>From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
/* Written 12:11 am May 16, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved. Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.
Title: MEXICO: INDIAN PRISONERS GO ON HUNGER STRIKE
mexico city, may 13 (ips) -- seventy-five indian prisoners in a
gaol of the southern state of chiapas have been on a hunger
strike for the past 22 days alleging they have been detained
under ''false accusations,'' it was reported here wednesday.
fourteen of the prisoners are in critical condition, ''some
of them vomiting blood,'' says an open letter addressed to
president carlos salinas de gortari and to the minister of the
interior.
also on hunger strike, together with the indians, are six
'mestizo' (half-caste) prisoners, says mexico city's human
rights organization 'fray bartolome de las casas'.
the prisoners are held in the 'cerro hueco' penal colony and
are accusing the governor of chiapas state, patrocinio gonzalez,
of violating the indians' human rights and of participating in
the destruction of the state's tropical forests.
they are asking the mexican government to give them a ''fair
trial,'' in the presence of bilingual translators, who can
explain the various judicial processes, which at present are
incomprehensible for them.
the hunger strike began on apr. 22, and 17 of the original
strikers were set free a week later.
on apr. 23, 400 indians who had participated in a 50-day,
1,000-kilometre protest march from their villages, reached mexico
city to demand the liberation of 10 indians held in the state of
chiapas and the suspension of the arrest warrants on another 150.
all the indian protests and demonstrations are specifically
directed against governor gonzalez, who is accused of
systematically violating the indians' human rights.
(ends/ips/tr/hr/mc/in/it)