Copyright 2001 Boston Globe
November 9, 2001
By Marion Lloyd, Globe Correspondent, 11/9/2001

MEXICO CITY - Amid mounting criticism of his government's tepid defense of human rights, President Vicente Fox yesterday ordered the release of two prominent environmentalists whose detention had become an albatross for his 11-month-old administration.

Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera left the maximum security prison in western Guerrero state after spending 2 1/2 years behind bars. The farmers turned environmental crusaders were serving seven- and 10-year sentences, respectively, after being convicted of illegally possessing arms and drugs. They claimed the charges were fabricated to stifle their campaign against illegal logging in the mountains northeast of Acapulco.

Supporters point to abundant evidence showing the men were tortured into making confessions. Their case became a rallying cry for international environmental and human rights groups, many of whom awarded Montiel major prizes for his role as founder of the antilogging movement.

Fox did not specify why he chose yesterday to order the activists' release, saying only that he acted on humanitarian grounds. But the timing of the pardon appeared linked to the Oct. 19 murder of Digna Ochoa, a top human rights lawyer who represented Montiel and Cabrera. Fox has been under increasing pressure to solve Ochoa's murder and to respond to other cases like Montiel's and Cabrera's.

''With these deeds, the commitment of my government toward the promotion and observance of human rights is made clear,'' he said at a news conference.

Other human rights leaders were pleased with Fox's decision, but wondered why it took so long.

''Fox could have set them free a long time ago,'' said Alfredo Castillo, a researcher with the Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez Center for Human Rights, the Mexico City-based organization leading the ecologists' legal defense. ''It was a case of political will, and now it seems that he responds more to the pressure of public opinion and watching his image ... than evidence that these men were tortured.''

Fox took office Dec. 1 vowing to put an end to the impunity enjoyed by government figures during the 71-year rule of the Institutional Revolutionary Party. Until now he has resisted using his presidential powers to pardon political prisoners, arguing that he must uphold the autonomy of the courts.

That position became politically untenable after Ochoa was gunned down in her Mexico City office. Her murder sparked an international outcry and raised doubts among activists about Fox's commitment to protecting human rights. Ochoa had for years sought government protection against death threats, but her requests went unanswered.

Several human rights activists and others who have closely followed Ochoa's case urged Fox to go further in addressing other abuses.

''President Fox has made a courageous and just decision, and I'm happy beyond words,'' said Ethel Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy's widow, who has been involved with the case. She met Montiel in prison in February to award him with the Sierra Club's Chico Mendes environmental prize. And last month she sent a letter to President Fox urging him to seize on Ochoa's murder to set the activists free.

''That Digna Ochoa ... had to lose her life in order to let them resume theirs will forever be a blot on Mexico's history,'' she said in a telephone interview yesterday.

Others said that Fox's duty to protect environmental activists extended beyond setting Montiel and Cabrera free.

''We look forward to seeing them free, but we worry about their safety,'' said Alejandro Queral, human rights director for the Sierra Club, which has been fighting for the pair's release. In an interview from his jail cell last fall, Montiel said that even if he were released, he would not return to his village for fear of reprisals from local land bosses.

His campaign to stop foreign logging companies operating in the Costa Chica region of Guerrero earned him the wrath of local authorities, who stood to make a fortune by exploiting communally owned forests. Error: Unable to read footer file.