The Sierra Club and Amnesty International are speaking out on behalf of environmental
defenders like Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera whose human rights have been violated.
Their joint campaign, "Defending those who give the earth a voice," aims to
generate international awareness and action wherever abuses against environmentalists are
taking place, and to promote a U.S. foreign policy that consistently addresses human
rights and environmental concerns.
In April, representatives from the Sierra Club, Amnesty
International, and the Goldman Environmental Foundation discussed Montiel's case with
Jorge Madrazo Cuellar, Mexico's attorney general, and Julia Carabias Lillo, Secretary of
the Environment. The organizations urged that these "prisoners of conscience" be
immediately and unconditionally released, and that the allegations of torture be
investigated by the appropriate civil authorities.
Madrazo agreed to review the case,
promising to get personally involved if necessary. Carabias admitted that her office had
no hard data about the damage caused by the current clearcutting practices in the state of
Guerrero. She committed to investigate the allegations of illegal logging and to reassess
the logging permits issued to landowners.
