Urgent: Mexican ex-political prisoner Mr David Venegas Reyes will be sentenced on this Monday, 13th of April on made up charges in Oaxaca, Mexico

To:  the Mexican authorities; President of Mexico Lic. Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa, Attorney General of the Republic Lic. Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza, President of the National Human Rights Commission Dr. José Luis Soberanes Fernández, Minister of Interior

Mr David Venegas Reyes has been persecuted in various ways for more than 2 years already. Mr David Venegas Reyes has been a victim of torture and was imprisoned for 11 months, until he was found not guilty of the charges. Since then Mr David Venegas Reyes has been on parole for the current made up charges and signing in every 15 days.

Mr David Venegas Reyes needs our help, because the Mexican justice system is very corrupt according to reports. This year the United Nations gave 83 recommendations to Mexico concerning the Human Rights. Mr David Venegas’ sentencing was supposed to take place on the 6th of April but possibly due to international and local opinion was postponed yet again. Now the sentencing will take place during holidays when there will not be as many possible protesters.

By signing this petition you will agree that the letter below is sent to the Mexican authorities signed by you in Spanish. The Spanish version can be read at http://merimononen.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!396617B948266A0D!245.entry

For more information read the request for urgent action request by VOCAL, Mr David Venegas Reyes’ collective, at http://merimononen.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!396617B948266A0D!242.entry, an Amnesty International campaign for Mr David Venegas Reyes from when he was initially arrested in 2007 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR41/017/2007/en/e37aa44d-d39b-11dd-a329-2f46302a8cc6/amr410172007en.html and Amnesty International on Mexico: Laws without Justice http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR41/015/2007/en/ba77b8dc-d39c-11dd-a329-2f46302a8cc6/amr410152007en.html.

Please ask your friends and organizations to sign this petition. Thank you for your support.

Dear Prosecutor/Governor/ Ambassador etc,

we wish to bring to your knowledge that the sentence will be read in case number 25/07 against Mr David Venegas Reyes on the 13th of April 2009 in Oaxaca , Mexico. On this date, he will be sentenced on the obviously trumped-up charge of possession with intent to sell cocaine and heroin.

This is the 2nd judicial process that Mr David Venegas Reyes is facing in these past 2 years. He was first charged with Sedition, Conspiracy, and Arson for allegedly burning eight buildings in downtown Oaxaca on November 25, 2006. He was found not guilty of these charges and freed after 11 months in prison.

The profound irregularities found in this second process from the detention to the judgement make us think that there is a willingness to punish Mr David Venegas Reyes at every cost. The only activity of Mr David Venegas Reyes has been, and will be, his commitment with as an activist against the corruption and for the Human Rights in his community.

As such we demand that Mr David Venegas Reyes will be found innocent and he will be compensated for the kidnap style detention and the torture he was a victim of. In this sense we demand an impartial investigation of the detention and torture of Mr David Venegas Reyes in the correct meaning of the law. Compensation is also a fair claim for the 11 months he was a prisoner.

The acquittal of his charges is not enough unless the campaign of discrediting and slander against Mr David Venegas Reyes is ceased. This campaign is orchestrated by several members of the media such as the state TV channel number 9 and Television Azteca as well as various written media in Oaxaca. All of these affect the reputation of Mr David Venegas Reyes and his collective VOCAL (Oaxacan Voices Constructing Autonomy and Freedom) in a harmful way.

Mr David Venegas Reyes and the other members of VOCAL are also being persecuted because of their activities in their community against the corruption and for the Human Rights. We demand that the Oaxacan and the Mexican authorities guarantee their physical integrity and their personal safety.

We ask for concrete action to be taken to compensate the injustice Mr David Venegas Reyes has suffered, as to see that measures are taken, so that he can be incorporated in the workforce in his profession in agronomy.

We appeal to Your sense of justice and expect the outcome to be in accordance with the law.

As for our part we will continue following this case up-close and will not stop demanding justice.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Urgent: Mexican ex-political prisoner Mr David Venegas Reyes will be sentenced on this Monday, 13th of April on made up charges in Oaxaca, Mexico Petition to the Mexican authorities; President of Mexico Lic. Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa, Attorney General of the Republic Lic. Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza, President of the National Human Rights Commission Dr. José Luis Soberanes Fernández, Minister of Interior was created by and written by Meri Mononen (meri_mononen@hotmail.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.