dailies: Excelsior, La Jornada, and El Universal. The stories gave particular attention to the support for José Ramón from the striking Ford workers and railroad workers, whose struggles had been met by police attacks. The participants in the rally had come from the shantytowns and from the countryside. Many of the peasants carried photographs of José Ramón and Emiliano Zapata, a peasant leader during the Mexican Revolution of 1910.

Morelos police chief indicted Not long after the Feb. 22 meeting and rally, the Government Commission met and the Special Prosecutor indicated that the Federal authorities had decided "to investigate the local police [of the state of Morelos]."

In a meeting March 16 with Mexico's Noted attorney and journalist Daniel Libreros was arrested by Colombian police at the Cali airport on March 27.

Charged with "subversion," a term frequently applied to political opponents of the Colombian ruling party, Libreros and several other political activists are in grave danger.

According to friends allowed to visit the prison, authorities have already used brutal methods against several of those arrested. Government-condoned torture, disappearance, and repression are an everyday feature of Colombian political life.

Libreros is the chief attorney for the left political alliance "A Luchar."

Prominent supporters of democratic rights in the United States, including Nobel Laureates Linus Pauling and Owen Chamberlain, have already demanded his immediate release and full respect for his democratic and human rights.

Telegrams to this effect should be sent immediately to: Comandante de la Tercera Brigada General Bonnet, Avenida 4 N. Calles 18-19, Cali, Colombia (Tel.:

57-23-613041), and to: Embassy of Colombia, 2118 Leroy Place N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20008.

Attorney General, PRT leader Edgard Sanchez learned that Antonio Nogueda, Chief of Police in Morelos, had been removed from the Presidential Commission on José Ramón García. While on the Commission, Nogueda had blocked all attempts to investigate José Ramón's disappearance.

The Federal District police had caught the perpetrators of another widely publicized kidnapping, who turned out to be police officials from the state of Morelos.

As the official murder apparatus of Morelos comes to light, the problems of the Presidential Commission multiply. Can the government limit culpability to state and local police and officials? Will live scapegoats remain silent long?

Meanwhile, the mass movement has intensified the pressure. Edgard Sanchez reports that the Coordinating Commission on Human Rights (the "Coordinadora") has held forums on the violence against women and the rampages of "anti-narcotic" police in Mexico City. At the inaugural meeting of the Coordinadora, where Victoria Melgar and Ralph Schoenman spoke, witness after witness described the growing repression.

The fight to defend José Ramón García and the international campaign on his behalf have heightened the struggle in Mexico and may yet result in the long awaited re-appearance of the man whose fate has become a symbol of the real choice facing the Mexican people-political emancipation or rule by terror.

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RAMON GARCIA GOMEZ /ALTO A LA REPRESION I

Emergency Appeal!