Two jailed Mexican logging activists lose appeal
Copyright 2001 Reuters
July 19, 2001
MEXICO CITY - A Mexican court rejected an appeal on Tuesday by two Mexican peasant activists jailed two years ago while leading an anti-logging protest, a defense lawyer said.
"The court confirms the sentence for the two campesinos," Jesus Gonzales, an attorney for Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera told Reuters. He added that lawyers planned to visit the federal court on Wednesday for more details of the ruling.
Montiel, 45, and Cabrera, 50, were jailed in May 1999 for seven and 10 years respectively on marijuana and gun charges. Both men claim they were incarcerated for leading a peasant movement against illegal logging in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero.
International rights and environmental groups have rallied to their cause, showering them with recognition for their anti-logging campaign and labeling them political prisoners.
In May a federal court agreed to review the case. President Vicente Fox, who took office in December, called for a review after meeting with defense layers and human rights groups.
The pair, being held in Iguala, Guerrero state, about 122 miles (195 kms) south of Mexico City, founded a peasant environmental group fighting logging in Guerrero, which is among Mexico's poorest states.
Rights activists have said the two are being persecuted by caciques, or local bosses, who are linked to rampant illegal logging and hold sway over the courts.
Montiel and Cabrera won the Sierra Club's prestigious "Chico Mendes" award in February. Last year Montiel received a $125,000 environmental prize from the San Francisco-based Goldman Foundation, an award akin to a Nobel Prize in ecology.