Razhy Gonzalez Rodriguez, director of the Oaxaca-based regional weekly magazine “Contrapunto”, was abducted in Oaxaca City on the night of 17 September 1996. At 23:00 hours on 17 September, Gonzalez was walking along Bustamante Street in the centre of Oaxaca towards the office of “Contrapunto” with a friend, Pilar Monterubio, when they were accosted by […]
Razhy Gonzalez Rodriguez, director of the Oaxaca-based regional
weekly magazine “Contrapunto”, was abducted in Oaxaca City on the
night of 17 September 1996. At 23:00 hours on 17 September,
Gonzalez was walking along Bustamante Street in the centre of
Oaxaca towards the office of “Contrapunto” with a friend, Pilar
Monterubio, when they were accosted by two armed men. According to
Monterubio, who witnessed the abduction, two men who were wearing
black hoods and carrying hand guns emerged from a blue Ford Topaz
that was parked on the street. They grabbed Gonzalez, placed his
hands on the hood of the car and frisked him before they pushed
him into the back of the automobile. One of the men told Gonzalez,
“Be calm, nothing will happen.” Monterubio said one of the gunmen
waved at her with his pistol, signalling that she should leave.
Two other unidentified men were in the front of the car, which
left the scene driving against traffic on the one-way street,
followed by a man on a motorcycle.
Monterubio, who is not a journalist, went to the offices of
“Contrapunto”, a few blocks away, to report the incident. As of
the afternoon of 18 September, Gonzalez had not been heard from.
“Contrapunto” was founded earlier this year by Gonzalez, who had
previously been the Chiapas correspondent for the Oaxaca-based
newspaper “Noticias”. He is known for his reportage on the
Zapatista insurgent movement and had recently reported on the
activities in Oaxaca of the recently emerged leftist rebel Popular
Revolutionary Army (EPR). Gonzalez was among a group of
journalists who interviewed EPR representatives in Oaxaca on 13
September.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the Mexican President:
he may have been kidnapped because of his journalistic work
right to the freedom of expression guaranteed under Article 19 of
the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
conduct a thorough investigation of this incident
Appeals To
His Excellency Ernesto Zedillo de Leon
President of the Republic of Mexico
Mexico City, Mexico
Fax: +525 271 1764
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