PBI-Canada extends its best wishes to Comité Cerezo on the 19th anniversary of its founding
Photo: Members of the Comité Cerezo accompanied by PBI on the 16th February, 2009, the day Héctor and Antonio Cerezo were released from prison.
On August 13, the Comité Cerezo México stated: “Today, 19 years ago, what we know today as the human rights organization Comité Cerezo México was born.”
“The reason, the arbitrary detention, torture and imprisonment for political reasons against Antonio, Héctor, Alejandro Cerezo Contreras and Pablo Alvarado, a Nahuatl indigenous person; who were arrested, tortured and criminalized by those who today are being tried and accused of drug trafficking and corruption.”
“Thanks to living the effects of political repression, we learned that only by organizing ourselves collectively and making the individual and voluntary decision to work for the freedom of all political prisoners in Mexico and for human rights would it even be possible to modify repressive schemes of the State against us.”
“Nor are we going to forget the dozens of international volunteers from Peace Brigades International and more recently from SweFor, to whom we literally owe our lives, without their accompaniment, without their teachings, we could not be what we are now, greetings to all of them and them, wherever they are.”
The Peace Brigades International-Mexico Project has posted on its Facebook page: “From PBI Mexico we extend our congratulations on your tireless and fundamental fight to defend and promote human rights in Mexico.”
PBI-Canada joins with PBI-Mexico in extending our solidarity, appreciation and respect for the work of the Comité Cerezo México.
We are so pleased that Paul Bocking, a member of PBI-Canada’s Board of Directors, was able to visit with the Comite Cerezo in Mexico City on June 28, 2019.
We are also committed to continuing to sharing stories with our readers in Canada about the work of the Comite Cerezo including its participation in the International Week of the Disappeared Detainee; its opposition to the Mayan Train megaproject; and the release of its annual report on the situation of human rights defenders.
Our solidarity and best wishes!
Photo: Virry Schaafsma, Antonio Cerezo, Paul Bocking.
0 Comments