The defender of migrants' rights believes that this zone has become a strategic bridge for human and weapons trafficking. "I'm returning to one of the most dangerous areas," he says.
El Universal. 07-14-2012.OAXACA. Father Alejandro Solalinde Guerra asserts that the dispute over the Isthmus of Tehuantepec between the Gulf and the Zetas cartels, plus the political fiefdoms in this part of the country, are behind the death threats made against him. The defender of migrants' rights believes that the area has become a strategic bridge for weapons and human trafficking. "I'm returning to one of the most dangerous areas," he says.
"The Zetas and the Gulf (cartels), along with other cartels, are fighting to get control of the Isthmus," said the cleric, who, two months after he was forced to leave the country, returns today to the (migrant) shelter Hermanos en el Camino (Brothers on the Road), in Ciudad Ixtepec. This is after receiving six death threats, which he believes were made by organized crime and the PRI administration of former governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz.
He states that, to date, state and federal authorities have issued 40 arrest warrants against the authors of the death threats that he received because he defended the rights of migrants. He also said that some of them are already in prison, however, he did not offer more details so as not to interfere with the ongoing investigations.
The cleric acknowledges that he is facing a difficult situation, given that the derailment of the train know as "La Bestia" (the Beast) has left thousands of immigrants stranded. "Today we are going to the shelter to meet with the people I love. Oaxaca deserves a change, the PRI needs to renew itself if it wants to recover the public trust," insisting that this political party should not "ring the bells" because it did not win the election in a transparent fashion.
He described how, after arranging a meeting between the three levels of government, along with international organizations, three agreements were signed that include, among other things, the creation of a work group to monitor and follow up on the safety and defense of the cleric and of the migrants. The group will get together every month and its first meeting will take place August 13 in Oaxaca. The European Community delegate, Arturo Rodriguez, Governor Gabino Cue and members of the Peace Brigades and Amnesty International participated in the meeting.
