Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Libre Las Tres: Mexican Feminists Held as Political Prisoners

Call to support feminist political prisoners facing charges for engaging in a series of occupations in so-called Mexico.

photo: @Usagii_ko

On April 15th, around 200 police officers in Mexico City arrested three women that had occupied and turned the office of Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission building (CNDH) into a housing sanctuary for women that were escaping femicide and looking for refuge. Ary, Magda, and Karla were arrested on April 15th under false premises, the local government had claimed to have arrest warrants, but never produced those warrants during or after the arrests.

The women were taken and transported to detention center in armored vehicles. At the detention center the women were stripped naked and the police officers took pictures with their personal devices. Later these pictures and other official pictures were leaked to the press in an attempt to intimidate and meddle with the judicial process. The women were also physically and psychologically tortured – food was rationed and the guards would incite other inmates to physically hurt the women. Many other legal irregularities have been occurring. The district attorney’s office coerced the women into signing confession statements and forced the use of a public defender as their representation. The authorities have denied the private lawyers hired by the women to be present during interrogations or to even visit the women.

On April 18th the women were informed of the charges brought against them. They were charged with possession of narcotics, and were told they could not post bail since they were at flight risk. This move was completely political since this is such a common charge that even drug traffickers that are charged with this are let out on bail. But it seems like the Mexican government is trying to make a point and an example of these women particularly because they are radical feminists.

Okupa Cuba Casa de Refugio

Okupa Cuba Casa de Refugio was a response, a direct action by various feminist collectives denouncing the willful negligence of the Mexican government and it’s functionaries in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic’s shelter at home mandates further aggravating the spike in domestic violence cases, including femicides. In Mexico,  11 women are murdered every day and the corruption and incompetent government is unable and unwilling to investigate even less to prosecute the perpetrators and in some cases have been found to be the perpetrators themselves. Instead the government seems to be very clear about their position: political repression and persecution for all and any who dare to mobilize, build autonomously, fearlessly, and without permission in the face of government corruption and systemic impunity.

For two years Okupa served as a refugee center for women that suffered from domestic violence and that were survivors of femicide. The space was self-managed by the women that were occupying the building, and was run as an autonomous space. Many projects developed out of the space that were aimed at helping women along with several solidarity efforts for neighborboring communities and compas impacted by police terror and government repression. Events were organized including mutual aid projects, food and clothing distributions, legal aid and advocacy as well as poetry readings and live music performances. The women from Okupa were demanding an end to femicide but the president of Mexico lashed out against the women, called them conservative and vandals, in an attempt to discredit the more radical sector of the feminist movement in Mexico.

Ary, Magda, and Karla

The three women that were arrested and remain in custody are Ary, Magda, and Karla. Ary is a mother, daughter, sister, and an advocate of women rights. Ary is a craftswoman that made necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. Ary is originally from Tierra Caliente and moved to Mexico City to try to make a better life for herself. She was at Okupa as a refugee when she was arrested, but the Mexican authorities did not care about that. Magda was also a refugee at Okupa when she was arrested. Magda is a daughter, sister, and an advocate and supporter of victims of femicide and kidnappings. Karla is an independent photographer, which is her passion, and would have workshops at Okupa to skill share with other women. Karla would also help other women find work and she loves to rescue kittens.

How To Support

There have been several individuals and organizations trying to bring awareness to the unjust imprisonment of Ary, Magda, and Karla. Several organizations, collectives, and individuals have signed off on a statement against the criminalization of radical feminists in Mexico. Not only have the women faced imprisonment, but they have been harshly criticized for being radical feminists. The women’s family have faced harassment, not only from the authorities, but from anti-feminist that try to ridicule the families while they try to visit the women in prison.

An awareness campaign and a campaign to pressure the government to free Ary, Magda, and Karla has been launched. There is a call to participate from June 9th to June 18th in making art, organizing events to bring awareness, to write poems, to write letters, and to demand the release of the three women. The women will be in court on June 18th to be arraigned on the charges of possession of narcotics. The support groups are asking for people to discuss the continuous attacks on the feminist movement by the Mexican state and to share with your networks any information about the women that are incarcerated, the femicide that plagues Mexico, and all the violence experienced by the feminist movement in Mexico.

The Shed

In Los Angeles there is an event scheduled for June 17th at 7pm at the Shed. The event is an open mic featuring Kitty Anarchy and Pau Xofi. There will also be letter writing in solidarity with the three women. We encourage individuals and collectives to participate in any possible way.

Donations

If you are able to donate the following Paypal accounts are accepting donations:
Ary: https//www.paypal.me/monumentaviva

Magda: https//www.paypal.me/Itanperiferia

Karla: https//www.paypal.me/karlat1504

In solidarity,

Las3 Affinity Group

Sources

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/10/29/block-feminists-okupa

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/apr/26/murder-young-woman-mexico-femicide

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0sxBjuiWpjGGXumRZgop4wyQdBTfMbZ1C2NvB8k6zkG9H6pqNv1SXGbXCWBjB974Hl&id=117387187614223

https://twitter.com/Las3Libres/status/1535647157113475072


by Anonymous Contributor via It's Going Down
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