Dear Colleagues,
On the 23rd. of March, 1995, technicians from the Secretariat for
Communications and Transport (SCT) ordered the immediate
suspension of the transmissions of Radio Huayacocotla, "The Voice
of the Campesinos".
HISTORY
Radio Huaya is situated in the Northern Sierra of Veracruz, Mexico
and has been transmitting on 2390 Khz at 500 watts in the 120 meter
band ever since 1965. Our transmission area is inhabited by indigenous
peoples: Otomies, Nahuatl and Tepehuas as well as mestizo
campesinos. According to a study published by the National
Council for Population (CONAPO), a federal Government body, called
"Socioeconomic Indicators and Municipial Index of Marginalization,
1990", 2 of the municipalities of our area, Texcatepec and
Ilamtlan, were rated as being in positions 23 and 24 respectively
in a list of 2,403 marginalized municipalities in Mexican territory.
Our work of providing information for our indigenous friends has
been in attempting to inform them of what happens within the
country. We inform them of events that private radio and TV do
not cover, but ones which can be found in the more democratic
national printed media such as "La Jornada", "Financiero" and
"Proceso" and the communiques of Human Rights groups.
This work has provoked a repressive reaction against the Radio on
the part of conservative groups, those who own the economic and
political forces of the region as well as from the state and
federal Governments.
On another front, it is clear that 2390 Khz is not a very useful
frequency since few radio sets have this band. It has been a
priority for us, then, to attempt to secure a licence to broadcast
in the AM band, between 500 and 1600 Khz. We have been attempting
this since 1978. We have filled out all the forms, met all the
technical requirements, but the answer has always been negative
and always without any reason being given. Then, in 1985, the SCT
informed us that, from a technical point of view, they could give
us a licence to broadcast at 1350 Khz with the sign XEHAY.
However, from that moment on, they argued that it would also be
necessary to obtain the permission from the Department of the
Interior. This permission has never been granted. Perhaps the
application has found its final resting place in some bureaucrat's
file. In this way, Radio Huayacocotla has been
transmitting under a type of technical censureship.
THE FACTS:
This latest round of problems began with a number of
disinformation campaigns carried out by the local political bosses
against Radio Huaya. Then there was a series of calls from
supposed funcionaries from the Interior Ministry and the SCT, at both
State and Federal levels, that were attempts to collect information
about the radio personnel and about our transmissions and the type
of equipment that we had.
Then, a rumour began to circulate in several government offices
that Radio Huaya was transmitting messages in code. This rumour was
began by some political bosses in Amaxac who had been affected
because the indigenous people there, helped by our team, and
through a long legal battle, won back land that these political
bosses had encroached upon. It is clear that for these land
grabbers, talking in the indigenous languages is to speak in code!
In due course, we were able to clarify this question but we had to
do so before the State Government of Veracruz, before the Attorney
General of the Republic and even before the President of the
Republic!
Despite all these clarficiations, on the 23rd of March this year,
2 officials from the SCT in Xalapa, Veracruz appeared at the
studio and presented us with a very aggressive letter of
commission in which, before any inspection, we were already
judged to be transmitting in defiance of the regulations. The
letter also threatened us, in the event of our "resisting" an
inspection with civil or military force. The inspection produced
a large number of technical failures that justified, according
to the inspectors, the immediate suspension of transmissions.
Their diagnosis: the equipment of Radio Huaya is in a bad
condition. Without giving any opportunity for defence, they
ordered the immediate suspension of transmissions with the
argument that if we disobeyed the order, the consequences would be
much more drastic.
We then contracted the services of independent technicians whose
opinion was that yes, there were technical faults but that in the
report, some were exaggerated and others were pure inventions of the SCT
inspectors.
The order of immediate suspension of transmissions was also
unusual in our country where a period of 60 working days has, in
the past, always been allowed in order to correct any irregularities.
CONCLUSION:
These measures applied against us by the Mexican Government
demonstrate that a democracy of information and the freedom of
expression that organs of the media such as our little station are
supposed to be entitled to, are merely words written on paper.
ACTION:
We therefore ask you to send urgent protests to:
Mr. Esteban Moctezuma, Minister for the Interior
Ministry of the Interior
Mexico, D.F.
Fax +[52 5] 592 0584; +[52 5] 546 7388
Mr. Patricio Chirinos Calero, Governor of the State of Veracruz
Government Palace,
Xalapa, Ver.
Mexico.
Fax +[52 28] 17 7503; +[52 28] 17 0176; +[52 28] 17 3281
Mr. Carlos Ruiz Sacristan.
Secretary for Communications and Transport
Mexico, D.F.
Fax +[52 5] 519 0692
We suggest the following possible text:
_________________________________________________________________
The order to suspend the transmissions of Station XEJN-OC,
Radio Huayacocotla, is an blow against the freedom of speech
and against the rights of the indigenous peoples to have access to
reliable information.
Despite the technical limitations that Radio Huayacocotla has, the
process of suspension of transmissions implies a violation of
human rights since a sanction has been imposed without any right
to self-defence.
We therefore ask you to:
-intervene in order to cancel the order of immediate suspension of
transmissions of Radio Huayacocotla and allow them the usual 60
working days' period to correct any authentic faults.
-provide the permissions necessary for this stations to operate in
the AM band.
_________________________________________________________________
Could you send us copies of your faxes/support to:
Radio Huayacocotla.
Dom. Gutie'rrez Na'jera s/n
C.P. 92600 Huayacocotla, Ver. Me'xico.
Te'l: +[52 775] 8-00-67; Fax: +[52 775] 8-01-78;
E-mail: framos@uibero.uia.mx
Yours sincerely,
Juan Antonio Vazquez Q.
Coordinator, Radio Huayacocotla.
Source: Chiapas95 List