Please sign and email it to amigosdemujeres@yahoo.com.

URGENT ACTION

JUSTICE IN THE MURDER OF THE LAWYER SERGIO DANTE ALMARAZ

Mr. Sergio Dante Almaraz, the lawyer who bravely defended the case of the bus drivers who were tortured into to confessing to the murder of four women, was killed yesterday. On the January 25 th , while Mr. Almaraz was walking to his car, in the center of the city, two persons approach him and shoot him twelve times.

Mr. Almaraz defended the case of the two bus drivers (Gustavo González Meza and Víctor Javier García Uribe), knowing that his life was always at risk. His partner in the case, the lawyer Mario Escobedo, was executed on 2003 by members of the local police of Chihuahua . Months later, Gustavo González Meza, the other bus driver accused, died while he was in prison under mysterious circumstances that have never clarified.

The situation of risk and fear in relation to this case in 2003, led the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to authorize precautionary measures for Víctor Javier García Uribe and his wife as well as for Mr. Almaraz.

Mr. Almaraz knew that his life was in risk, especially after the treacherous murder of his partner in the case. He was frightened and last week he said that if something happened to him the Office of the local District Attorney should be blamed for his murder.

This assassination and other acts that have taken place in order to protect those guilty of the torture and human rights violations against the two bus drivers, calls into question the system of justice in Chihuahua . This impunity is also impeding the victims and families right to know the truth about the murders and abductions of women in the state of Chihuahua .

We, the organizations who are signing this letter, condemn the murder of Mr. Alamaraz. With his murder we not only loose a great lawyer and human rights defender, also a vital force that remind us of the importance of the fight for justice.

We also wanted to express our concern for the security of Víctor Javier García and his familiy. We know that the murder of the two lawyers are not isolated issues. They are part of the climate of impunity that prevails in the state and it is a clear message for the people that are fighting for the truth in relation to the cases of women.

We demand:

•  That the local General Attorney of the state impartially investigate the murder.

•  That the authorities guarantee the security and integrity of Víctor Javier García Uribe and his family.

•  That the State at all the levels takes the necessary measures to protect human rights defenders.

Chihuahua, Chihuahua

26 January 2006