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600 lines from chapter 1 of:
!Zapatistas!
Documents of the New Mexican Revolution
Chapter 1. THE REVOLT
[Basta! Enough is Enough!]
[The Mexican Awakener [El Despertador Mexicano]
is the newspaper of the EZLN, issued on January 1
in conjunction with the uprising. It was the
first document released by the Zapatistas. It
contains their Declaration of War, an editorial,
and the revolutionary laws.]
El Despertador Mexicano
Declaration of War
[from a photocopy of the original]
Lacandona Jungle, December 31, 1993
TODAY WE SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
TO THE PEOPLE OF MEXICO:
MEXICAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS:
We are the product of 500 years of struggle:
first against slavery, then during the War of
Independence against Spain led by insurgents,
then to avoid being absorbed by North American
imperialism, then to promulgate our constitution
and expel the French Empire from our soil, and
later the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz denied
us the just application of the Reform Laws, and
the people rebelled and leaders like Villa and
Zapata emerged, poor people just like us. We have
been denied the most elemental preparation so
that they can use us as cannon fodder and pillage
the wealth of our country. They don't care that
we have nothing, absolutely nothing, not even a
roof over our heads: no land, no work, no health
care, no food, no education. Nor are we able to
freely and democratically elect our political
representatives, nor is there independence from
foreigners, nor is there peace nor justice for
ourselves and our children.
But today, we say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. We are the
inheritors of the true builders of our nation.
The dispossessed, we are millions, and we thereby
call upon our brothers and sisters to join this
struggle as the only path, so that we will not
die of hunger due to the insatiable ambition of a
70-year dictatorship led by a clique of traitors
who represent the most conservative and sell-out
groups. They are the same ones who opposed
Hidalgo and Morelos, the same ones who betrayed
Vincente Guerrero, the same ones who sold half
our country to the foreign invader, the same ones
who imported a European prince to rule our
country, the same ones who formed the
"scientific" Porfirista dictatorship, the same
ones who opposed the Petroleum Expropriation, the
same ones who massacred the railroad workers in
1958 and the students in 1968, the same ones who
today take everything from us, absolutely
everything.
To prevent the continuation of the above, and as
our last hope, after having tried to utilize all
legal means based on our Constitution, we go to
our Constitution, to apply Article 39, which
says:
"National Sovereignty essentially and originally
resides in the people. All political power
emanates from the people and its purpose is to
help the people. The people have, at all times,
the inalienable right to alter or modify their
form of government."
Therefore, according to our Constitution, we
declare the following to the Mexican Federal
Army, the pillar of the Mexican dictatorship that
we suffer from, monopolized by a one-party system
and led by Carlos Salinas de Gortari, the supreme
and illegitimate federal executive who today
holds power.
According to this Declaration of War, we ask that
other powers of the nation advocate to restore
the legitimacy and the stability of the nation by
overthrowing the dictator.
We also ask that international organizations and
the International Red Cross watch over and
regulate our battles, so that our efforts are
carried out while still protecting our civilian
population. We declare now and always that we are
subject to the Geneva Accord, forming the EZLN as
the fighting arm of our liberation struggle. We
have the Mexican people on our side, we have the
beloved tri-colored flag, highly respected by our
insurgent fighters. We use black and red in our
uniform as a symbol of our working people on
strike. Our flag carries the following letters,
"EZLN," Zapatista National Liberation Army, and
we always carry our flag into combat.
Beforehand, we reject any effort to disgrace our
just cause by accusing us of being drug
traffickers, drug guerrillas, thieves or other
names that might by used by our enemies. Our
struggle follows the Constitution, which is held
high by its call for justice and equality.
Therefore, according to this declaration of war,
we give our military forces, the EZLN, the
following orders:
First: Advance to the capital of the country,
overcoming the Mexican Federal Army, protecting
in our advance the civilian population and
permitting the people in the liberated area the
right to freely and democratically elect their
own administrative authorities.
Second: Respect the lives of our prisoners and
turn over all wounded to the International Red
Cross.
Third: Initiate summary judgments against all
soldiers of the Mexican Federal Army and the
political police who have received training or
have been paid by foreigners, accused of being
traitors to our country, and against all those
who have repressed and treated badly the civilian
population, and robbed, or stolen from, or
attempted crimes against the good of the people.
