Death threat against Adolfo Guzmán Ordaz - October 2011
On 20 October 2011, Mexican human rights defender Mr Adolfo Guzmán Ordaz received a death threat at his home in Comitán de Domínguez, Chiapas.
Adolfo Guzmán Ordaz is a member of the organisation Enlace, Comunicación y Capacitación – Enlace CC (“Connect, Communication and Training”). Enlace CC is a civil organisation based in Chiapas which works for sustainable development for indigenous people and rural workers in central and southern Mexico, incorporating human rights and gender equality as its guiding principles.
On 20 October 2011, Mexican human rights defender Mr Adolfo Guzmán Ordaz received a death threat at his home in Comitán de Domínguez, Chiapas.
This threat was delivered to the family home in spite of the fact that their home is under permanent police protection in accordance with the precautionary measures stipulated by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (MC 52-10).
Adolfo Guzmán Ordaz works for sustainable development for indigenous peoples and rural workers in central and southern Mexico, particularly focusing on human rights and gender equality.
Front Line previously issued appeals in relation to attacks and death threats against Adolfo Guzmán Ordaz and his family on 23 December 2009 and on 1 March 2010.
On 20 October 2011, it is reported that Ms Margarita Guadalupe Martínez Martínez, wife of Adolfo Guzmán Ordaz, noticed an envelope under her car. Before picking it up, she asked the police officers guarding her home at that time whether they had seen anything, to which they replied they had not. Margarita Guadalupe Martínez Martínez then opened the envelope and found a note inside addressed to Adolfo Guzmán Ordaz. The note read, “PARA QUE SEPAS NO HAY JUSTICIA MEJOR SIERRA LA BOCA SI NO QUIERES DESAPARECER SOMOS LA LEY Y ESTAMOS PROTEGIDOS MUERTE MUERTE MUERTE” (Just so you know, there is no justice. Better to shut your mouth if you don't want to disappear. We are the law and we are protected. Death, death, death).
On 26 February 2010, Margarita Guadalupe Martínez Martínez was abducted by two unidentified men, violently attacked and warned that she would be killed if she did not drop the case against those police officers involved in the raid of her home on 8 November 2009. This attack occurred after several death threats had been made against Adolfo Guzmán Ordaz in December 2009 and January 2010.
Front Line believes that the death threat against Adolfo Guzmán Ordaz is directly related to the ongoing investigations into the attack on Margarita Guadalupe Martínez Martínez on 26 February 2010 and the raid on their home in November 2009, which in turn were related to Adolfo Guzmán Ordaz's work in the defence of human rights, in particular those of indigenous peoples and rural workers. Front Line is seriously concerned for the physical and psychological integrity and security of Adolfo Guzmán Ordaz, Margarita Guadalupe Martínez Martínez and their family.
