PRESS RELEASE

THE HOME OF HRD MARIO HERNANDEZ WAS BROKEN INTO AND ROBBED

In Oaxaca attacks, threats, harrasment, murder, criminalization and break ins of the offices of Human Rights Defenders have become sistematic. Examples of this are the threats recieved by Francisco Toledo, Father Uvi, Alba Cruz and Father Solalinde, which are just the most recent incidents.

On the morning of the 6^th of June the residence of Mario Hernández Martínez was broken into and cash, credit cards and a laptop with important information were stolen. This incident has been denounced before the Attorney General of the state of Oaxaca.

Mario Hernández Martínez gave clases for 30 years in the Autonomous University "Benito Juárez" in Oaxaca; in 1990 he was a founding member of the Oaxacan Committee Pro Human Rights (Comité Oaxaqueño Pro Derechos Humanos en Oaxaca); he was Electoral Counciler for the Eighth District during 2005; Observer for the Civil Observatory for Human Rights and Democracy in Oaxaca (Observatorio Civil por los Derechos Humanos y la Democracia en Oaxaca); collaborator with the Center of Legal Investigations (exclusive space for professors of the UABJO) and in the review of law iniciatives presented by the executive; he is one of the funders and present coordinator of the Citizen Initiative Oaxaca (Iniciativa Ciudadana Oaxaca), a civil organization that aims for the social empowerment of the oaxacan citizens through the promotion and defense of their human rights and through the development of proposals for legislative reforms, which permit the institutional improvement of the bodies responsable of protecting these rights; he also was a candidate for the position of Ombudsman in Oaxaca.

The break in to Mario Hernández's is cause for great concern and alarm, considering his career as a Human Rights Defender in the state of Oaxaca and because of other recent intimidation against him, such as threats recieved in April of this year.

Because of these events we demand:

• That the office of the Attorney General of the state of Oaxaca correctly and professionally carry out the appropriate investigations
• That the government and the state congress of Oaxaca review the recently approved law about the Mecanism of Protection of Journalists and Human Rights Defenders in order to bring forward a concrete proposal in this topic and to guarantee the protection of those who carry out this important and necessary work in the state.
• From the National and International Human Rights Organizations to follow the events denounced by the Human Rights Defenders in order to clarify what has ocurred.

7th OF JUNE OF 2012

HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER BARTOLOME CARRASCO BRISEÑO

CIVIC INIATITIVE OAXACA

More information

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Homepage of the HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER BARTOLOME CARRASCO BRISEÑO, A.C. (spanish)