PBI-Mexico accompanies Indigenous Nahua communicator Miryam Vargas Teutle as she files complaint at Human Rights Commission

PBI-Mexico has posted:

“From PBI we express our concern for the physical and psychological harassment presented against the member of the Peoples Front Morelos Puebla Tlaxcala communicator and human rights defender, Miryam Vargas Teutle, while performing her work of informing and documenting the territorial conflicts of the communities of San Andrés de Cholula, context of multiple corporate, economic and political interests.

We reject all forms of violence and call for the recognition of the right to information and freedom of expression.

Today, December 18th, we accompany Miryam to file the complaint before the Human Rights Commission of the State of Morelos.”

Capital reports:

“Community journalists Miryam Vargas Teutle and Erik Coyotl Lozada filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission (CDH) of Puebla against the Secretary of Drinking Water of San Andrés Cholula, Alejandra Zamora Martínez, and the mayor of that municipality, Edmundo Tlatehui Percino, for the crimes of harassment, harassment, physical violence and information blockade.

According to the professionals, the public servant has tried to prevent Radio Cholollan from working as a journalist on multiple occasions.

This is within the framework of the community assemblies held to request information about the drinking water network that is intended to be installed in the auxiliary board of San Rafael Comac.

Backed by audiovisual evidence, Vargas Teutle denounced that the Secretary of Potable Water squeezed her on December 15 while she was broadcasting the neighborhood meeting. This is done in order to inhibit its coverage.

When the communicator demanded that she not touch her, the San Andres official mockingly apologized and squeezed her again, which would constitute possible gender violence against the journalist.”

The full Capital article can be read at Acusan de hostigamiento y bloqueo informativo a edil y funcionaria de San Andrés.

E-consulta.com also reports:

“Members of the community radio channel Cholollan Radio reported that they have experienced physical harassment and stigmatization in different administrations of the municipal government of San Andrés Cholula.

During the morning of this Monday, December 18, communicators from the community radio program Cholollan Radio denounced, outside the Human Rights Commission of the State of Puebla, various attacks they have received from the San Andrés Cholula City Council.

The owner of the program ‘El loom radio’, Miryam Vargas Teutle, accused that she has experienced attacks by the Secretary of Drinking Water, Drainage and Sewage, Alejandra Zamora Martínez; of the municipal president Edmundo Tlatehui Percino, among other officials.

The attacks that she pointed out towards him are that the officials have ‘handled’ the microphones and mobile devices, as well as the struggle to inhibit the recordings and more violent treatment for being a woman.

On the other hand, Erik Coyotl Lozada, owner of the Cholollan Radio program, accused that they have inhibited the recording of voice and image, ‘covering the electronic devices with their hands,’ when he tries to report.

Both presenters mentioned that they have been accused of misinforming and being a means against progress.”

The full E-consulta.com article is at Denuncian por agresiones y acoso físico al Ayuntamiento de Cholula.

Additionally, this is a statement of concern about the situation and this is a 12-minute video of a media conference outside the Human Rights Commission (where Miryam acknowledges the accompaniment provided by PBI-Mexico).

PBI-Mexico has accompanied the Peoples Front in Defence of Land and Water in Morelos, Puebla, Tlaxcala (FPDTA) since 2020.

We continue to follow this with concern.