My friend just sent me this from chiapas -- the man detained, Joshué, is a good friend of hers.....
<br><br>
this is an article from <a href="http://chiapas.indymedia.org">chiapas.indymedia.org</a>
 about the village i went to last april in the lacandon jungle called nuevo san 
rafael, when i went, it was to face the year long threats of the military and 
paramilitaries who had set a date for the village to be evacuated. 17 
international observers suprised them on their arrival and they had to turn 
around and leave, i was hopeful on my return to the us, thinking maybe we 
really changed something. i am worried, and sad at reading this news, josue is 
a good friend of mine, used to stay in my house in san cristobal whenever he 
came to town and his daughter, maricela taught me alot about bravery and the 
continuous struggle that calls for strength and humor.
if you have any questions, send them along.<br>
-<a href="mailto:gengst@mail.putney.com">g</a>
<br><br>
Translation of the denuncia published by the Center Fray Bartolome de las 
Casas regarding the recent evictions in Montes Azules 
<br><br>
Human Rights Center Bartolome de las Casas<br>
23rd January, 2004<br>
<br>
23 homes of zapatistas burned down in Montes Azules
<br><br>
The Human Rights Center Bartolome de las Casas transmits this denuncia 
received yesterday, 22nd of January, 2004, regarding the burning of houses and 
the detention of the citizen Joshué Jiménez Cruz in the community Nuevo San 
Rafael, located in the Montes Azules Biosphere reserve. 
<br><br>
Today, members of this center went to that place in order to document the 
facts, but they could not get as far as Nuevo San Rafael, because the PROFEPA 
has prohibited the passage over the Lacantún river to the boatmen of the Ixcán 
community; therefore the conditions of the inhabitants of Nuevo San Rafael are 
not known. According to the testimonies obtained by this center, 23 houses of 
the community were burned and at the moment 40 Marine and Police elements 
remain in Nuevo San Rafael. It is important to note that the inhabitants of 
this community are indigenous choles displaced from Calvario, municipality of 
Sabanilla. 
<br><br>
In the previous days the local press noticed the arrival of dozens of 
militaries in the zone, provoking fear among the settlers faced with the 
threats of imminent eviction by the Federal authorities. 
<br><br>
This Center condemns energetically the incomunication to which the communities 
are submitted and the violation of the free transit in the zone of Montes 
Azules. 
<br><br>
It is extremely worrying, that the federal authorities keep the community 
Nuevo San Rafael incomunicado, violating the constitutional guarantees of free 
transit and communication. This Center therefore calls them to fulfill their 
duty regarding the monitoring and protection of the individual and collective 
human rights of the indigenous communities located in the Montes Azules zone. 
<br><br>

San Cristóbal de Las Casas, 23rd January, 2004