Fourth: Form new troops with all those Mexicans
who show their interest in joining our struggle,
including those who, being enemy soldiers, turn
themselves in without having fought against us,
and promise to take orders from the General
Command of the EZLN.
Fifth: We ask for the unconditional surrender of
the enemy's headquarters before we begin any
combat to avoid any loss of lives.
Sixth: Suspend the robbery of our natural
resources in the areas controlled by the EZLN.
To the People of Mexico:
We, the men and women, full and free, are
conscious that the war that we have declared is
our last resort, but also a just one. The
dictators have been waging an undeclared
genocidal war against our people for many years.
Therefore we ask for your participation, your
decision to support this plan that struggles for
work, land, housing, food, health care,
education, independence, freedom, democracy,
justice and peace. We declare that we will not
stop fighting until the basic demands of our
people have been met by forming a government of
our country that is free and democratic.
JOIN THE INSURGENT FORCES OF THE ZAPATISTA
NATIONAL
LIBERATION ARMY!
General Command of the EZLN
December 31, 1993
Editorial
Mexicans: workers, campesinos, students, honest
professionals, Chicanos, and progressives of
other countries: We have begun the struggle that
is necessary to meet the demands that never have
been met by the Mexican State: work, land,
shelter, food, health care, education,
independence, freedom, democracy, justice and
peace.
For hundreds of years we have been asking for and
believing in promises that were never kept. We
were always told to be patient and to wait for
better times. They told us to be prudent, that
the future would be different. But we see now
that this isn't true. Everything is the same or
worse now than when our grandparents and parents
lived. Our people are still dying from hunger and
curable diseases, and live with ignorance,
illiteracy and lack of culture. And we realize
that if we don't fight, our children can expect
the same. And it is not fair.
Necessity brought us together, and we said
"Enough!" We no longer have the time or the will
to wait for others to solve our problems. We have
organized ourselves and we have decided to demand
what is ours, taking up arms in the same way that
the finest children of the Mexican people have
done throughout our history.
We have entered into combat against the Federal
Army and other repressive forces: there are
millions of us Mexicans willing to live for our
country or die for freedom in this war. This war
is necessary for all the poor, exploited and
miserable people of Mexico, and we will not stop
until we achieve our goals.
We call on all of you to join our movement
because the enemies we face, the rich and the
State, are cruel and inhuman. They will put no
limit on their bloody instinct to destroy us. It
is necessary to struggle on all fronts and from
there, with your sympathy, your solidarity, the
dissemination that you give our cause, your
adoption of the ideals that we are demanding,
your incorporation of the Revolution by raising
up your people wherever they may be found, these
are very important factors in our final triumph.
El Despertador Mexicano is the newspaper of the
EZLN. It strives to inform the people about the
development of the just war that we have declared
against our class enemies.
In this first issue we present our Declaration of
War against the Federal Army, and we publish the
orders to be followed by the leaders and officers
of the EZLN in our advance through national
territory. Also in this issue are the
Revolutionary Laws that will be enacted in the
liberated territories in order to guarantee their
revolutionary control and strengthen the bases so
we can begin the process of building a new
Mexico.
To live for our country or die for freedom.
Revolutionary Laws
Women's Revolutionary Law
In the just fight for the liberation of our
people, the EZLN incorporates women into the
revolutionary struggle, regardless of their race,
creed, color or political affiliation, requiring
only that they share the demands of the exploited
people and that they commit to the laws and
regulations of the revolution. In addition,
taking into account the situation of the woman
worker in Mexico, the revolution supports their
just demands for equality and justice in the
following Women's Revolutionary Law.
First: Women, regardless of their race, creed,
color or political affiliation, have the right to
participate in the revolutionary struggle in a
way determined by their desire and capacity.
Second: Women have the right to work and receive
a just salary.
Third: Women have the right to decide the number
of children they will have and care for.
Fourth: Women have the right to participate in
the affairs of the community and hold positions
of authority if they are freely and
democratically elected.
Fifth: Women and their children have the right to
primary attention in matters of health and
nutrition.
Sixth: Women have the right to education.
Seventh: Women have the right to choose their
partner, and are not to be forced into marriage.
