Susana Prieto Jan. 12, 2021 Letter to Mexican President AMLO – English Version
Honorable Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Constitutional President of the United States of Mexico
Having exhausted the means of communication within my reach, I respectfully write to you as a final recourse and issuing of my absolute trust, to update you on the political and criminal siege of which I am the target of in Tamaulipas and Chihuahua, and how I have been left without help from the Secretary of the Interior, who you instructed to deal with my case since July 27th, 2020, the day you received me at your offices with infinite chivalry.
I request, Mr. President, a new meeting to explain to you in detail what has happened since then, and the shocking situation I face, not only with respect to my liberty, but my very life.
You know better than anyone about the age-old marriage that exists between the authorities and criminal organizations in Tamaulipas, as well as the political and business collusion that flourish not only here, but in Chihuahua, my home state: a convergence of illegal interests that drives the persecution of which I am the target and that devastates me.
Beyond the judicial systems—in which decisions are made without autonomy and always under the control of the government, including the federal judges of Matamoros and Ciudad Juárez, and highlighting the failure of the Seventh District Judge to resolve the amparos filed against the arrest warrants issued against me by the judges in my native city and filed under the numbers 247/2020-II and 265/2020-II, as well as the amparo [banning her from Tamaulipas and from leaving the country] before the District Judge in Matters of Amparos and Federal Trials of the State of Tamaulipas, located in Matamoros, which has not even been processed—a criminal wing operates that neutralizes my actions through intimidation and the threat of death. It is impossible to elucidate if this takes shape from the core of a criminal organization, from the government or from within the circle that unites them and allows them to access those spheres of impunity.
The most recent of these actions took place on December 22nd. It was a series of intimidating messages* to my cellphone, in which I was informed it would be in my personal interest to stop criticizing Juan Villafuerte, general secretary of the Union of Day Laborers and Workers of the Industrial Maquiladora in Matamoros (SJOIM), and I was repeatedly demanded to agree. (Attached to this letter is a copy of those messages.)
I am certain that it is impossible for me to disassociate the government systems of Tamaulipas and Chihuahua from organized crime. What I am saying is not tremendously speculative, and I think you understand me perfectly. Both Governor Francisco Javier García Cabeza de Vaca and Governor Javier Corral Jurado have me in their grip. Their justice systems maneuver to eliminate me, since they are unable to counteract my movement in support of workers through the fair play of the law.
I spoke to you about this at our meeting on July 27th. Because of our meeting, I know you are both aware of and sensitive to what is happening to me, a fate that is unfortunately attached to several activists in this nation dishonored by decades of corrupt governments. I also know that your commitment against all of this is genuine and, encouraged by that, I dare to seek your support once again.
Mr. President, my case has been lost in the labyrinths of bureaucracy and the disdain that dwells in the Secretary of the Interior. Nothing describes a broken agreement better than small details. For instance, suffice it to say that I was given a “panic button” [to call for help from the government] that does not work.
I offer details of this in the document that is attached to this letter. Consequently, on December 21st, Inspector Jesús Francisco Holguin Hinostroza, head of the National Guard in Ciudad Juárez, reached out to me by text message. In the hours prior he had learned of the intimidating messages to which I was being subjected. His response was just another text message in which he merely asked me to give him details about the case so that he could help me. When your life is in danger, time must be of the essence.
I have been trying to schedule a new meeting with you for months. Jesús Ramirez, your communications chief, asked me to write this letter to explain my rationale. I am following his instruction, hoping to receive from you the openness and disposition that will allow me to maintain confidence in your push for a Fourth Transformation of this country.
The political persecution against me and my imprisonment affect the decades-long fight to improve the living conditions of workers in Mexico. This became visible with the struggle for union democratization and freedom of association by the workers of the companies Tridonex and Fischer Dynamics, which were restraining the freedom of association and collective bargaining rights enshrined in the reforms to the Federal Labor Law of 2017 and 2019, as well as Chapter 23 of the USMCA, for which our country, as I have announced to various audiences, may be held liable before international tribunals.
I hope you can receive me as soon as possible, and that you are aware that my life is in danger if the Mexican State refuses to protect me.
Yours truly,
Attorney Susana Prieto Terrazas
Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua
January 12, 2021
*The threatening messages sent to Susana Prieto’s personal cell phone
6:41 PM: Counsel: Good afternoon. Look, I speak to you on behalf of the person who is in charge in Matamoros to ask you in the most attentive way that you desist from attacking Juan Villafuerte’s union and that you attack the union Eleucadio Mendoza. This is to avoid any situation that could lead to mishaps. If we take the proper routes to have a good working relationship, you will receive a lot of benefits and have fewer problems.
Separately, we have a common enemy (C of V).
I await your response.
With nothing further, I remain at your disposal and blessings.
7:44 PM: I await your response.
9:00 PM: What can I take back as your response?
Original letter with text message attachment: https://www.facebook.com/susana.prietoterrazas/posts/3399570403486323