Tenosique Tabasco, August 20, 2020
To all Civil Society Organizations
To the Municipal, State and Federal Authorities:
During the time that we have been working for migrant human rights, we have denounced the acts of violence exercised against them, both by common criminals as well as by the organized and arbitrary acts of the authorities. During this time of the public health emergency of COVID-19, the migratory flow has decreased; however, violence on the migratory route, which translates into assaults, robberies, sexual violence and kidnapping, has not.
Today again, our indignation turns to two people of Honduran nationality who came in the morning to request the attention of the shelter, because on August 19, at approximately 3:00 p.m., they were intercepted by a group of four criminals. The events occurred in the town
Gregorio Méndez (Pénjamo), in the Emiliano Zapata municipality, in Tabasco.
One of the victims tells us that he was traveling in the company of three people, and as they were walking on the train tracks of the aforementioned place, they put their money together to buy bought a soda. As they approached an abandoned house, four people armed with machetes, a pipe and a firearm emerged. They gang, who forced them to leave their belongings and one of the assailants shot one of the victims in the leg. The victim fell on to the train tracks where the criminals abandoned him while they beat the others, grabbing them and throwing them into the bush.
The attackers had planned to kidnap them but as soon as they had the opportunity, the victims ran for help. Unfortunately one of them was unable to escape, and there is update on his whereabouts.
The victims ran for help to the town of Arena de Hidalgo, where they encountered elements of the National Guard whom they informed of what had happened. Later they were taken to the scene of the events, when they arrived they realized that that an ambulance and the municipal police were already on the scene.
The National Guard told them that they would be taken to the prosecutor’s offic to report the facts. However, they only collected some information and that was it, commented one of those affected.
We are aware that the situation of violence that prevails in this area is not a new or unique,
nor is this an isolated case. We constantly receive accounts from people who have been the victims of criminal groups that operate in broad daylight.
We also know that the authorities have information on the places where these crimes occur: facts, as well as their modus operandi. Victims face this violence and the inaction of authorities in the face of these crimes, a situation that is alarming, since the state then becomes an accomplice by maintaining impunity and putting at risk the security of the migrants and people living in this area.
An example of this are the 7 complaints that received in the first quarter of this year, complaints that not only have not reached a resolution, but have not even been addressed or investigated.
For all this we demand that the Mexican State:
- Investigate the facts.
- Review the case files.
- Arrest the suspects.