by NATALIA COTE-MUNOZ
Javier Sicilia says he can no longer write poetry after his son’s death. BBC
Javier Sicilia, the renowned Mexican poet and journalist, is not staying quiet. He is one of many recent victims of President Felipe Calderón’s ‘War on Drugs’, as his son was found murdered last March.[1] In stark contrast to the recent plague of violence infecting the nation, Sicilia has now become a modern-day paladin for peace in Mexico, leading the National Movement for Peace and Justice, a social force of relatives of victims fighting to be heard. They have developed the Pact for Peace and Justice, a proposal that emphasizes civil unity over violence. This concept was embodied in the March for Peace and Justice, which triggered the Caravan for Peace that crisscrossed the country. On June 23rd 2011 they accomplished one of their goals: an unprecedented public discussion with President Calderón and his security cabinet, during which they harshly criticized the War on Drugs and showed their grievances.
Giving a Name and a Face to 40,000 Dead
On the morning of March 28, 2011, Juan Francisco Sicilia Ortega, the 24-year-old son of poet and journalist Javier Sicilia, was found dead inside a car with six other suffocated and gagged bodies on the Cuernavaca-Acapulco highway.[2] Juan Francisco had been with his friends at a bar in Cuernavaca. Reportedly, two of them entered into an altercation with a few men, not knowing that they were members of the Cartel del Pacífico Sur. Later that night, some gang members apparently kidnapped them, as well as two other acquaintances, while they were on their way home. Juan Francisco and his friends were all university students in their early twenties.
The investigation has been nothing but tumultuous. Morelos Attorney General Pedro Luis Benítez Vélez claimed that the alleged culprits possibly had ties to public officials, yet he did not give more details in order to maintain the integrity of the investigation.[3] However, authorities have failed to follow an orthodox investigation, neglecting to adequately identify those who allegedly had plotted the murder. Sicilia accused authorities of using “scapegoats” rather than conducting a thorough investigation.[4] The apprehended suspects were usually badly mauled and told confusing or distorted versions of how the crime had occurred. Furthermore, Benítez Vélez implied that some of the victims of the crime, excluding Sicilia Ortega, might not have been as innocent as portrayed. This cynical attitude follows a trend currently being used by Mexican authorities, which claims that victims of the ongoing violence are themselves criminals. Sicilia has passionately refuted this claim, stressing his movement as one composed of victims, their family members and supporters, not criminals, of these heinous crimes.
Juan Francisco Sicilia is only one of 40,000 individuals who have died since President Felipe Calderón took power through a contested election in 2006.[5] Yet, Juan Francisco’s death gave a name and a face to the nearly 40,000 individuals brutally murdered in the conflict. Since authorities proved unable to protect the innocent son of a national celebrity, Mexican citizens now question the manner in which the police handle the deaths of “average” people, who remain nameless and do not appear in the news. Javier Sicilia began to realize that there were severe problems with not only violence, but also with the government’s approach to crime. Bewildered by the cynicism and cruelty surrounding Calderón’s War against Crime, Sicilia decided to raise his voice and take action against the tsunami of violence washing over Mexico.
¡Estamos hasta la madre!
Frustrated with the lack of official attention given to his son’s murder, Sicilia demanded that if President Calderón and Governor Adame were incapable of guaranteeing peace, security and justice in their country, they should resign and let someone more capable govern. Furthermore, Sicilia added: “Estamos hasta la madre de ustedes,” which roughly translates to “We’re sick of you.”[6] This soon became the slogan for the movement Sicilia had initiated.
The March for Peace with Justice and Dignity
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Furthermore at the gathering, Sicilia presented the 6 points contained in his Pact for Peace. The first requirement of this document is truth and justice for victims’ families, in which they are provided with proper investigations and information. Secondly, it calls for the end to the militaristic view of Calderón’s strategy by emphasizing a new security strategy, which features an increased defense of human rights. Thirdly, the pact demands that the government fight corruption in order to solve the discrepancies found within mainstream institutions — notably the judicial system. Fourth, the government is called to combat the economic roots of organized crime. Fifth, it insists on a new social policy for young people, in which education, not violence, is the answer. Finally, the Pact concludes with the need for a more participatory and representative democracy.[19]
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