by the Mexico Solidarity Network, Jul 8, 1998

Encourage your Representatives to sign the enclosed "Dear Colleague letter to President Zedillo"

Deadline for signing is July 15, 1998

Please call your Representative today!

The "Dear Colleague Letter," circulated by Sam Farr, already has over 20 signatures. The letter was written before the recent changes in Mexican immigration regarding human rights workers were implemented, and as such it contains some minor factual errors. Nevertheless, coming on the heals of the visit to Chiapas by Congressmen Gutierrez and Rush, and the Tri-National Friendship Delegation to Chiapas, the letter will have a powerful impact. Please encourage your Reps to sign on TODAY. The deadline is July 15.

June 24, 1998

Dear Colleague,

It is a well documented fact that human rights observers play a critical role in substantiating and identifying human rights abuses around the world. This has been especially true in Chiapas, Mexico. Following the December 22, 1997 massacre in Acteal, human rights observers were instrumental in obtaining eye-witness testimony and reporting on the full extent of the killings.

Given the complicated nature of the conflict, there is an appropriate role for international observer groups who maintain an ongoing presence in country and who are thus able to provide an invaluable service based on their in-depth knowledge of the situation. This year, approximately 60 foreigners have been expelled from Mexico, most of whom were international human rights observers in Chiapas. Many of the foreigners were denied due process and were held without arrest warrants and denied access to legal assistance or any kind of court hearing.

Recently, Mexico announced stringent new regulations that may functionally impede human rights observer efforts. The new regulations allow 30 days to process visa requests, permit stays of no longer than 10 days, and require a detailed itinerary. These regulations create the impression that Mexico seeks to obstruct rather than regulate international human rights observers.

I encourage you to sign the attached letter to President Zedillo expressing our concern that international human rights observers continue to be provided timely and flexible access to sites of purported human rights abuses. Please contact Sandy (5-2861) of my staff to sign on or with questions.

Sincerely,

SAM FARR
Member of Congress

Lic. Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon
Presidente Constitutional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Palacio National
06067 Mexico DF, Mexico

Dear President Zedillo,

We are deeply concerned about recent reports regarding the status of international human rights observers in Mexico. We recognize the sovereignty of the Mexican government regarding immigration law. At the same time, Mexico is a signatory of international human rights treaties. As in the trade arena, so with human rights, mechanisms for international observation are essential to insure that international treaties do, in fact, achieve their intended results in all signatory countries.

We are pleased that Mexico recognizes this fact and has provided mechanisms to permit international human rights observation. However, we are troubled by the high number of expulsions from Mexico of individuals, some of them our constituents, who were engaged in legitimate observation tasks.

Also, we understand that the Mexican government has recently announced its intention to implement stringent new regulations ("unprecedented in the Americas," according to Amnesty International) that may functionally impede observation efforts. In particular, the reported requirements to allow 30 days to process visa requests, limit stays to no longer than 10 days, and to require a detailed itinerary. Such severe restrictions create the impression that your government seeks to obstruct rather than regulate international observation.

International observers played a critical role in reporting on the December 22, 1997 Acteal massacre in Chiapas. It is important that human rights observers have immediate access to sites of egregious human rights abuses and witnesses to thoroughly investigate and report on the situation. Until now, FM-3 visa applications have been acted on quickly, sometimes the same day that they are submitted. A 60-day waiting period gives the impression of responding to political rather than bureaucratic concerns.

We note that most expulsions have been from Chiapas. Given the complicated nature of the conflict there, we believe that there is an appropriate role for international observer groups who maintain an ongoing presence and who are thus able to provide accurate information based on their in-depth knowledge of the situation. Allowing only brief visits may result in inaccurate, overblown or overly simplistic reporting to the international community.

In addition, the proposed requirement that observers name the places they intend to visit and the groups and individuals they intend to interview will severely undermine observation efforts. It is not possible to foresee in advance where one's investigation will lead. Moreover, without being able to guarantee confidentiality where necessary, efforts to secure testimony from traumatized and/or endangered witnesses would be severely hampered.

Finally, we are concerned about the lack of due process for foreigners who have been expelled, many of whom have been held without arrest warrants and denied access to legal assistance or any kind of court hearing. Due process is a fundamental guarantee related to the protection of human rights. We note that Mexico has insisted on this point in requesting an advisory opinion from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights regarding the application of the death penalty in the United States.

We value the deep ties between the peoples of Mexico and the United States. We urge you to continue your efforts to strengthen democracy in Mexico. We also urge you to act resolutely to secure peace agreements in Chiapas that are supported by all parties to the conflict. We deplore the expulsions of international human rights observers, including U.S. citizens. We urge you not to implement the overly restrictive visa restrictions that were announced recently. We believe that such international monitoring is a critical step for peace building efforts.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,