This statement comes from Indigenous prisoner in struggle, Adrián Gómez Jiménez, after receiving a 20 year sentence for crimes he did not commit. The original in Spanish was published by the working group No Estamos Todxs and can be found here.

This statement was translated and first published by Voices In Movement and can be viewed on their excellent site here: http://voicesinmovement.org/statement-from-adrian-gomez-jimenez/

February 22^nd, 2019

To the Public

To the Media

To the National and International Sixth

To the Non-governmental Human Rights Defenders

To the Network Against Repression and for Solidarity

To the People of Mexico and the World

Statement of the organization, the Voice of Indigenous Resistance, adherent of the Sixth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle of the EZLN, detained in Penal No. 5 San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico.

Compañeros and compañeras who follow us from outside the prison walls. For many centuries, the bad governments have caused much injustice, many abuses and have detained many innocent Indigenous people. My case is just one example. I am an Indigenous person. I am from San Juan Chamula. I speak Tzotzil. I have been imprisoned for fifteen years where the state has me kidnapped without having committed a crime. I was a victim of torture by the public prosecutor and judicial agents. They tortured me in different manners in order to force me to sign for crimes that they fabricated against me. With so much torture, I incriminated myself. I did it because I felt close to death. There were so many beatings and so much pain that my body couldn’t resist any more. With that evidence obtained from beatings that lasted three days and three nights, they put me in prison. I have been in prison since 2004, for more than 15 years, without a sentence.

On January 29^th, 2019, I asked the judge of the First Criminal Court of Local Jurisdiction, Cesar Rodriguez Robles, for my freedom. I asked for this, as there is no evidence against me. But as a poor, Indigenous and humble person, the judge unjustly sentenced me on February 22^nd, at 12:40 pm to 20 years in prison for crimes that I never committed in my life.

The powerful of above, they are those who are truly guilty. They are murders and kidnappers as is the case of the 43 normalistas of Ayotzinapa. It is the bad government that has caused so much pain and suffering. The public officials too who are corrupt and extortionists like they have always been. They are enriched at our expense. Because of the injustices, we organized ourselves in this prison to raise our voices. We struggle to recuperate our freedom that they have taken from us. They humiliate us and treat us poorly. They separate us from our families, which is the most sacred. They destroy our lives causing sicknesses. They see us as true criminals when that is not the truth.

The Judge César Rodrigues Robles of the First Criminal Court of Local Jurisdiction sentenced me to 20 years, violating my human rights, in spite of the complete lack of evidence against me. There is no reason for my imprisonment. For this reason, I make a statement against this judge and I urgently demand the governor Rutilio Escandón to take part in my judicial situation to intervene to have me released from this prison number 5: San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas.

We invite all the independent, state, national and international organizations and independent human rights organizations to continue demanding the truth and freedom for all the political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.

Uniting the voices and forces of the Mexican people, true justice will be achieved.

Sincerely,

Adrián Gómez Jiménez

Unjustly sentenced to 20 years in prison

The organization, the Voice of Indigenous Resistance

Juan de la Cruz Ruiz

February 22^nd, 2019