Maximino García Catarino © Tlachinollan

25 de enero de 2012

Tlachinollan

• Maximino Garcia, indigenous rights activist facing unfair trial: Amnesty International
• Misereor recognizes the work of na savi defender and asserts their concern for Maximilio´s safety and integrity.

Amnesty International, an organization that defends and promotes human rights and Misereor, a German organization that supports several initiatives in promoting and defending human rights in Mexico, particularly in Guerrero, have voiced their concern over the arbitrary detention of the human rights defender Maximino Garcia Catarino, who was arrested by the Ministerial Investigative Police (Policía Investigadora Ministerial, PIM) of the Attorney General of the State of Guerrero (Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado, PGJE), on January 21, 2012 in the community of Juquila, municipality of Ayutla de los Libres.

Through an Urgent Action, AI asks the authorities to guarantee a fair trial for the indigenous defender urging the Mexican authorities to investigate the abuses against the defender after his arrest and to take the necesary measures “in order to avoid further torture.” It also points out the importance and responsability of the authorities to guarantee a fair trial to Maximino García Catarino including the right of an effective defence and access to an impartial process.

On the other side, Misereor express their concern about the information detailing the detention of the indigenous defender of the na savi people whose human rights work the German organization is aware of.

Furthermore, it is importat to point out that Maximino is one of the 197 human rights defenders granted with provisional measures ordered by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for members of the Organization of Indigenous Mepha'a People (Organización del Pueblo Indígena Mepha'a, OPIM) the Organization for the Future of the People Mixteco (Organización para el Futuro del Puelo Mixteco, OFPM) and Tlachinollan Human Rights Center.

Full version here (in Spanish)

More information

Continúa la criminalización de los defensores indígenas de derechos humanos en Guerrero: Aprehenden en Ayutla a Maximino García Catarino, beneficiario de medidas provisionales otorgadas por la Corte Interamericana de derechos Humanos (in Spanish), Tlachinollan, Press release 03/2012, Ayutla de los Libres (Guerrero), 24 January 2012

Urgent Action: Indigenous rights activist facing unfair trial, Amnesty International, UA 25/11, 25 January 2012

PBI' accompaniment to Tlachinollan Human Rights Centre