"You F***** with me, so I will have the pleasure of killing you"...said mayor of Iguala before shooting activist

By Chivis Martínez for Borderland Beat

The PRD national council unanimously approved the immediate expulsion of José Luis Abarca, Mayor of Iguala, Guerrero. Also impeachment proceedings have been initiated.

The mayor is wanted for murder.

On May 30^th 2013 hundreds of striking miners, farmers and activists belonging to Unión Popular Emiliano Zapata (UPEZ),  was conducting a protest in Iguala, Guerrero.

The grievances had lasted over seven years and nothing had transpired to addresses the issues of  exploitation and extreme occupational hazards that faced Taxco miners on strike against Grupo Mexico, the Larrea family, and the complicity, abuses, and impunity of local rulers.  Other issues were the exploitation of farmers.

In the case of Iguala, the local ruler is mayor, José Luis Abarca.  Iguala residents have long complained of the criminality of Abarca and his wife, and their alleged ties to Guerrero Unidos cartel.  

On May 29 th, Abarca told a group in an open forum to “stop fucking around with me, I have people that work for me, that can take care of this”  

Arturo Hernandez Cordona, (at left) scientist, agricultural consultant, and founder of the local PRD as part of the National Democratic Leftist group (IDN) asked Abarca;
 “what do you mean take care of this?  That sounds like a threat to me”

The next day was May 30^th and the protest.  It lasted for a couple of hours and everyone dispersed around 3 in the afternoon.  The last of the protestors to leave were a group of eight organizers and leaders, including Arturo Hernández Cardona, Ángel Román, Rafael Bandera and 5 others.

The men were traveling on a toll highway when they were intercepted by an armed group.  Of the eight men, 4 managed to flee, 3 were killed and their bodies found, and one has never been seen again.  One of the survivors gives details;

On May 30^th we were intercepted by two trucks, one gray Cherokee and a red Explorer; the Cherokee six people exited armed with guns, and in the Explorer were two men and a woman, but they just stayed inside the vehicle  This testimony is from Nicholas Mendoza Villa, on July 25 last year.

He testified that the armed men got out of the truck and went to the vehicle of their and forced them out, right away Hernandez was shot in the right leg. 

While blindfolded, they were moved to an unknown location, although blindfolded, Mendoza said he could tell it was a field.

He continued, saying  next the blindfolds were removed and  "we were looking at  ten men with rifles, and then the  beating began.  

Around six p.m. two men dug a pit. Late at night  three people arrived, of whom he said he knew the identities of two; the mayor Jose Luis Abarca and Velázquez, Secretary of Public Security, the third person he was not familiar with.  They all were drinking beers which they carried to where they were being held.

The survivor says the mayor ordered further torture, and at the end of our torture, mayor Jose Luis Abarca  approached engineer Arturo Hernández Cardona,  saying how much Hernandez fucked with him, so he will have the pleasure of killing him.   

He began beating Hernandez for about 10 minutes until Hernandez was in a heap, then the director of Public Safety lifted Hernandez up off the ground, and was dragged 10 feet to a pit, and “ mayor Jose Luis Abarca Velázquez  with a  shotgun, fired two shots, hitting him in the face and  once in the chest and left him lying in the open pit. " 

It was at that point that Felix Rafael Bandera Román, attempted to escape, "but was executed on the spot.."  The mayor and the other two left at that time, leaving a couple of men to execute the others and leave the bodies  with a poster board with a narco message to be signed by “Los Rojos”.  The sicarios loaded the two bodies of Hernandez and Bandera and had the others sit on top of them in the back of a van.   

It was very dark at this time, and the victims knew if they were going to escape it had to be then.  The sicarios  were distracted by discussing if they should dig a pit and leave it open or execute the remainder of the victims first, when the received a phone call.  The sicario that answered actually lied and said everything was completed.  At that moment the victims ran through the field, in the cover of darkness,  into the mountains.

Four managed to make it to freedom.  Three of those men moved far from the area.  Three bodies were found, 1 person unaccounted for. It had rained the night of the 30th, rendering the poster board message illegible, however it reads something like: 

 "Come pick up your trash,
Atte. La Garra de Guerrero Leonor Nava. Los Rojos”.

