Editor’s Note: We share below two letters from compañerxs Pablo and Miguel—prisoners in struggle in the CERSS Number 05 of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas. Victims of fabricated charges, torture, forced confessions, and a legal process in Spanish and not their mother tongue, Pablo and Miguel are Indigenous prisoners organizing from within the prison system in Chiapas, Mexico. Being as Spanish is not their mother tongue, the short translations were edited quite a bit for better clarity.
June 8th, 2017. San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas.
CERSS Number 05
I send you a hug compañeros and compañeras. I am writing you my history. I am Pablo Gomez Gomez, from the municipality of Polhó, Chiapas. It was May 16th, 2012. I was on the outside. I was working with my cousin here in San Cristóbal. It was Saturday when I heard that there was a problem in my community. It was like 9:00 at night. I asked my wife, who confirmed that there was a problem and that people were kidnapped. In this way I was informed of the situation, but I never knew that they sought to blame me. I was going to return to my community the following day when my cousin said that I shouldn’t go to my community because he didn’t know what was going on with this problem. Like that passed three days, I returned to ask again. My cousin responded again, saying Pablo you cannot return here, there is a problem of which you are a part. He said that they believe you took a man. The people right now are talking that they are going to burn you. Don’t return now. Seven months passed. I was in Polhó. I was in the church. I was listening to the word of god. On the first of December, the judicial police took me to San Cristóbal where I was seriously beaten. There they took me to Tixtla. They tortured me. They beat me. Then the torture ended. They brought me papers that they made me sign. I never participated in the kidnappings. Like that, they fabricated my crime of kidnapping. I am paying here in jail. I am suffering here in jail until my children and family lose everything. Like that, I am paying for a fabricated crime, nothing more. Well compañero and compañera, I send you a very strong hug. I am Pablo Gómez Gómez.
June 1st, 2017. San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas.
CERSS Number 05
To the National and International Sixth of the EZLN
I want to send a salute and hug to all of the compañeros and compañeras, those who struggle with the Sixth and of different organizations of the EZLN.
My name is Miguel Gómez Velasco. I am a prisoner here in CERSS 05. I have been here suffering for four years. The bad government has me here unjustly as I did not commit the crime of which they have accused me. Only for not knowing Spanish well and for being Indigenous, they fabricated my crime. The made me sign papers, tortured me, and detained me on December 3 of 2013. Until now I remain here. Because of this, I write you this note so that the compañeros and compañeras know what the bad government is doing here in Chiapas. Here we are three compañeros: Pablo, Esteban and I. Thanks to Estaban for giving us courage in the struggle and organizing us. I have been organizing here for six months. I do not intend to go back, but I intend to put more energy in rebellion and resistance. We know that only struggling against the bad system will we be able to move forward. For that, I want to say to all of the compañeros and compañeras: let’s lift our spirits and our courage in the struggle. Also, us three that are here want to send you a greetings and a big hug on behalf of the three compañeros here in CERSS 05. I am from Polhó, Chiapas.
Sincerely,
Miguel Gómez Velasco
Translated from the original here: http://www.pozol.org/?p=15424
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