Eighth: Women shall not be beaten or physically
mistreated by their family members or by
strangers. Rape and attempted rape will be
severely punished.
Ninth: Women will be able to occupy positions of
leadership in the organization and hold military
ranks in the revolutionary armed forces.
Tenth: Women will have all the rights and
obligations elaborated in the Revolutionary Laws
and regulations.
Urban Reform Law
In the urban zones controlled by the EZLN, the
following laws will be enacted in order to ensure
dignified housing for all dispossessed families:
First: The inhabitants of the zone who own their
own homes or apartments will stop paying all
taxes.
Second: The inhabitants of the zone who pay rent,
and have resided in the same dwelling for more
than 15 years, will stop paying rent to the owner
of the property until the revolutionary
government triumphs and new legislation is
enacted.
Third: The inhabitants of the zone who pay rent,
and have resided in the same dwelling for fewer
than 15 years, will pay only 10% of the salary
earned by the head of the family as rent, and
will not pay at all after having resided in the
dwelling for 15 years.
Fourth: Urban lots that already have public
services will be opened for immediate occupation
in order that dwellings may be constructed on
said lots--even if the dwellings are only of a
provisional nature. The freely and democratically
elected authorities will be notified of these
occupations.
Fifth: Vacant public buildings and large mansions
will be provisionally occupied by families, who
will divide the buildings among themselves. In
order to facilitate this, the civil authorities
will appoint neighborhood committees that will
decide on requests that are presented to them and
will grant living space on the basis of need and
available resources.
Labor Law: Additions to the Present Law
The following laws will be added to the current
Federal Labor Law in the zones controlled by the
EZLN.
First: Foreign companies will pay their workers
an hourly salary in national money equivalent to
what would be payed in dollars outside the
country.
Second: National companies will increase their
workers' salaries monthly, by a percentage
determined by a local Prices and Salaries
Commission. Said Commission will be composed of
representatives of the workers, settlers, land-
owners, business people and the freely and
democratically elected authorities. The reduction
of current salaries will in no way be permitted.
Third: All workers in the countryside and the
cities will receive free medical care in any
public or private health center, hospital or
clinic. The medical costs will be covered by the
employers.
Fourth: Every worker will have a right to a
certain amount of non-transferable stock in the
company for which they work, the exact quantity
to be determined by the number of years that the
worker has worked for the company--this in
addition to their current pensions. The monetary
value of said stock will be used for the worker's
retirement, by his wife or by his beneficiary.
Industry and Commerce Law
First: The prices of basic products will be
regulated by a local Prices and Salaries
Commission. Said Commission will be composed of
workers, settlers, land owners, merchants and the
freely and democratically-elected authorities.
Increases in the prices of basic products cannot,
in any way, be more than increases in salaries.
Second: The hoarding of any product is
prohibited. Hoarders will be detained and turned
over to the military authorities, accused of
sabotage and treason to the country.
Third: The commerce of a given region should be
able to ensure the provision of tortillas and
bread for all in time of war.
Fourth: The industries and businesses that the
landowners consider unproductive, and attempt to
close in order to carry away the machinery and
raw materials, will be passed to the management
of the workers, and the machinery will become the
property of the nation.
Social Security Law
First: Abandoned children will be fed and
protected by the nearest neighbors under the
authority of the EZLN, before being turned over
to the civilian authorities, who will protect
them until they reach 13 years of age.
Second: Elderly people without family will be
protected and will receive priority in housing
and the distribution of free food coupons.
Third: Those incapacitated by the war will
receive attention and work priority under the
direction of the EZLN.
Fourth: The pension of retirees will be equal to
the minimum salary established by local Price and
Salary Commissions.
Justice Law
First: All prisoners in all prisons will be
liberated, except those guilty of murder, rape
and the leaders of drug-trafficking operations.
Second: All government officials, from the level
of the municipal president up to the president of
the republic, will be subject to audit, and will
be judged for misappropriation of funds in cases
where evidence of guilt is found.
