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| Hector Patishtán, second from left, Alberto Patishtán's son (Photo: Mario Gódinez) |
Milenio: Mario Gódinez
Mexico City • After almost thirteen years of the imprisonment of teacher and activist Alberto Patishtán, civil organizations and human rights activists today launched the campaign #TodosporPatishtan [#AllForPatishtan] to support and publicize the case of the indigenous Tzotzil teacher accused of a crime he did not commit.
At a press conference, Hector Patishtán, the teacher's son, called on civil society organizations to take part in this campaign to achieve freedom for his father and other political prisoners; thus, setting a precedent for dispensing justice in the country. He said his father's freedom depends directly on the verdict handed down by the Judicial Power of the Federation, since it is the institution responsible for "an innocent man going free or that he complete the sixty years" prison sentence.
On March 6, the Mexican Supreme Court declined to review the case of Alberto Patishtán. A few days ago the case was remanded to the First Appellate Court in Tuxtla Gutiérrez in Chiapas, which will determine the fate of the Tzotzil teacher.
Alberto Patishtán was arrested on June 19, 2000, on charges of homicide, aggravated assault, damage to property, illegal possession of a weapon, in addition to his alleged involvement in an ambush that year on a road located between the communities of El Bosque and Simojovel, in which seven state police officers died. Spanish original
"The precedent that would give my dad freedom would be a way for many cases not only in Chiapas but for many similar cases with violations of due process ... my father would set a precedent for this, as it is the first case that is now closed yet becomes open due to questions of human rights," he said.Among the activities to be held tomorrow to mark the thirteen years since the arrest of the teacher is a political-cultural action in the forecourt of Bellas Artes [Mexico City], a Mass outside Cereso #5 where Patishtán is being held in San Cristóbal de las Casas [Chiapas], and the screening of the documentary "Live or Die for Justice and Truth" at the Museum Rubén Jaramillo in Cuernavaca, Morelos.
Alberto Patishtán was arrested on June 19, 2000, on charges of homicide, aggravated assault, damage to property, illegal possession of a weapon, in addition to his alleged involvement in an ambush that year on a road located between the communities of El Bosque and Simojovel, in which seven state police officers died. Spanish original
- We Will Not Ask for Presidential Pardon - Patishtán's Attorney;
- Chiapas Governor Promises to "Arrange" Patishtan's Release;
- Mexican Citizens Petition Appeals Court for Patishtán's Release;
- Lack of Change in Provision of Justice in Mexico - excellent case summary and implications for Mexico's Justice System;
- Alberto Patishtán's Struggle for Freedom and 'Fair and Equal' Due Process;
- Mexico Massacre at Simojovel and Alberto Patishtán: A Story of Impunity and Injustice.