URGENT ACTION

CALL FOR PROTECTION FOR INTIMIDATED FAMILY

Soldiers broke into the home of the Zamora Gómez family in Morelos state, central Mexico, and tortured three people. The soldiers searched the house and found no weapons or drugs, but went back to watch the house. The family are at risk of further serious human rights violations.

At 12.30am on 24 July, a group of 15 soldiers wearing balaclavas and carrying firearms kicked the front door and broke into the home of the Zamora Gómez family, in Jiutepec municipality. The soldiers did not have a warrant to enter the house. The soldiers grabbed and tied José Natividad Zamora Gómez(aged 25), his brother Andrés Zamora Gómez(aged 27) and his brother-in-law Jorge Hernández Jardón(aged 24) and started hitting them, asking questions about “weapons and drugs” and what they knew about a local criminal gang.They forced the mother of the two brothers, along with their wives and their four small children, into a room and questioned them as well.

The soldiers put a pillow case over Andrés Zamora’s head and then doused him with water while they continued hitting and interrogating him. Andrés Zamora could not speak and could hardlybreathe. They then took him out of the house and threw him out onto the street. The soldiers also searched the house, saying they were looking for drugs and weapons. They found nothing, and left at 2am. When asked why they were doing this, one officer said they were “only doing their job” (solo hacían su trabajo) and that they would be coming back for more questioning. When the family tidied up the house, they realised that 1000 pesos (US$75) had gone missing, as well as four mobile phones and other belongings. On the afternoon of 25 July, soldiers arrived in a military truck, which they parked outside the house. They watched the house, pointing a floodlight at it at night, before leaving on 26 July.

The Zamora Gómez family filed a complaint about their treatment at the hands of the soldiers with the Federal Attorney General’s Office (Procuraduría General de la República, PGR) and the National Human Rights Commission (Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos, CNDH).

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in Spanish or your own language:

• urging the authorities to ensure that the Zamora Gómez family are given appropriate protection, in accordance with their wishes, following the illegal search and the torture of three of them on 24 July by army soldiers in Jiutepec municipality, Morelos;

• calling on the authorities to conduct an independent and impartial investigation into this illegal house search and torture, and hold those responsible to account;

• calling for effective measures to ensure military anti-crime operations are carried out in accordance with the law and international human rights standards, and that any alleged abuses are promptly and impartially investigated.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 08 SEPTEMBER 2009 TO: