December 15, 2006

Activist says Mexico Censored Her

Mark Stine KOLD News 13 Reporter

"This was not going to be a situation where I would be used for a photo opportunity with the President."

Human rights activist Isabel Garcia is standing up for what she believes.

"I was contacted directly and told that I'd been nominated to receive this very prestigious human rights award."

For the first time ever, the Mexican government gave their National Human Rights Award to someone outside Mexico.

Garcia told KOLD, "For them to acknowledge me really is to acknowledge the human rights crisis on the border, so I decided to accept it."

Garcia says she accepted the award with the understanding that she could speak to President Felipe Calderon and address the country at a press conference because she had a message.

She shared that message with KOLD News 13, before she left.

"Our message to Mexico is that it must demand respect, that it too must stand for human rights that we condemn Mexico too for the deaths along the border."

When she arrived in Mexico City Monday night, Garcia received some shocking news.

"I was told that, in fact, I would not be allowed to speak at the ceremony at Los Binos and there would not be a press conference."

Feeling disrespected and censored, Garcia declined to go to the ceremony and receive the award from the president.

"This was very serious commitment from our part to go."

And because of that commitment to spread a message to the Mexican people, she didn't want the government to successfully silence her. So, Garcia and her colleagues decided to have a press conference, inviting the Mexican media.

She explained to them, "About the reality of the border, people don't know that people are dying."

While Garcia was holding her press conference, President Calderon went ahead with the ceremony without her.

She said, "President Calderon spoke of me, spoke of our work. They showed a video about me, they even had a woman with black hair almost really trying to hide the fact that I refused to go to the ceremony."

So now, Garcia is left with questions.

"Why did they change their minds at the last minute? Why did they decide to silence me?"

Garcia tells KOLD she still wants the award. She doesn't know yet if she'll get it. Garcia says she'll be contacting the Mexican government soon.
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