Revolutionary Agrarian Law
The poor campesinos' movement in Mexico demands
the return of the land to those who work it and,
in the tradition of Emiliano Zapata and in
opposition to the reforms to Article 27 of the
Mexican Constitution, the EZLN again takes up the
just struggle of rural Mexico for land and
freedom. With the object of standardizing the new
agrarian distribution enacted by the revolution
throughout Mexican territory, the following
Revolutionary Agrarian Law is issued:
First: This law is valid in all Mexican
territory, and benefits all poor campesinos and
Mexican agricultural laborers regardless of their
political affiliation, religious creed, sex,
race, or color.
Second: This law affects all agricultural
properties and agro/livestock businesses inside
of Mexican territory, whether they are national
or foreign-owned.
Third: All poor-quality land in excess of 100
hectares and all good-quality land in excess of
50 hectares will be subject to the Revolutionary
Agrarian Law. The landowners whose lands exceed
the aforementioned limits will have the excess
taken away from them, and they will be left with
the minimum permitted by this law. They may
remain as small landholders or join the
cooperative campesinos' movement, campesino
societies, or communal lands.
Fourth: Communally held land and the land of
popular cooperatives will not be subject to
agrarian reform, even though they exceed the
limits mentioned in the third article of this
law.
Fifth: The lands affected by this agrarian law
will be distributed to the landless campesinos
and the agricultural laborers who thus request it
as collective property for the formation of
cooperatives, campesino societies or agricultural
production/livestock collectives. The affected
lands should be worked collectively.
Sixth: The collectives of poor, landless
campesinos and agricultural laborers-men, women,
and children without land title, or who have land
of poor quality-will have the right to be the
first to request land.
Seventh: In order to better cultivate the land
for the benefit of the poor campesinos and the
agricultural laborers, the expropriation of large
estates and agricultural/livestock monopolies
will include the expropriation of means of
production such as machinery, fertilizer, stores,
financial resources, chemical products and
technical expertise. All of these means should
pass into the hands of the poor campesinos and
agricultural laborers, with special attention
given to groups organized in cooperatives,
collectives and societies.
Eighth: The groups that benefit from this
agrarian law should dedicate themselves to the
collective production of necessary foodstuffs for
the Mexican people: corn, beans, rice, vegetables
and fruit, as well as to the raising of cattle,
bees, pigs and horses, and to the production of
animal-derived products (meat, milk, eggs, etc.).
Ninth: In time of war, a portion of the products
of the lands affected by this law will be
designated for the sustenance of orphans and
widows of revolutionary combatants, and to the
support of the revolutionary forces.
Tenth: The purpose of collective production is
primarily to satisfy the people's needs, to
instill in those who benefit from this law a
consciousness of collective work and benefit, and
to create production, defense and mutual-aid
units in the Mexican countryside. When a region
doesn't produce some product, it will trade
justly and equally with another region where it
is produced. Excess production can be exported to
other countries if there is no national demand
for the product.
Eleventh: Large agricultural businesses will be
expropriated and passed to the hands of the
Mexican people, and will be administered
collectively by the workers of those businesses.
The cultivation machinery, seeds, etc. that are
sitting idle in factories and businesses will be
distributed among rural collectives, with the
objective of making the land fertile and ending
the hunger of the people.
Twelfth: Individual hoarding of land and the
means of production will not be permitted.
Thirteenth: Zones of virgin jungle and forest
will be preserved. There will be reforestation
campaigns in the principal zones.
Fourteenth: The riverheads, rivers, lakes and
oceans are the collective property of the Mexican
people, and they will be cared for by not
polluting them and by punishing their misuse.
Fifteenth: In order to benefit the poor, landless
campesinos and agricultural workers, in addition
to the agrarian redistribution established by
this law, commercial centers will be created to
buy the campesinos' products at a fair price and
to sell to them, at a fair price, goods that the
campesino needs for a dignified life. Also,
community health centers will be created with
every benefit of modern medicine, with capable
and conscientious doctors and nurses, and with
free medical care for the people. Recreation
centers will be created for the campesinos and
their families so that they may rest in dignity
without the need for bars or bordellos.
Educational centers and free schools will be
created where the campesinos and their families
can receive an education, regardless of their
age, sex, race or political affiliation, and
where they can learn the techniques necessary for
their development. Housing and road construction
centers will be established with engineers,
architects, and the necessary materials for the
campesinos' dignified housing and the
construction of good roads for transportation.
