Attorney Carlos Spector and political asylee Saul Reyes Salazar lectured on the union of the drug cartels with Calderon’s regime and the Mexican military, which has led to more than 60,000 civilian deaths.
Carlos Spector & Saul Reyes Salazar speaking at CSUN Julia Cooke/El Nuevo Sol
By VIRGINIA ISAAD
EL NUEVO SOL
Saul Reyes Salazar, 43, lived as a baker in Mexico until the violence of the drug cartels led to the loss of six family members and his family’s move to the US under political asylum.
Since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the drug cartels in March of 2008, more than 60,000 civilians have been killed and according to Reyes Salazar, it is the military gunning down protestors and those in opposition of the government.
“We are not drug dealers, hit man nor do we have anything to do with organized crime but Calderon offends the memory of all those who died by saying they are criminals,” said Reyes Salazar.
In 2009, his nephew Julio Cesar Reyes was killed with the military merely 300 feet yet no action was taken and on January of the following year, Reyes Salazar’s sister, Josefina Reyes was killed after protesting her son’s death. The family continued to protest and on August 18, his brother, Ruben Reyes Salazar was killed.
“We didn’t remain silent despite the fact that three of our family members were killed,” said Reyes Salazar. “We continued demanding justice and on February 7 they kidnapped my brother, sister and my sister-in-law.”
The remaining family members gathered in front of a Juarez attorney’s office demanding they be found alive yet they were met with harassment and accusations of being involved in criminal activity.
What followed was a series of protests from Juarez to Mexico City, which lead to the burning of their homes in Guadalupe.
Nineteen days later the bodies appeared after national and international media coverage of the incident forced the government to turn over the bodies to the family.
They had been killed Feb. 8 and buried with lime and their bodies were exhumed and placed in a location where the family would be able to find them.
“I identified the bodies. I am satisfied knowing where their bodies rest today,” said Reyes Salazar.
The family continued to receive threats and a year later after efforts by human rights lawyer, Carlos Spector, Reyes Salazar, his wife and kids were granted asylum.
“It is not really a war on drugs but an ideological and social cleansing of people who are critical of Mexico’s government,” said Reyes Salazar.
Listen to full audio of Spector and Reyes Salazar presentation at CSUN (two parts).
[audio:http://www.elnuevosol.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/Carlos Spector y Saul Reyes CSUN Parte 1.MP3] [audio:http://www.elnuevosol.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/Carlos Spector y Saul Reyes CSUN Parte 2.MP3]
Now living in El Paso, Texas and a part of Mexicanos en Exilio (Mexicans in Exile), a group of Mexicans working with Spector to bring attention to the corruption in Mexico, he becomes visibly emotional when speaking of the loss of the life he once knew.
“Before August 2009 I was happy, arriving to the US after losing my family, my business and my home is not easy,” said Reyes Salazar wiping away tears. “Sorry for not speaking in English, I never wanted to be here.”
Spector points to systemic corruption stemming from 15th century colonial system that perpetuated and led to what is the state of Mexico today.
“The common belief is ‘se obedece pero no se cumple’, we obey but we don’t comply,” said Spector.
With a history of political corruption and a weakened infrastructure, Calderon’s call to war and the subsequent military presence throughout the country have intensified rather than lessened the violence.
“Mexico works with the three I’s- illegality, informality and impunity,” stated Spector. “Corruption is not a problem, it’s the solution.”
Thus far there have only been five asylum cases granted including Reyes Salazar though according to Spector, there are 8,000 pending.
Historically, Mexicans have not sought asylum,” said Spector. “But now this is a First Amendment issue.”
Reyes Salazar and others who are a part of Mexicanos en Exilio are expected to speak out about the violence and the government, something they cannot do in their native land.
“Now I can’t do what the government wants me to do,” said Reyes Salazar. “I won’t remain silent.”
Speaking the truth about the violence is “cardinal sin”
The United States has supported Calderon’s supposed fight against the drug cartels through Plan Merida by providing millions to the Mexican government, which has thus far been considered a success by the US. Spector acknowledged statements made by an audience member that arms trafficking and US drug use have also contributed to the perpetuation of military and governmental power in Mexico.
“Rather than exporting McDonald’s and Burger King we can export great American concepts- accountability, separation of powers, and the ability to ask simple questions,” said Spector.
Though citizens like the Reyes Salazar family and other human rights activists continue to denounce the military and government, most US media outlets continue on the
”Drug War” narrative.
“Media doesn’t challenge the government, the narrative,” said Spector. “ What’s the narrative in Mexico? That these are all drug-related crimes. The narrative we’re trying to change is ‘No, this is government persecution’ which nobody is buying. It takes time.”
This message is one that Spector believes is evident in the cases like those of Reyes Salazar and his family and other protestors who have no affiliations to drug organizations and yet continue to vanish or wind up dead.
“The war on drugs is really a war on opposition to the status quo,” said Reyes Salazar. Spector adds “it’s not a war on drugs, it’s a war for drugs and those who get in the way get killed.”
According to Spector, 90 percent of those killed are men and 90 percent of those protesting and leading the fight are women searching for their lost loved ones.
“The cardinal sin in Mexico, for which you will lose your life, is if you say what everybody knows which is that there is a relationship between the drug cartels and the Mexican army and the Mexican government,” said Spector.
Historically, Latin America has been fraught with political corruption and Calderon’s call to war, Spector believes, is representative of a long-standing belief that social issues be controlled by force
“Cases are Taliban-like,” Spector describes. “ We have one case where a young man came to our office, whose feet were cut off at the ankle by the head of the state police in Chihuahua… that’s the level of impunity.”
The thousands of deaths coupled with a lack of effective action against the military leads many to believe that there is no solution in sight yet Reyes Salazar believes there is hope for change if, like him, people continue to protest.
“If we do nothing, the genocide on the border will continue,” said Spector.
Mexicanos en Exilio: De México a E.E.U.U.
Por: Joanna Jacobo
EL NUEVO SOL
El abogado, Carlos Spector y el asilado político Saul Reyes hablan en CSUN sobre la violencia en México y su organización, Mexicanos en el Exilio, que aboga por los mexicanos que se encuentran bajo amenaza por la violencia que se vive en ese país.
Tags: Carlos Spector Ciudad Juárez drug violence government corruption Mexicanos en Exilio Mexico military Reyes Salazar family Valle de Juárez
