According to the document, the operation involves Black Mamba APC SandCat vehicles, manufactured in Mexico by TPS Armoring and Epel Tácticos, based on the SandCat model developed by the Israeli company Plasan.
The signatories state that the same model is used by the Israeli military during raids in the West Bank and Gaza. Therefore, they argue that its deployment in Mexican territory places the Mexican State “within the chain of complicity” in that conflict.
“When a State Party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the Arms Trade Treaty, as Mexico is, deploys special forces armored vehicles such as the Black Mamba APC SandCat (…) to occupy rural territories (…), it fails in its duty to prevent genocide and not become complicit in it.”
The statement specifies that since June 29, the government of Puebla has maintained a police blockade with special forces in San José Chiapa.
It also accuses Governor Alejandro Armenta of ordering the occupation of the territory and threatening to prosecute environmental defenders who oppose projects in the area.
The Conflict in San José Chiapa
The conflict in San José Chiapa began with the installation of the Circular Economy Development Hub for Well-Being (PODECIBI), a project promoted by the federal government and the government of Puebla for waste management and recycling.
While authorities, through public statements, maintain that the initiative will generate jobs, attract investment, and improve waste management, residents and organizations opposing the project argue that it could affect the region’s water resources, environment, and farmland.
They also denounce the lack of information and consultation with local communities.
In addition, they question the actions of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration, claiming it is promoting policies against rural and Indigenous communities “in the name of sustainability and well-being.”
Use of Force
The signatories emphasize that using military-grade equipment against an unarmed community protesting peacefully constitutes a disproportionate use of public force.
They also argue that these actions violate the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force, Mexico’s National Law on the Use of Force, and Article 9 of the Escazú Agreement, which obligates the State to protect environmental defenders.
“The mere presence of these vehicles serves an intimidating function and, as such, constitutes a form of state violence,” the statement says.
The letter also claims that the Mexican State is failing to comply with obligations arising from the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the Arms Trade Treaty, International Humanitarian Law, International Human Rights Law, International Criminal Law, and the Charter of the United Nations.
The signatories state that Mexico maintains cooperation with Israel through the production, acquisition, and use of military technology derived from Israeli designs.
“By normalizing and deploying military technology of Israeli origin to commit its own crimes (…), Mexico places itself within the chain of complicity.”
In the document, the signatories call for these practices to be exposed and for the use of this type of technology in operations against rural and Indigenous communities not to become normalized.
They also urge the Mexican State to fulfill its international obligations regarding human rights, the protection of land and environmental defenders, and the lawful use of force.
“Ending crimes against humanity will not be possible unless we make these forms of complicity visible from the ground up. The responsibility assumed by a State such as Mexico when it produces, acquires, and uses this type of equipment cannot remain hidden in silence and conformity.”
The statement concludes by condemning Israel’s military offensive against Palestine and rejecting the use in Mexico of weapons, vehicles, or military tactics of Israeli origin.
“We openly condemn the genocide perpetrated by Israel against Palestine, and we equally condemn those who become complicit by reproducing, acquiring, and using these weapons and techniques of war and extermination against their own people, as is happening today in Mexico, in San José Chiapa.”
The letter was endorsed by dozens of social organizations, Palestine solidarity groups, human rights organizations, Indigenous communities, media outlets, academics, and activists.
The supporters include organizations from Mexico, Spain, Colombia, Uruguay, Greece, Italy, Ecuador, Venezuela, Argentina, Haiti, and Canada, as well as hundreds of individuals who signed in their personal capacity.
At the time the statement was released, neither the federal government nor the government of Puebla had issued a response to the allegations contained in the letter.
Source: aristeguinoticias
