Mexico in Focus

Another bloody weekend for Juárez: Living amidst tragedy.

 According to press reports, more than 53 people were killed in Ciudad Juárez between last Thursday and Sunday.

There were 14 homicides on Thursday, 20 on Friday, 19 on Saturday and three on Sunday.  Considering that each of these murdered people could have had an average of 10 family members, the result is more than 530 people overcome by grief in one weekend.

If those deaths had occurred because of a natural disaster–an earthquake, a flood or a fire–any city would be in shock.  But that was not the case in Juarez.

On Thursday, for instance, I went to Juarez to attend the opening of an art exhibition at the Archeological Museum of El Chamizal. The gallery was not full, but a lot of people showed up to see “Ciudad de Arena y Sangre,” a collection of paintings about the violence in Juarez by artist Gildalorena Martínez.

The artist was really grateful to the people who showed up not just because they were there to appreciate her work, but also because they dared to go out of their houses at night, taking all the risks that this implies in the most dangerous city of the world.

But people do that often. Life continues even in the most dangerous situations and it couldn’t be other way.

On Sunday, I also went to Juarez to meet a friend. We went to Pueblito Mexicano, a traditional restaurant in the city, and the place was packed. We waited 20 minutes to get a table to have breakfast. After that, my friend gave me a tour to some of the areas of the city that I have never been to before on the southeastern and southwestern borders. Throughout the tour I saw entire families eating and playing in public parks, young people playing their favorite sport in public courts, people riding bikes, some others running along the Río Bravo (Río Grande). It looked like any other city in the world where nothing terrible breaks the calm every single day.

Certainly everybody in Juárez is aware of the dangers of the city. I’m sure that everybody is afraid of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I would guess that most of the people live with the fear of being touched by the violence. But they have to live their lives and they have developed strategies to live a regular life. They don’t have any other choice.

As the Japanese learned how to live under the threat of falling bombs during WWII, as the Iraqis and the Middle-Eastern people have learned how to live with potential suicide-bomber attacks, the Juarenses have learned how to live with the narco-violence and how to maintain a regular life amidst all of the tragedy.

The emotional cost of that adapting is still to be determined, but besides that, it is admirable to see people determined not to give up and rejecting the idea that the fear of death will control their lives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No more Mexico celebrations in France?

The diplomatic conflict between Mexico and France is growing as a result of the now called “affaire-Cassez” by the French press.

Last Monday, president Nicolas Sarkozy announced that the cultural events framed in the “Year of Mexico” celebrations in France would be held, but all of them would be dedicated to Florence Cassez –the French citizen sentenced to a 60-year term of prison in Mexico because her alleged involvement in kidnappings.

Then, the Mexican government responded ‘yes, but no, thanks’.

Mexican Ambassador in France, Carlos de Icaza said that if the “Year of Mexico” celebrations would be dedicated to a person that has been judged and sentenced because of serious criminal charges, it would be impossible to participate in them.

The Mexican government insists that Cassez’s responsibility in a series of kidnappings was plenty demonstrated during the judicial process, while the French government sustains that too many irregularities in the trial led to an unfair and undeserved sentence.

The “Year of Mexico” events were inaugurated Feb. 3 at the Musée d’Orsay, with the purpose of celebrating the long-term relationship and collaboration between Mexico and France. The celebration was going to include more than 350 artistic and cultural events, science and education activities, as well as displays of Mexico’s gastronomy and touristic attractions.

In an interview with Diario Milenio, several Mexican artists deplored the fact that the politics around a criminal case affected the cultural exhibition.

“It is offensive for our country to dedicate these cultural events to a woman who is imprisoned because of kidnapping,” said writer Elmer Mendoza. “I think there is a brutal criticism on our justice administration system and it is true that Mexico has a very bad ranking in this topic, but the French government just cross the line”.

What it is a fact is that the French government has given Cassez’s case the status of a state issue. Because of that, the case will be bring to the table during the Group of 20 summit this weekend in Paris, in which the participant countries are scheduled to discuss an international monetary system reform. After that it wouldn’t be a surprise that all the following talks and discussions between Mexico and France –either to discuss cultural events, science or tourism issues– will be tarnished by Cassez’s case.

In other words, if the art of diplomacy doesn’t success, a criminal case will be setting the terms of the bilateral agenda among the countries at least for the following months.

 

France threats to boycott Mexican cultural events

As if the Mexican government wouldn’t have enough problems at home, a diplomatic crisis with the French government is adding pressure to President Felipe Calderon’s administration.

As of today,  some France’s authorities have threatened to boycott, or even cancel, all Mexican cultural events scheduled this year in that country because of what they call “a denial of justice” in the case of Florence Cassez, a French citizen, who was arrested in 2005 because her alleged participation in a series of kidnappings.

Cassez was sentenced to a 60-year prison term in a judicial process in which the prosecutors argued that she was part of Los Zodiaco, a criminal organization dedicated to kidnappings. The charges against her were mainly based on testimonies of the victims and documents seized during her capture at a ranch in Mexico, where three hostages were released. She was arrested in companion of Israel Vallarta, the ringleader of Los Zodiaco, with who she had a relationship.  Since her arrest, she has always pleaded her innocence.

French authorities have sustained that multiple irregularities were committed during Cassez’s arrest and prosecution. Among other things, they argue that there was not a truly investigation in the case, that her consular rights were not protected and that the trial was affected by the fact that she was paraded in front of the media as guilty.

Cassez’s lawyers appealed the 60-year prison sentence, but last Friday a Mexican appeals court upheld it.

