Friends of murdered journalist Brad Will demand hold on military aid pending
investigation into his murder
The Friends of Brad Will, a network of friends and associates of Brad
Will, the U.S. journalist, have urged House Speaker Pelosi and Eliot
Engel, the Chair of the Western Hemispheric affairs subcommittee to
oppose U.S. support for Mexican military and police forces. Mr. Will,
the 36 year old reporter, was murdered in Oaxaca, Mexico a year ago,
on October 27th, 2006. Witnesses and photographic evidence implicate
members of the Mexican government, including a police chief.
On 10-21-07, President Bush announced a $1.5 billion dollar "security
cooperation initiative" proposal for Mexico that the President tucked
into the Iraq supplemental spending package submitted to Congress. The
initiative allows sharing of U.S. military intelligence information
with Mexican military counterparts and provides weaponry and training
with the notoriously corrupt and brutal Mexican military and police.
Brad Will's family and friends denounced plans to fund a "Plan Mexico"
that would be more costly than the controversial "Plan Colombia" while
in attendance at the 10-25-07 hearing. They pointed to the lack of any
credible investigation into the murder of the U.S. journalist, who was
in Mexico covering the protests of a popular movement of teachers and
their supporters facing paramilitary violence deployed by the Mexican
government and the governor of Oaxaca, Ulises Ruiz Ortiz.
"One year after the murder of Brad Will, no one has been arrested.
Under the guise of stopping drug trafficking, US taxpayers could be
funding human rights violations, corrupt local officials and
Blackwater-style mercenaries in Oaxaca and elsewhere. This is exactly
the wrong message to send at this time." said Harry Bubbins, a media
representative for Friends of Brad Will.
Friends of Brad Will drew attention to testimony from today's panelist
Jess T. Ford, Associate Director, International Relations and Trade
Issues, made over ten years ago on September 12, 1996. "Overall, U.S.
and Mexican interdiction efforts have had little, if any, impact on
the overall flow of drugs through Mexico into the United States.
According to U.S. officials, Mexican counter-narcotics efforts are
hampered by pervasive corruption of key institutions...". Since then
human right's abuses and the use of weaponry against civilians has
only increased, making this aid proposal inappropriate.
"We are confident that Congress will ask hard questions about the
murder of US reporter Brad Will, and not just rubber stamp this
military aid package that could lead to further human rights abuses."
stated Robert Jereski, a Congressional liaison for Friends of Brad
Will.
The human rights certification processes that have been an important
component to these military aid packages in order to gain support in
Congress have been entirely inadequate, Friends of Brad Will
maintained. According to Human Rights News , 'Plan Mexico' - Lessons
learned from the failure of 'Plan Colombia', President Bush signed
Public Law (P.L.) 107-115, which authorized $380.5 million in aid to
Colombia. The bulk of this aid was for Colombia's military. Support
for human rights motivated Congress to condition assistance on clear
progress in stopping abuses.
Before making a decision on Colombia's compliance with U.S. law, the
Secretary of State must consult with human rights organizations.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Washington Office
on Latin America (WOLA) (who testified today) met with State
Department officials on February 1, 2002 to present evidence that
Colombia had not met any of the conditions. Nevertheless, the U.S.
certified Colombia, thereby releasing funds. This sent a harmful
message to Colombia and particularly the armed forces that human
rights are not important. The U.S. would be making the same mistake
by approving "Plan Mexico" and sending a message of impunity without
first achieving substantial progress in the murder of Brad Will, and
other human rights violations.
Garry Leech, an independent journalist who has covered the effects of
Plan Colombia, declared that 'drug war' program an expensive failure.
"The Colombian state's direct role in human rights abuses such as
extra-judicial executions, arbitrary arrests and disappearances has
increased under Plan Colombia." What is needed, he added, is to
strengthen judicial institutions and respect for human rights in
Mexico, and cut drug demand in and weapons flow from the United
States.
____------______------_____--------______----
Activists with Friends of Brad Will were present at Sub-Committee on
the Western Hemisphere Hearing on October 25th and suggested questions
for the Representatives to ask the Administration and the panelists:
*What signal are you sending to the Mexican authorities who
have ignored those in their ranks who were implicated in the shooting of
US journalist Brad Will a year ago Saturday and to those who have engaged
in a cover-up which the Mexican media labeled absurd?
*What makes you believe that a country whose police and
military are recognized every year in US State Department country reports
to be serial abusers of human rights should be lavished with US
taxpayer-funded lethal weaponry and training?
*Why do you believe this lethal power will not be leveled
against activists and ordinary Mexicancitizens as has been the
case in the past in Atenco, Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca?
*What has been learned from 'Plan Colombia' which makes you
think that this aid package will have agood effect on human rights,
corruption, and narco-trafficking? What percentage of the Plan Mexico
funding will be for law enforcement and how much for social and
economic programs? For the past seven years, more than 70 percent of
Plan Colombia funding has gone to the military and police and there
has been little emphasis on addressing the social and economic
problems that have led many poor Colombians to participate in the drug
trade. This militaristic law enforcement approach has failed to
diminish the amount of cocaine reaching US shores. Furthermore,
according to the US government's figures, coca cultivation in Colombia
has increased each of the past three years. Given that the
eradication of coca is the principal stated objective of Plan
Colombia, these figures suggest that the militaristic law enforcement
approach is ineffective.
www.friendsofbradwill.org AND www.bradwill.or
investigation into his murder
The Friends of Brad Will, a network of friends and associates of Brad
Will, the U.S. journalist, have urged House Speaker Pelosi and Eliot
Engel, the Chair of the Western Hemispheric affairs subcommittee to
oppose U.S. support for Mexican military and police forces. Mr. Will,
the 36 year old reporter, was murdered in Oaxaca, Mexico a year ago,
on October 27th, 2006. Witnesses and photographic evidence implicate
members of the Mexican government, including a police chief.
