Guerrero:The Release of Ecologist Felipe Arreaga Sanchez

Felipe Arreaga Sanchez with his granddaughter

However, 13 other campesino ecologists, among whom are movement leaders such as Rodolfo Montiel, also a prisoner of conscience in 1999, and Albertano Penaloza, victim of an ambush in which two of his children died, have been accused of the same crime. These activists continue to live with the threat of being apprehended at any time as a result of this accusation.

As Amnesty International points out, the liberation of Felipe is a first step towards bringing about justice. However, there are further steps to be taken:

* A guarantee of Felipe Arreaga’s safety and that of his family, as well as the safety of other defenders of the environment and human rights in Guerrero.
* Suspension of the arrest warrants against the 14 members of the OCESP, protecting them, their family members and the witnesses to their case.
* An independent and impartial revision of the investigation undertaken by the judicial police and the prosecutors, in order to bring to justice those responsible for the falsification of evidence and the fabrication of the case against Felipe Arreaga, to make public the investigation and to compensate Felipe Arreaga for the entire unfounded criminal process.
* Request for an exhaustive and impartial investigation into the murder of Abel Bautista Guillén in 1998.
* An end to the repression and threats against the campesino ecologists of the Petatlán Sierra.
* The creation of a Special Committee to carry out an impartial and exhaustive investigation into the attack on Albertano Peñaloza and the murder of his two children. Justice for the those responsible for the crimes, both for those who carried them out and for the architects behind them.

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Letter from Felipe Arreaga Sánchez

Petatlán, Gro.September 21, 2005

To all the people and organizations who fought for my freedom.

I would like to use this means of communication to quickly and directly get in touch with all the people and organizations who believed in my innocence and fought for my freedom. I want to thank you for your support and solidarity.

I want to tell you that during the long time I was in prison I never felt completely alone because you never stopped demonstrating your support. I suffered a lot in prison, so much that I would never want anybody to experience what I went through.

I always said that I could die for the cause I believe in and that I would not back down in the clean, legal and unselfish fight that motivates me. I do not believe in violence and I think that the work of education and conscientization is easier done in peace than in war.

This idea has been guiding me throughout the years of my life, and because of this I fled from the military and had to leave my family behind when the persecution became too cruel. I have always believed in the law, and my fight has been for a government that respects the law, but my disillusionment has been great during these months in prison because I can see that the interests of the powerful are greater than the respect for the law. I suffered a 10-month nightmare. The prison I had to endure is a torture whose wounds cannot be healed.

My wife noticed with concern that when I left prison I kept on walking and walking without wanting to stop in spite of the fact that the reporters were trying to interview me. Instinctively, I wanted to get away from the prison as soon as possible. Today I am still confused; I feel that nothing will ever be like it was before, and I cannot find the right words to explain myself.

But no, I do not want those who accused me wrongly to live through what I went through. I also do no want the government to pay me for my damages. I would much prefer to see the law reformed so that in cases like mine, there will not have to pass so many days, so many months before the judge announces his verdict.

Everyone is born with a right to freedom, and I do not see any reason why the justice system has to be so slow and costly. Both the accusers and the accused pay. ¿Who wins? Society does not believe nor trust in the justice system, and civil society is not set up to watch over and know about each case like mine in order to stop these injustices.

This is part of what I would like to share with you in addition to my thanks and gratefulness.
You can be sure that my fight will not stop and that you can count on me. I will continue to walk through the “sierra” and talk about human rights and everyone’s right to a healthy environment. I will work arm in arm with my wife watching over the forests and planting trees, which is like planting water. I am thinking of all of you with gratitude. I am indebted to you and will try to remain true to my cause which is the cause of everybody.

Sincerely,

FELIPE ARREAGA SANCHEZ

A free man, as I was born.