Service centers will be created in order to
guarantee potable water, drainage, electricity,
radio and television, in addition to everything
necessary for housework: stoves, refrigerators,
lavatories, mills, etc.
Sixteenth: The campesinos who work collectively
will not be taxed. Nor will the ejidos,
cooperatives or communal lands be taxed. From the
moment that this Revolutionary Agrarian Law is
implemented, all debts--whether they are from
credit, taxes, or loans--that are owed by the
poor campesinos or agricultural workers to the
oppressive government, to foreigners or to
capitalists, are forgiven.
Law of Rights and Obligations
of Peoples in Struggle
In its liberatory advance through Mexican
territory, and in the struggle against the
government and against the large national and
foreign exploiters, the EZLN will implement, with
the help of the people engaged in struggle, the
following Law of Rights and Obligations of
Peoples in Struggle:
First: The peoples in struggle against the
oppressor government and the large national and
foreign exploiters, without regard to their
political affiliation, religious creed, race or
color, will have the following rights:
A: To choose, freely and democratically, the
authorities of whatever type they consider
convenient, and to demand that they be respected.
B: To demand that the revolutionary armed forces
not intervene in matters of civil order or the
disposition of capital relating to agriculture,
commerce, finances, and industry, as these are
the exclusive domain of the civil authorities,
elected freely and democratically.
C: To organize and exercise armed defense of
their collective and private goods, as well as to
organize and exercise the vigilance of public
order and good government according to the
popular will.
D: To demand that the revolutionary armed forces
guarantee the safety of people, families and
private and collective property of neighbors or
transients, when these people are not enemies of
the revolution.
E: The inhabitants of every population have the
right to acquire and possess arms to defend their
persons, families and property, according to the
laws of disposition of capital of farms,
commerce, finance and industry, against the armed
attacks committed by the revolutionary forces or
those of the government. By the same token, they
are fully authorized to make use of those arms
against whatever person or group of people
assaults their homes, the honor of their
families, or attempt to commit robberies or
attacks of whatever form against their persons.
This is valid only for those who are not enemies
of the revolution.
Second: The civil authorities of whatever type,
who are elected democratically, will have, in
addition to the previous rights and the
attributions that are signalled by the respective
revolutionary laws, the following rights:
A: They will be able to imprison, disarm and turn
in to the Commands anyone they find robbing,
raiding or looting any home or committing any
other violation, for which they will receive
their deserved punishment, even if they are a
member of the revolutionary armed forces. The
same procedures will be employed against those
who commit any violation, even if they are not
caught in the act, if their guilt is sufficiently
demonstrated.
B: They will have the right that, for their
conduct, revolutionary taxes be imposed as
established by the War Tax Law.
Third: Peoples in struggle against the oppressor
government and the great national and foreign
exploiters, without regard to their political
affiliation, religious creed, race or color, will
have the following obligations:
A: To give their services in works of vigilance,
according to majority will or the military
necessities of revolutionary war.
B: To respond to calls for help made by the
democratically elected authorities, the
revolutionary armed forces or by any
revolutionary military person in cases of
urgency, to combat the enemy.
C: To lend their services as mail deliverers or
guides to the revolutionary armed forces.
D: To lend their services to carry food to the
revolutionary troops when they are combatting the
enemy.
E: To lend their services to transport wounded,
bury cadavers or other similar works tied to the
cause and interests of the revolution.
F: To give food and lodging to the revolutionary
forces that are guarding or passing through the
respective populations, to the degree that they
are able.
G: To pay taxes and contributions established by
the War Tax Law and other Revolutionary Laws.
H: They should not help in any way the enemy, nor
give them articles of primary necessity.
I: To dedicate themselves to legitimate work.
Fourth: The civil authorities, of whatever type
elected democratically, will, in addition to the
previous obligations, have the following
obligations:
A: To regularly report to the civil population on
the activities under their command and the origin
and destination of all of the material resources
and human posts in their administration.
B: To regularly inform the respective Command of
the revolutionary armed forces of any events that
occur in their area.
Instructions to Leaders
and Officials of the EZLN
The following orders are obligatory for all
leaders and officials of troops under the control
the Zapatista National Liberation Army.
First: You will operate according to the orders
that you receive from the General Command or from
the Commands of the Front Line.
