From: International Gay Lesbian Human Rights Commission Date: 25 Feb 94 20:40 PST Subject: MEXICO: Chiapas Renews Attention to Human Rights INTERNATIONAL GAY & LESBIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION 514 Castro Street, San Francisco, California 94114 USA Tel. 415.255.8680 Fax 415.255.8662 Press Release February 25, 1994 Contact: Jose Maria Covarrubias, (h) +52-5-536-8242 Jorge Cortinas, (w) (415) 255-8680 Uprising in Chiapas Renews Attention To Human Rights -- Former Policeman Arrested & Charged with Murder of Transvestites Still reeling from the insurrection that rocked its southern state of Chiapas, the Mexican government is attempting to satisfy some of its critics by finally moving to address a series of unsolved murders against gay men and transvestites. Between June of 1991 and February of 1993 an estimated 25 gay men were assassinated, the majority killed in Tuxtla Guiterrez, the state capital of Chiapas. Ignacio Flores Montiel, former coordinator of police forces for the State of Chiapas, was arrested on January 26 and accused of trafficking arms, kidnapping, and murder. The former police coordinator is being held in Mexico City instead of Chiapas for his own protection. According to reports published in Mexican newspapers, gay men and transvestites were among Flore MontielUs numerous victims. The Mexico City based Circulo Cultural Gay (CCG) (Gay Cultural Circle) has long suspected him of directing some of the brutal murders in Chiapas, most of them carried out with the high caliber bullets used by the police. CCG greeted news of the arrest with skepticism, and called anew for a thorough and impartial investigation to bring to justice all of those involved in the killing spree. The cautious response of activists reflects the deep distrust of the governmentUs commitment to its own human rights laws, a skepticism that helped spark the insurrection of the Zapatista Army for National Liberation (EZLN) that began on New YearUs day. "Gay activists and human rights workers have ample cause to withhold congratulating the Mexican government," said Jorge Cortinas, Program Director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. "Local authorities have let crucial evidence go unexamined, have promoted judges who participated in the cover up, and have convicted innocent people to protect the guilty." Cortinas pointed to a report by the Mexican governmentUs own National Commission on Human Rights that documents a policy of willful obstruction of justice on the part of local authorities. The three men originally convicted and imprisoned for the murders are widely regarded to have been falsely charged as part of a wider cover-up. Two of them have since been released by order of the Chiapas State Supreme Court. The latest to be released, Martin Ramon Moguel Lopez, maintains that he was forced to sign a confession after he was tortured and his family was threatened. The arrest of Flores Montiel comes after more then two years of high profile protests led by gay activists in Mexico. Jose Maria Covarrubias, coordinator for CCG, stressed the importance of exposing the governmentUs complicity in human rights abuses. "These assassinations have preoccupied the Mexican and international press thanks to the hard work of activists, intellectuals and artists who have refused to remain silent." Covarrubias' group has been instrumental in securing a series of open letters to the Mexican Government demanding that the perpetrators of the crimes be brought to justice. The letters, widely circulated and published in Mexico, were signed by many of the countries leading artists, writers, and politicians. # # #