12/9/11 – During the past several weeks, Mexico has seen a string of attacks and murders of human rights activists. On Wednesday, December 7, the body of 73-year-old José Trinidad de la Cruz Crisóforo, a human rights activist, was found outside a small city in Michoacán 24 hours after he had been abducted. According to Latino Fox News, the body had multiple gun shots, wounds, and a mutilated ear, clear signs of torture according to news reports. Trinidad was a member of Javier Sicilia’s Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity (MPJD) and was traveling on a MPJD sponsored caravan when he was kidnapped. Trinidad was previously attacked and further threatened last June, which led him to scale down his activism for a few months, though he rejoined the MPJD in October. His request to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for extra protection was not fulfilled.
In a separate incident, two other members of MPJD and the Organization of Ecological Peasants of Sierra de Petatlán were abducted from a bus headed toward Chilpancingo, Guerrero on Tuesday, December 8. Their whereabouts are still unknown.
Prior to Trinidad’s murder, Norma Andrade, a human rights activist and one of the founders of the organization Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa (Bringing Our Daughters Back Home), was shot five times on December 2 outside of the school in Ciudad Juárez where she teaches. (Click here to read more about Andrade’s attack). Just days before that, Nepomuceno Moreno, human rights activist, protestor, and member of Javier Sicilia’s Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity (MPJD) was killed in Hermosillo, Sonora on November 28. (Click here to read more about Moreno’s death).
Sources:
“Torturan y asesinan a otro compañero de Sicilia.” InfoBae. December 7, 2011.
“Asesinan a otro de Caravana por la Paz.” El Universal. December 8, 2011.
“Member of Mexican peace movement found dead, 2 others missing.” Fox News Latino. December 8, 2011.
“Mexico violence claims another member of peace movement.” Los Angeles Times. December 8, 2011.
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