Federal Investigation Agency tries to dismantle Ñomndaa community radio

10th July 2008

Tlapa, Guerrero, Mexico on 10th July 2008. Today around thirty officials from the Federal Investigation Agency and the Ministerial Investigative Police (la Policía Investigadora Ministerial, PIM) violently burst into the booth of Ñomndaa community radio La palabra del Agua which broadcasts from the autonomous municipality Suljaa’ (Xochistlahuaca). They damaged the equipment by disconnecting it unexpectedly in an attempt to dismantle this medium of communication that has given voice to the Amuzgo people since 2004.

As a consequence of the arbitrary action this community radio station that broadcasts in the Amuzga language remained off the air, announced David Valtierra Arango, who is involved in the aforementioned station.

He explained that at around 11.30 am on Thursday, the federal agents led by officials from the Department of Communications and Transport (la Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, SCT) arrived at Ñomndaa. While one group demanded the station’s documents, the other, weapons in hand, entered the booth and disconnected the equipment. As a result the transmitter and the computer used for scheduling the programme burnt out. The radio has been running since 20th December 2004.

The agents were interrupted by around 300 Amuzgo indigenous people who surrounded the radio in response to the call for help made by the radio presenters minutes before the equipment was disconnected. The people from Xochistlahuaca in the Costa Chica region of Guerrero were also summoned by the traditional authorities, using megaphones.

Valtierra Arango mentioned that this pressure on the part of the Amuzgos stopped the agents and SCT officials from closing down the station and taking away the broadcasting equipment; instead they decided to leave. However, he emphasised that a number of federal agents remain, in an intimidating manner, at the entrance to the community.

Tlachinollan: “Another attempt to criminalise the indigenous peoples’ struggle.”

On a separate occasion Abel Barrera Hernández, the director of Tlachinollan Human Rights Centre expressed the view that this attack on the Ñomndaa community radio “is a sign that the government’s attempt to criminalise the indigenous struggle continues, above all the peoples’ struggle for the right to have their own radio station that disseminates their culture, customs and even the rights of indigenous peoples, as in other projects such as the Community Police.”

He expressed his regret that they want to label the community radio as “illegal, when we know that on a national and international level there is a movement for the recognition of these efforts on the part of civil society. They are legitimate but unfortunately they clash with complicated legal mechanisms that are designed so that people without financial resources cannot access this kind of concession.”

He emphasised that La Ñomndaa “is an highly legitimate radio for the Amuzgo community and therefore the people have defended it and continue to claim that it is a part of their heritage and nothing to do with committing crimes because they are not making a profit from this service; rather they are contributing towards strengthening the cultural values of a participatory democracy.”

Barrera Hernández added that “taking into account international legislation on indigenous rights, which stipulate that the peoples have the right to access, use, manage and own media, at Tlachinollan we believe that the acts carried out by the AFI against the Ñomndaa is an attack on the freedom of expression of indigenous peoples who attempt to recover the right denied to them by governments. Therefore, through exercising the autonomy guaranteed to them by international law, they have sought to create their own radio station. Unlike other commercial radio stations La Ñomndaa is non-profit making.”

Attacks on La Ñomdaa

-In October 2004, when those involved in the La Palabra del Agua radio were installing the tower for the radio antenna. On this occasion a light aircraft from the Army flew over the tower.
-On 22nd January 2005 Ricardo Damián Mazariego, Army lieutenant from the 48th Battalion, based in Cruz Grande, arrived at the radio claiming that he had been sent to carry out an investigation into the station and its operators.
-On 25th February of the same year, members of the SCT arrived at the radio station under orders to secure the premises to “guarantee the radio did not operate.” Finally the officials left advising them to turn off the radio because otherwise they would not get authorisation to operate.
-On 18th July 2005, officials from the Federal Investigation Agency arrived at the radio with an investigation warrant issued by the National Department of Justice (la Procuraduría General de la República, PGR). They also had a summons for the then General Coordinator of the Radio Support Committee, David Valtierra Arango to present himself at the PGR offices. This summons is the result of Preliminary Investigation number AP/PGR/GRO/ACADII/50/2005, carried out by this department.
-On 17th December 2005, during a round table discussing the characteristics of community radios with and without federal government support, the radio’s power supply was cut off.
-On Thursday 23rd February 2006 at around 11:00 am a low-flying light aircraft from the Army passed over the community and in particular circled a few times around el Cerro de los Flores where the radio tower and transmission booth are located.
-On Saturday 25th February 2006 at approximately 10:30 am, a light Army aircraft flew over the community several times, passing only a few metres away from the antenna tower and the trees, where it circled a few times over the radio booth.
-On 9th August 2007 they arrested and imprisoned David Valtierra Arango in Ometepec prison, accused of the false imprisonment of an ejidatario who was detained upon the agreement of the Ejidal Civil Authority. David did not participate in this meeting, but it was clear that his arrest was because he has been actively involved in the radio.

Press contact:
Teresa de la Cruz
Coordinator of the Communications Department in Tlachinollan Human Rights Centre in La Montaña.
Mina 77, Col, Centro, Tlapa, Guerrero
Tel: 017574761200 / 61220
Mobile: 045 7571025132
Email: tere_delacruz@hotmail.com
www.tachinollan.org