The two, Rodolfo Montiel Flores and Teodoro Cabrera García, are members of the Organization of Ecological Peasants of Sierra de Petatlán and Coyuca de Catalán. They have been jailed since May 2, 1999.

In the eyes of the authorities, the real crime of these two farmers is their involvement in the fight to prevent the destruction of forests in the region. This struggle is opposed by big economic interests such as the U.S. lumber company Boise Cascade and local authorities, who called in the army under the pretext that there were armed groups in the area.

Between 1992 and 2000, some 86,000 hectares of forests have been destroyed by illegal logging, which accelerated after 1995 with the arrival of Boise Cascade, also known as Grand Forest Products. Eventually, a broad campaign organized by the Organization of Ecological Peasants succeeded in forcing the company to leave. Illegal logging in the area has continued, however.

Nuestra Palabra has called for supporters of democratic rights to demand that the president of Mexico, newly elected Vicente Fox, order the release of Montiel Flores and Cabrera García.  
 
 
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