On 10-21-07, President Bush announced a $1.5 billion dollar "security
cooperation initiative" proposal for Mexico that the President tucked
into the Iraq supplemental spending package submitted to Congress. The
initiative allows sharing of U.S. military intelligence information
with Mexican military counterparts and provides weaponry and training
with the notoriously corrupt and brutal Mexican military and police.
Brad Will's family and friends denounced plans to fund a "Plan Mexico"
that would be more costly than the controversial "Plan Colombia" while
in attendance at the 10-25-07 hearing. They pointed to the lack of any
credible investigation into the murder of the U.S. journalist, who was
in Mexico covering the protests of a popular movement of teachers and
their supporters facing paramilitary violence deployed by the Mexican
government and the governor of Oaxaca, Ulises Ruiz Ortiz.
"One year after the murder of Brad Will, no one has been arrested.
Under the guise of stopping drug trafficking, US taxpayers could be
funding human rights violations, corrupt local officials and
Blackwater-style mercenaries in Oaxaca and elsewhere. This is exactly
the wrong message to send at this time." said Harry Bubbins, a media
representative for Friends of Brad Will.
Friends of Brad Will drew attention to testimony from today's panelist
Jess T. Ford, Associate Director, International Relations and Trade
Issues, made over ten years ago on September 12, 1996. "Overall, U.S.
and Mexican interdiction efforts have had little, if any, impact on
the overall flow of drugs through Mexico into the United States.
According to U.S. officials, Mexican counter-narcotics efforts are
hampered by pervasive corruption of key institutions...". Since then
human right's abuses and the use of weaponry against civilians has
only increased, making this aid proposal inappropriate.
"We are confident that Congress will ask hard questions about the
murder of US reporter Brad Will, and not just rubber stamp this
military aid package that could lead to further human rights abuses."
stated Robert Jereski, a Congressional liaison for Friends of Brad
Will.
The human rights certification processes that have been an important
component to these military aid packages in order to gain support in
Congress have been entirely inadequate, Friends of Brad Will
maintained. According to Human Rights News , 'Plan Mexico' - Lessons
learned from the failure of 'Plan Colombia', President Bush signed
Public Law (P.L.) 107-115, which authorized $380.5 million in aid to
Colombia. The bulk of this aid was for Colombia's military. Support
for human rights motivated Congress to condition assistance on clear
progress in stopping abuses.
Before making a decision on Colombia's compliance with U.S. law, the
Secretary of State must consult with human rights organizations.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Washington Office
on Latin America (WOLA) (who testified today) met with State
Department officials on February 1, 2002 to present evidence that
Colombia had not met any of the conditions. Nevertheless, the U.S.
certified Colombia, thereby releasing funds. This sent a harmful
message to Colombia and particularly the armed forces that human
rights are not important. The U.S. would be making the same mistake
by approving "Plan Mexico" and sending a message of impunity without
first achieving substantial progress in the murder of Brad Will, and
other human rights violations.
Garry Leech, an independent journalist who has covered the effects of
Plan Colombia, declared that 'drug war' program an expensive failure.
"The Colombian state's direct role in human rights abuses such as
extra-judicial executions, arbitrary arrests and disappearances has
increased under Plan Colombia." What is needed, he added, is to
strengthen judicial institutions and respect for human rights in
Mexico, and cut drug demand in and weapons flow from the United
States.
____------______------_____--------______----
Activists with Friends of Brad Will were present at Sub-Committee on
the Western Hemisphere Hearing on October 25th and suggested questions
for the Representatives to ask the Administration and the panelists:
*What signal are you sending to the Mexican authorities who
have ignored those in their ranks who were implicated in the shooting of
US journalist Brad Will a year ago Saturday and to those who have engaged
in a cover-up which the Mexican media labeled absurd?
*What makes you believe that a country whose police and
military are recognized every year in US State Department country reports
to be serial abusers of human rights should be lavished with US
taxpayer-funded lethal weaponry and training?
*Why do you believe this lethal power will not be leveled
against activists and ordinary Mexicancitizens as has been the
case in the past in Atenco, Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca?
*What has been learned from 'Plan Colombia' which makes you
think that this aid package will have agood effect on human rights,
corruption, and narco-trafficking? What percentage of the Plan Mexico
funding will be for law enforcement and how much for social and
economic programs? For the past seven years, more than 70 percent of
Plan Colombia funding has gone to the military and police and there
has been little emphasis on addressing the social and economic
problems that have led many poor Colombians to participate in the drug
trade. This militaristic law enforcement approach has failed to
diminish the amount of cocaine reaching US shores. Furthermore,
according to the US government's figures, coca cultivation in Colombia
has increased each of the past three years. Given that the
eradication of coca is the principal stated objective of Plan
Colombia, these figures suggest that the militaristic law enforcement
approach is ineffective.
www.friendsofbradwill.org AND www.bradwill.or
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