The two activists had been fighting for years against an open-air iron mine in San Miguel de Aquila, in Michoacan, in central Mexico, denouncing an environmental disaster and the lack of adequate compensation for the indigenous community of the Nahuas.
A 39-year-old teacher, Brenda Diaz Valencia is determined to move the international community, from Geneva to Washington, where she notably met a commission of the American Congress.
I am here to ask for help, to find out the truth and to have them returned to usshe explains to AFP alongside Alejandra Gonza, lawyer specializing in human rights.
I know that the United States can put a lot of pressure on the Mexican government to do everything possible and bring them backshe confides.
With Ricardo Lagunes, his father went on a crusade against the mine operator, Ternium, a steel giant domiciled in Luxembourg, present in several Latin American countries, which posted a turnover of 17.6 billion dollars. business in 2023.
The two men have been missing since January 15, 2023, after attending a meeting against the mine.
In a press release sent to AFP, Ternium said it was addressing the situation dead earnest. We condemn any form of violence and categorically reject any speculation or attempted defamation to try to link Ternium to any illegal activity.says the company.
– Fractured social fabric –
Antonio Diaz Valencia and lawyer Ricardo Lagunes, both of whom disappeared after criticizing mining practices in Mexico, in Washington, United States, October 3, 2024″ width=”883″ height=”0″ loading=”lazy”/>
Brenda Diaz Valencia wears a t-shirt bearing the image of her father Antonio Diaz Valencia and lawyer Ricardo Lagunes, both of whom disappeared after criticizing mining practices in Mexico, in Washington, United States, October 3, 2024
Ternium rejects also any attempt to use the violence in Mexico (…) to associate the company or its managers directly or indirectly with cases of violence.
Brenda Diaz Valencia remembers her father’s efforts to protect the rivers, forests and indigenous ways of life of the Nahuas.
She claims that the waters of the Aquila River have been diverted for the needs of the mine and that new roads have encroached on the forest.
The presence of the mine also fractured the social fabricshe asserts, saying that Ternium pays royalties to residents who can then become victims of extortion.
Accusing a small group of residents of monopolizing the profits with the company’s license, the missing, regularly threatened, tried to renegotiate royalties and fight against pollution, according to her.
In a letter addressed to former Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador a month before his disappearance, Antonio Diaz Valencia had accused Ternium of collusion with armed groups to repress the Nahuas.
According to a report by a collective of local journalists, at least 93 environmental defenders disappeared in Mexico between 2006 and 2023.
– Open all tracks –
Brenda Diaz Valencia (L) and human rights lawyer Alejandra Gonza display photos of Antonio Diaz Valencia and lawyer Ricardo Lagunes, both of whom disappeared after criticizing mining practices in Mexico, in Washington, DC United States, October 3, 2024
Mexican justice announced in April 2023 the arrest of two men in connection with the disappearance of the activists, citing disputes within the Nahuas.
This year 2024, Mexican media reported that prosecutors believe the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel was involved.
But for activists, the government cannot continue to blame organized crime alone, like Alejandra Gonza, head of the NGO Global Rights Advocacy who launched a procedure before the UN and the Inter-American Commission on Rights. of man.
For her, we must at least open all avenues of investigationhighlighting the dominance of organized crime in the region but also the considerable interests of companies like Ternium.
It is not only Mexico’s responsibility to bring back the missing, insists the lawyer, but also that of many rich countries linked to Ternium, which could, according to her, put pressure on the company.
While Mexico has had a new president at its head for a month, Claudia Sheinbaum, Brenda Diaz Valencia refuses to give up the fight and says keep hope to see his father again.