Second: The leaders and officials who are in
military operations in isolated zones or with
difficulties in communicating with the Commands
should carry out their military work, combatting
the enemy constantly, according to their own
initiative, taking care to advance the revolution
in the places where they find themselves working.
Third: You will submit a War Dispatch whenever
possible, or at least monthly, to the respective
Commands.
Fourth: You will endeavor to preserve, as much as
possible, good order among the troops, especially
when you enter populaces, guaranteeing in full
the lives and interests of the inhabitants who
are not enemies of the revolution.
Fifth: To aid the troops in their material
necessities to the degree possible, you should
impose war contributions on the businesses or
property-holders who find themselves in the zones
where you are operating, but only if they have
important capital according to the War Tax Law
and the Revolutionary Laws that affect
commercial, agricultural, financial and
industrial capital.
Sixth: The material funds that are gathered by
these means will be employed strictly for the
material necessities of the troops. The leader or
official who takes any of these funds for his
personal benefit will be taken prisoner and
judged according to the rules of the EZLN by a
revolutionary military tribunal.
Seventh: For the feeding of the troops, pasture
of the horses, and fuel and repair of the
vehicles, you should direct yourselves to the
democratically elected authorities of the place
in question. This authority will gather what they
can from among the civilian population, for the
material necessities of the Zapatista military
unit, and will hand them in to the leader or
official of the highest rank in said military
unit, and only to him.
Eighth: Only those officials with the rank of
Major or higher will change authorities in those
places that fall under the power of the
revolution, according to the will of the people,
and according to available and relevant sections
of the Law of Revolutionary Government.
Ninth: The people, in general, will take
possession of their goods according to what is
established in the Revolutionary Laws. The
leaders and officials of the EZLN will give to
these people their moral and material support,
with the goal of carrying out what is set out in
these Revolutionary Laws, whenever the same
people request this help.
Tenth: Absolutely no one will be able to have
meetings or treaties with the oppressor
government or with its representatives without
the prior authorization of the General Command of
the EZLN.
War Tax Law
In the zones controlled by the EZLN the following
War Tax Law will be instituted and will be made
to function with all of the moral, political and
military force of our revolutionary organization.
First: The War Tax Law will apply from the moment
that a military unit of the EZLN begins to
operate in a specific territory.
Second: The War Tax Law affects all of the
civilian, national or foreign populations
residing in or passing through said territory.
Third: The War Tax Law is not obligatory for the
civilian population that lives by its own
resources, without exploiting any labor
whatsoever and without obtaining any advantage
from the people. For poor campesinos, day
workers, workers, employees, the unemployed,
participation in this law is voluntary and in no
way will they be obligated morally or physically
to subject themselves to this law.
Fourth: The War Tax Law is obligatory for those
in the civilian population who live by
exploitation, by force or through work or who
obtain some advantage over the people in their
activities. Those small, medium and large
capitalists of the countryside and the city can
be obligated to obey this law without exception,
in addition to submitting themselves to the
Revolutionary Laws affecting agricultural,
commercial, financial and industrial capital.
Fifth: The following percentages of taxes will be
established, according to the work of each
person:
A: For small commercial businesses, small
property holders, workshops and small industries,
7% of their monthly income. In no way will their
means of production be affected by the collection
of this tax.
B: For professional people, 10% of their monthly
income. In no way will materials strictly
necessary for the exercising of their profession
be affected.
C: For medium-size property-holders, 15% of their
monthly income. Their property will be affected
according to the respective Revolutionary Laws of
agricultural, commercial, financial and
industrial capital.
D: For large capitalists, 20% of their monthly
income. Their property will be affected according
to the respective Revolutionary Laws of
agricultural, commercial, financial and
industrial capital.
Sixth: All of the goods seized from the armed
forces of the enemy will be property of the EZLN.
Seventh: All of the goods recuperated by the
revolution from the hands of the oppressor
government will be the property of the
revolutionary government according to the laws of
the revolutionary government.
Eighth: All taxes and burdens imposed by the
oppressor government will be ignored, such as
those debts of money or goods that the exploited
people of the country and the city find
themselves obligated to pay by those governing or
by capitalists.