Rain was probably the reason the killers chose to dump the bodies rather than dig pits.

Another witness Miguel Vivanco testified that the mayor (Jose Luis Abarca Velázquez) and the chief of police visited the place where he and others were being held in captivity, and Mayor ordered them to be tortured. " 

At the funeral for Hernandez, thousands turned out, lined the streets, miners created fences with their helmets, lining them at attention formation.  Honoring the man who lived as they, who only wanted their rights respected.  

Since the killings, and these events, activists, families, farmers and residents have been crying out to authorities to take action.  They have been ignored.  Activist Saltillo Bishop Raul Vera,  along with the International Centre for Social Justice (Cejil), went to Washington, and testified before the Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), on the case of the three activists killed.  

On this matter, the bishop of Saltillo, who heads the mission, reported to the IACHR that there are authorities who “look function as enemies to those who demand their rights” . And he wondered: “Public servants?”  he asked.  "Rather,  butchers have come into  power”.

When the Bishop returned to Guerrero he was hailed as a hero and cheered by the people. 

To their credit, after reciving evidence and a formal complaint, Amnesty International called on the federal government to investigate the murders and the mayor.  The federal government refused to become involved.

And the people of Iguala and Taxco besought justice.  They fought for justice, they would not go away, they would not be quiet, and they would not stop fucking with the mayor, aka demanding their lawful rights.

Hernandez founded the PRD party in the state of Guerrero, however until yesterday they have shown no interest in becoming involved with the Iguala issues, killings and abuses. 

It was not until perhaps 52 people were slaughtered, students, teachers, soccer players, was there action.  It has been perplexing to recognize how the world press has largely ignored this story of injustice, racism, impunity and denial of human rights.  I don’t understand it.  It has impacted this humanitarian to the core. 

The mayor and his security have warrants out for their arrest for these murders, and are “suspected” in the missing and murdered student case.   They are on the lam.  

While researching this story, I was taken back by the number of mass graves found in Iguala.  Taking into account most "fosas" are not discovered, here is what I found for the past year of 2014, just glancing through old articles, in a quick perusal through regional papers.   Nationwide media ignores most of the news of fosa finds of Guerrero.

February      23 Bodies
March            4 Bodies
April               6 Bodies
May 19 Bodies (photo above)
August         32 Bodies

Please note the fosa count is not complete, locals report that in 2012-2014 residents of Iguala discovered 200 bodies openly dumped in the landfill area surrounding Iguala.

Hopefully, now that the butcher of Iguala, his security chief and all those responsible, will be brought to justice. I won’t give up hope, but I will not be holding my breath.

It took 15 hrs for over a thousand people, to pass through to pay respects.

  

Guerrero's  mines controlled by organized crime

The mines in Guerrero are in the top 10 position in Mexico for: Gold, silver, copper, iron, lead and zinc.  Gro is referred to as the gold belt and the place for foreign enities to obtain "cheap gold".Or  GGB.

And therein lies the core of the issue.  Exploitation of the mines and of it's people.  The unemployment rate is 2%, but income is only apx 4100 USD per year., or 78 dollars per week. working long hours in  very unsafe conditions.  Canada is the leading country mining in Gro, 100% of all new exploration and development. 

From these issues sprung grievances and concerns.  Monopolies, and organized crime, see the protest groups as the enemy, a threat to their piece of the financial pie.  indigenous communities and campesinos of the Montaña and Costa Chica regions of Guerrero are strongly opposed to the mining exploitation projects being conducted  by foreign companies, there is evidence that many exploratory projects are already taking place without a proper consultation of the local people.

Organized crime control  mines in 5 states including Guerrero.  As for  the state and federal governments, they don’t care what the people think, or their rights,  what they really care about is generating business with companies, regardless of whether these are indigenous lands, or whether the result is violence and conflict.  

Understand, much of this mining land belongs to the indigenous people.  Michoacan has like problems.  Sinaloa, CT, LFM, GU all steal mining product and illegally mine.