The case has ignited passion not just from Mexican citizens –who are divided between those who believe in Cassez’s innocence and those who consider that there were enough evidences to convict her– but also from French citizens, who want to see their compatriot released.

According to press reports, next Monday, French President Nicolas Zarkozy will meet with Cassez’s family to discuss the case.

Besides the appeals court’s ruling, the last word on Cassez’s case has not been said. The defense lawyers said they would take the case to the Inter American Commission of Human Rights, which means that there will be more controversy.

In the end, this seems to be one of the cases in which politics will play a huge role in the outcome.

If the Mexican government has a strong and firm case against Cassez they will have to demonstrate it with irrefutable evidences and strong judicial arguments. But the same criteria would apply for the French government, which will have to convince –with irrefutable and judicial arguments too– the international courts of the innocence of its citizen.

In the meantime, the diplomatic exchange will continue and most likely the talks will be aimed to find a diplomatic solution to this political crisis. However, it is not likely to think of a win-win situation for any of the countries involved,  because when politics and economics come into place, the issue of justice could pass to a second place.

 

 

The President's health condition and the public's right to know

Carmen Aristegui is perhaps the most respectable and well-known journalist in Mexico nowdays. She anchors a program for CNN en Espanol and she also has conducted a successful radio newscast for the last two years, which has reached the highest radio ratings in the morning hours. But  Aristegui is not anchoring the radio newscast anymore. She has been fired by MVS, with the argument that she had violated the company’s ethics code.

Aristegui’s dismissal seems to be related to an incident that occurred last Thursday at the Mexican Congress. That day, a group of legislators from the leftist Partido del Trabajo (PT) interrupted the legislative session to show up a big sign with the following legend: “Would you let a drunk person drive your car? You wouldnt, right? So, why do you let him drive your country?´´

The sign refered to a rumor that alleges president Felipe Calderon has an alcohol problem. This information has been floating for a long time in social networks and many people repeat as is it was true.

So, when legislators displayed the banner, journalists from all over the country reported the news. Some anchors and reporters made clear reference to the text of the sign, and some others avoided it. But Aristegui went beyond that.

She openly talked about the need of knowing the truth. She talked about these rumors plaguing the social networks and said that the Presidency would have to  respond. “In all democracies of the world, once in a while, (citizens) can demand reports on the health conditions of their officials,” she said. “In the end, they have a high responsibility in their hands and societies must know of the health condition of those who are taking decisions on behalf of them”.

Gossip about the people in power is always there. When Vicente Fox was President the version that spread was that he suffered from depression. But no official information was made public at the time.

 So the rumors grew and grew.

Aristegui had a valid point: There is no information that can corroborate any of the rumors, but this is a very delicate issue and because of that it requires firm responses.

In this context, the presidency should grasp the nettle and respond. Otherwise, the rumor will grow and grow, provoking an irreparable damage to the image of the President.

 

A not-so-happy anniversary

It has been a year since I began writing this blog.

During this year, I have had the privilege of sharing with you my views on many of the current issues happening in Mexico today. My humble idea was to provide some background and perspective for a better understanding of Mexico.

I must admit that I didn’t want to write a blog about the violence in Mexico. I wanted to go beyond the bloody news and to talk about those other things that still make Mexico a marvelous and beautiful country: its culture, the richness of its history, its food, its landscapes, its artistic community, its music and the generosity of its people.

Unfortunately, I have been dragged into writing about the violence. When I wrote my first entry, Ciudad Juarez’s citizens were still in shock after the massacre of 15 young people at a party at Villas de Salvarcar. It was the first massacre of this type in Juarez, but it wouldn’t be the last.

That tragedy placed a shadow on this blog and that could explain why the majority of my entries have dealt with the issue of violence. After that event, it would have been impossible to ignore what is going on in my home country.

Mexico is immersed in the worst security crisis of its history, in the middle of a 4-year-long war that has produced more than 30,000 victims. These events and statistics have not led to a perception that the country is safer now or that the bad guys are being undermined.  On the contrary, the government’s efforts in this drug war have not debilitated criminals at all. With an estimated $40-billion business, organized crime is involved not only in drug trafficking, but also in kidnappings, extortions and human trafficking.

On several occasions, when I was doing research for an entry not related to the violence, or when I was in the process of writing it, the news about something terrible would break, leaving me with no other choice than to go back to writing about the violence.

I have questioned myself if my perception of Mexico has been influenced by the fact that I live on the border. Every time that I visit my country, I am reminded about the differences in our perception of the violence. Mexico City, for instance, is a still in a bubble that has not been penetrated by the fear that permeates other cities such as Cd. Juárez, Monterrey, Tamaulipas, or Laredo, just to mention a few.  But this is part of Mexico’s reality today: not all of the country is bleeding and the violence is highly concentrated in some regions. However, little by little, the violence is extending its tentacles to the whole country, and suddenly we are seeing that areas that once were peaceful and calm are becoming drug war territories as well.

It is undeniable that in spite of this terrible wave of violence, corruption and impunity, Mexico still works. The US-Mexico bilateral commerce, for instance, is as strong as it always has been and foreign investment continues flowing into Mexico. Furthermore, Mexico’s economy is growing and its democracy is stronger than 10 years ago. In fact, this year is crucial in political terms because the parties will choose their candidates for the 2012 presidential election.  Everything indicates that it will be a much-contested election, where the shadows of the drug-trafficking violence will be present all of the time.

I’ll be following la grilla –Mexico’s politics– and I’ll keep you posted on that process. I hope and pray that the violence won’t be capturing my attention for another year.