Why articulate the social struggles It is more essential than ever before the fragility of a State overwhelmed by insecurity, vulnerability, marginalization and acts of violence that are exercised against various sectors of the population, this Thursday, the Civic Proposal collective, whose job is to provide support of all kinds to human rights defenders and journalists, and their families, this Thursday announces the official launch of the first National Network of Families of Murdered and Disappeared Journalists in Mexico “solidarity fabrics”.
This network, shares the journalist and activist Griselda Trianawhose husband, the journalist Javier Valdez, was assassinated a few streets from the newsroom of the weekly Ríodoce, in Culiacán, Sinaloa, on May 15, 2017, is made up of the wives, daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, mothers of people disappeared or murdered, and is dedicated mainly to the legal representation and comprehensive accompaniment of victims of human rights violations and does so necessarily with a gender perspective, intersectional and with a human rights approach.
“We want to promote links and coordination between the families of murdered and/or disappeared journalists from different states. Although families from Michoacán, Chihuahua, Oaxaca and Sinaloa have participated in these first meetings, what is clear to us is that the families of murdered and/or disappeared journalists are all over the Mexican territory. It must be remembered that in Veracruz, which is the deadliest state to practice journalism, there are dozens of families of journalists who are forgotten and invisible. We seek that more and more families can join in to continue documenting cases and conducting research. Of course, we are also interested in coordinating actions with civil society organizations that provide legal support”.
Triana indicates that those who make up this network are mostly women, “because we are the ones who stay in charge, as heads of families, and we have to learn to document and carry out research.”
A pending Javier Valdez case
Twenty days after the sixth anniversary of the murder of Javier Valdez, Griselda Triana assesses the sentence of two of the material authors. But it points to the inability of the authorities to advance in the apprehension of the alleged mastermind, Dámaso López Serrano, who, as confirmed by the United States Department of Justice, continues in judicial proceedings for various crimes, but, adds Griselda Triana, “we have information that he was incorporated as a protected witness, which makes it more difficult for this individual to come (extradited) to Mexico.” In the country there is an arrest warrant against him and an extradition request, given that, since 2020, an arrest warrant was issued against him for the alleged intellectual authorship of the attack against Javier Valdez.
“We are not afraid and we believe that this happens with the majority of defenders who are looking for their relatives. We are moved by hope that justice will be done. In the case of Javier, I do not lose hope that this subject can be extradited to Mexico and, surely, we women seekers are also motivated by the hope of finding our disappeared relatives at some point. Fear does not bend us, it does not limit us. Given the inaction of the State to provide an answer, to find the culprits or to do so for their extradition, I think our hope can be stronger”, comments the activist.
Finally, Triana reiterates that, initially, there are six families that make up the National Network of Families of Murdered and Disappeared Journalists in Mexico, but the objective is to incorporate more families with whom a network of greater scope and capacity can be woven. large documentation of cases, but, above all, a network of social support, legal assistance and psychosocial support, which in these times is extremely vital.
“We want families not to feel alone, that what I have lived, other people have lived, and it is time to join us, to count on the solidarity and unrestricted support that Civic Proposal has given us, because without their approach, we would continue as it is, unfortunately, most of the families that have lost a relative in this country. We have come out of our isolation, we have come out into the light, and that is the most important thing.”
Click here to learn more about the Civic Proposal and the network.
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