The governmental harassment of the former director of the “El Independiente” daily, José Luis Hernández Salas, took a new down turn recently. The journalist’s sister was harassed by judicial police officers and her house was placed under surveillance. According to information reported by Hernández Salas, during the night of Wednesday 9 February 2000, two judicial […]
The governmental harassment of the former director of the “El Independiente” daily, José Luis Hernández Salas, took a new down turn recently. The journalist’s sister was harassed by judicial police officers and her house was placed under surveillance.
According to information reported by Hernández Salas, during the night of Wednesday 9 February 2000, two judicial police officers from the state of Sonora installed a surveillance team outside Martha Elva Hernández Salas’ home in San Angel de Hermosillo, Sonora. On the morning of 10 February, when she left her house accompanied by her four-year old daughter Fantasía Solís Hernández, she took photographs of the people who were watching her and got into her car. The officers followed her and used violence to force her to stop the car. They asked her to show some identification and she responded that they should first show theirs. One of the officers produced a card that identified him as a judicial police officer. When she asked them why her home was under surveillance and they were following her, they answered that they were only doing their jobs and they would be treating her differently if her young daughter was not with her. Eventually they let her go, but threatened to continue tailing her. As of 17 February, her home was still under surveillance.
Hernández Salas has taken refuge in the United States since September 1999, due to the fact that the governor of Sonora, Armando Lopez Nogales, used legal means to arbitrarily take the newspaper away from him and put it at the service of Francisco Labastida Ochoa, presidential candidate for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional, PRI). Since that time, the newspaper has continued to publish and its administrative board is illegally operating bank accounts under Hernández Salas’ name.
Because of the worsening situation for Hernández Salas’ family, the Mexican Network for the Protection of Journalists and Communications Media (Red Mexicana de Proteccion a Periodistas y Medios de Comunicacion) has lodged a complaint with the National Commission for Human Rights (Comision Nacional de Derechos Humanos), requesting that this body take cautionary measures. The complaint and request were made on behalf of the journalist and his family, those who are with him in exile as well as those residing in Sonora. Now more than ever, the journalist needs national and international support.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the governor of Sonora:
– asking him to put an end to the persecution and harassment of the former director of “El Independiente” and his family
– urging him to ensure that the journalist’s and his family members’ physical and psychological security are protected
– noting that you will hold him accountable for anything that happens to the journalist and his family
– asking that he demonstrate his commitment to Articles 6 and 7 of the Mexican Constitution, which guarantee freedom of expression and access to information, by allowing Hernández Salas to safely return to Sonora so that the journalist can continue with legal proceedings which will allow him to retake control of his possessions
Send appeals to the attorney general:
– asking for an impartial and expeditious investigation into the complaint filed by Hernández Salas on 6 September, charging misappropriation of goods, extortion, criminal conspiracy, damages, and threats
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:
Armando Lopez Nogales
Governor of the State of Sonora
Dr. Paliza 26, between Comonfort and Ocampo
Col. Centenario. C.P. 83260
Hermosillo, Sonora, México
Tel: +1 62 12 00 01 (Secretary) / 12 00 51
Fax: +1 62 13 22 15 / 13 32 43
Miguel Angel Cortés Ibarra
Attorney General of the State of Sonora
Edificio Soto, first floor
Rosales and Boulevard Álvaro Obregon s/n
Col. Centro
Hermosillo, Sonora, México
Fax: +1 62 17 51 36
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