Ninth: All of the war taxes recovered by the
revolutionary armed forces or by the organized
people will become the collective property of the
respective populations, and will be administered
according to the popular will by the
democratically elected civil authorities, giving
to the EZLN only what is necessary to contribute
to the material necessities of the regular
troops, and for the continuation of the
liberatory movement according to the Law of
Rights and Obligations of Peoples in Struggle.
Tenth: No civil or military authority, whether it
be of the oppressor government or of the
revolutionary forces, will take for personal or
family benefit any part of these war taxes.
Law of Rights and Obligations
of the Revolutionary Armed Forces
The revolutionary armed forces of the EZLN, in
their struggle against the oppressor government
and the great national and foreign exploiters,
and in its liberatory advance over the Mexican
territory, commit themselves to the carrying out
and enforcement of the following Law of Rights
and Obligations of the Revolutionary Armed
Forces:
First: The revolutionary troops of the EZLN in
their combat against the oppressor will have the
following rights:
A: The troops that pass through a village will
have the right to receive from the people,
through the democratically elected civil
authorities, lodging, food and the means to
accomplish their military missions, according to
the means of the inhabitants.
B: The troops that, by orders of the respective
commands, are garrisoned in a place, will have
the right to receive lodging, food, and means
according to what is established in section (A)
of this article.
C: The leaders, officials or soldiers who observe
that some authority does not fulfill what is
established by the Revolutionary Laws, and lack
popular approval, will have the right to denounce
this authority to the revolutionary government.
Second: The revolutionary troops of the EZLN, in
their combat against the oppressor, have the
following obligations:
A: To make sure that those peoples who have not
named, freely and democratically, their
authorities, proceed immediately to free
elections of the same, without the intervention
of the armed forces, which under the
responsibility of their military orders, will let
the population work without any pressure
whatsoever.
B: To respect the civil authorities elected
freely and democratically.
C: To not intervene in civil matters, and to let
the civil authorities work freely on these
matters.
D: To respect legal commerce that obeys the
respective Revolutionary Laws.
E: To respect the agricultural redistribution
carried out by the revolutionary government.
F: To respect the rules, customs and agreements
of the people and to submit themselves to them in
cases of civil-military relations.
G: To charge no taxes to the population, in no
way and under no pretext, for the use of its land
and waters.
H: To not take over, for personal use, the lands
of the people, or of the estates taken away from
the oppressor.
I: To obey all of the laws and rules issued by
the revolutionary government.
J: To not demand personal services or works of
personal benefit from the civilian population.
K: To report those subordinates who commit any
crime, imprison them, and remit them to a
revolutionary military tribunal, so that they may
receive their deserved punishment.
L: To respect civil justice.
M: The leaders and officials will be responsible
before the respective Commands for the abuses or
crimes of subordinates who are not remitted to
revolutionary military tribunals.
N: To dedicate yourselves to making war against
the enemy until they are definitively removed
from the territory in question or are
annihilated.
Testimonies of the First Day
[The following are excerpted transcriptions that
were published in La Jornada. They were recorded
in San Cristobal de las Casas just after the
EZLN liberated the city on January 1, 1994, and
the transcription was published in La Jornada on
January 19. They begin with Subcommander Marcos
answering questions after reading the Declaration
of War from the balcony of the Municipal
Presidential Palace.]
[La Jornada, 1/19]
Q: Have there been any losses?
Marcos: No. Neither ours nor the enemy's. Only in
Ocosingo. There were two dead and two wounded and
four prisoners on their side.
Q: The military zone is here, less than 12
kilometers away. They have not responded?
M: You have to take into account that it is a
difficult situation, because this is the command
of the 31st Military Zone. And they attack the
back and three fronts. It is not as though you
say, OK, now I will come and finish with San
Cristobal.
Q: Why are some of you masked and others are not,
although you are all from the same movement?
M: Those of us who are more handsome always have
to protect ourselves... What is happening is
that, in this case, the officers are those who
are masked, for two reasons. One, the primary
one, is that we have to watch out for
protagonism, in other words, that people do not
promote themselves too much.
