Mexico: Presumed forced disappearance of two men in Guerrero

Case MEX 190698

The International Secretariat of the OMCT requests your URGENT
intervention in the following situation in Mexico.

Brief description of the situation:

The FEDEFAM (Federación Latinoamericana de Asociaciones de Familiares
de Detenidos-Desaparecidos - Latin-American Federation of Families of
Detainees and Disappeared), a member organisation of the OMCT network,
has expressed its concern at the presumed forced disappearance of two
brothers: Miguel Angel Mesino Mesino and Víctor Mesino Mesino, from El
Escorpion, Municipality of Atoyac de Alvarez in the State of Guerrero
.

According to reports, based on information received from the
Organizacion Campesinsa de la Sierra del Sur (OCSS), Mr. Miguel Angel
Mesino Mesino, aged 33, married, 5 children, allegedly disappeared
during the first week of June. A member of his family reported that he
had already been detained in the State of Guerrero which leads one to
assume that he is being held and tortured by State agents.

During approximately the last  ten days, there has been no information
concerning the whereabouts of Mr. Víctor Mesino Mesino.

Moreover, it has been reported that, in 1995, members of the PRI
(Institutional Revolutionary Party) had apparently accused Mr. Miguel
Angel Mesino Mesino of assault, thereby provoking his detention and
physical aggression by members of the armed forces and forcing him to
live in the community of San Geronimito, Costa Grande, together with
his wife and children, while the harassment and repression continued.

According to the same reports, the Mesino family has been the target
of harassment, persecution and false accusations. This situation is
apparently aggravated by the presumed statements of an alleged member
of the armed group, Ejercito Revolucionario del Pueblo (People's
Revolutionary Army), who allegedly brought accusations against Rocio
Mesino.

It is in this context that, according to the information received, Sra
Rocio Mesino was attacked on June 13th by a woman, resulting in
injuries in her face. On June 15th, at approximately midnight, a man
attacked Rocio Mesino and her friend Sra. Alba Elia Hurtado Arias, in
front of the Central  South Taxco bus station, in the DF.

Another member of the family, Sr. Carlos Mesino Mesino, was stopped on
June 14th  in the Colonia Ramos Millan, of the Iztacalco Delegation in
the DF, by two persons who asked various questions and attacked him
verbally, accusing him of belonging to the EPR.

According to FEDEFAM- Mexico reports, many forced disappearances for
political reasons have been recorded in that country in the last few
years. It is also pointed out that four indigenous individuals, who
have been detained and had disappeared (Pacheco Santiago Adalberto
Jorge, disappeared on 25/01/98, Antonio Juárez Simón, disappeared on
8/02/98, and Marcelino Pacheco Santiago and Felipe de Jesus Antonio
Pacheco) were produced alive by the authorities after having suffered
several months of detention and torture.

Actions requested:

Please write to the Mexican authorities urging them to:

i.	adopt all necessary measures in order to discover the whereabouts
of Sres. Miguel Angel Mesino Mesino and Víctor Mesino Mesino, ensure
the respect of their physical and psychological integrity in all
circumstances; order their immediate release should they be detained
illegally or, should that not be the case, bring them before an
ordinary competent tribunal which will rule on the case;

ii	put an end to every kind of threat or harassment of the Mesino
family and ensure in all circumstances the respect of the fundamental
rights and freedoms of these persons;

iii.	carry out a thorough and impartial investigation on the facts
referred to above as well as any other act committed against the life,
safety and personal integrity or freedom of the persons mentioned
above, as well as any other act or failure to act , especially acts of
torture, forced disappearances or summary executions, in order to
identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply sanctions
according to the law;

iv.	ensure the effective respect of human rights and fundamental
liberties in all circumstances in accordance with national laws and
international standards ratified by the State of Mexico.

Addresses:

S.E. Dr. Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León, Presidente de la República,
Palacio Nacional, C.P. 06065, Mexico, D.F., Mexico. Fax (+ 52 5) 515
57 29 ó/or 516 57 62

Lic. Francisco Labastida Ochoa, Secretario de Gobernación, Secretaría
de Gobernación, Bucareli 99, 2º piso, Col. Juarez, Mexico, D.F.,
Mexico Fax (+ 52 5) 546 53 50 ó/or 547 03 21 o/or 546

Dr. Jorge Madrazo Cuellar, Procurador General de la República,
Procuraduría General, Violeta y Reforma s/n 2º piso, Col. Guerrero,
México, D.F. CP 06300 México. Fax: (+ 52 5) 626 44 26  or  626 44 19

Dr. Lorenzo Thomas Torres, Procurador General de Justicia del Distrito
Federal. Fax: (+ 52 5) 62570 81

Dr. Luis de la Barreda Solórzano, Presidente de la Comisión de
Derechos Humanos del Distrito Federal.  Fax: (+ 52 5) 578 25 78

Dra. Mireille Roccatti Velásquez, Presidenta de la Comisión Nacional
de Derechos Humanos, Periférico sur 3469, Col. San Jerónimo Lídice,
Deleg. Magdalena Contreras, C.P. 10200, Mexico, D.F., Mexico.  Fax.:
(+ 52 5) 631 26 33 E-mai: cndh@laneta.apc.org

The Mexican Embassy in your respective countries.

Geneva, June 19th 1998
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code number of
this appeal in your reply.

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