The mask is so that there is no protagonism, if
you understand me, that we sometimes have a lot
of, those of us who get into this business of
appearing a lot. So now, since it is not well
known who is who, probably in a little while
another will come out, or it could be the same
one. It is about being anonymous, not because we
fear for ourselves, but rather so that they
cannot corrupt us; for that reason some wear ski
masks, so that they will not appear often and
say, "What about me over here?" We know that our
leadership is collective and that we have to
submit to them. Even though you happen to be
listening to me here now because I am here, but
in other places others, masked in the same way,
are talking. This masked person today is called
Marcos here and tomorrow will be called Pedro in
Margaritas or Josue in Ocosingo or Alfredo in
Altamirano or whatever he is called.
Finally, the one who speaks is a more collective
heart, not a caudillo. That is what I want you to
understand, not a caudillo in the old style, in
that image. The only image that you will have is
that those who make this happen are masked, then.
And the time will come when the people will
realize that it is enough to have dignity and put
on a mask and say: Well then, I can do this too,
and OK, I do not need to be of a particular
physique. That is the truth, and for that reason,
you should not believe what I said when I said I
was very handsome. I am doing propaganda for
myself.
Q: And women are in this movement voluntarily?
M: Did someone obligate you to come? They are
Tzotziles, Tzeltales, Tojolabales- Indians.
Q: What is the average age?
M: A scandalous 22 years old. It has gone up.
When we started it was 16 years. Then, four years
ago, it was 20, and now the average age is
between 22 and 23 years old. There are people
much younger than that, but the average of the
troops is that. Those who have masks are
officials or people that...
Q: Command?
M: No, that is what will not check out. You are
going to check out all that you see with what you
read. You will check Tupamaros, Montoneros, the
Sandinista Front (Frente Sandinista), 26th of
July Movement (Movimiento 26 de Julio), URNG.
Nothing will check out. "They are a mess." "They
are going to win." This is an organization that
has been preparing itself for over 10 years
without a single assault, robbery or kidnapping.
"Where did they get money for what they did?"
"Who protected them for so long?" They are going
to say that we were part of the government. Today
had to come so that we could demonstrate that we
are not.
Q: How many people make up the Zapatista Army...
Can you tell us?
M: I will tell you that there are thousands, and
that they are all moved to take these actions.
Q: Will there be more?
M: Of course. After this, here, when we leave
here, from these positions, when we advance, we
are certain that more will join us. Three or four
hours ago we received information that an element
of the Federal Army deserted and joined our
ranks. They have offered to show us the location
of the barracks... No, he will not show us
tactics. We know more than he.
Q: Who was the source?
M: The deserter from the Army who joined our
ranks.
Q: What assurances does the press have to enter
into the zones?
M: In our zones, with us, you will not have
problems; but I am sure that the Army will not
let information pass through. Or that your
editorial boards or your bosses will not let you
publish it.
Q: Can you provide the resources of the City Hall
for our work, what you have here, like the phone
lines, fax?
M: Go in and look for them if you like. Oh,
you're asking... I was already up there looking
for a telephone because I had to talk to Human
Rights, to the National Commission. No, man, they
have stolen everything. There are computers and
all of that, we do not do anything with that...
Yes, there is communication. The only thing I can
guarantee is where we move, and if you present
your newspaper credentials, they will let you
pass.
Q: Are you only here, in the state of Chiapas?
M: No.
* * * * *
M: [...] We hope that the people understand that
the causes that have moved us to do this are
just, and that the path that we have chosen is
just one, not the only one. Nor do we think that
it is the best of all paths. We only think that
this is one that needs to be taken and we invite
all of the people to do the same, not to rise up
in arms, but to struggle for a truly free and
democratic government in Mexico that can fulfill
the aspirations of each and every person. We do
not want a dictatorship of another kind, nor
anything out of this world, not international
Communism and all that. We want justice where
there is now not even minimum subsistence. This
is in the whole state of Chiapas. And one can
say: Well, soon I am going to rise up in arms.
No, but do demonstrate your agreement, each
person where you work, students, teachers, and
all of that, make count what they have denied us
until now, which is the right to have an opinion,
to feel, to dissent. That is what we want. We
resorted to this because, well, because they did
not leave us any other way, really.
Q: Do you think the conditions are right to do
what you are doing?
M: Yes, we think that the time is ripe at an
international level. We think that at the
international level there is a sensibility for
the Mexican people to rise up against a
dictatorship of such long standing, in this case
of a party, as it was in Europe. And at the
national level, there is much discontent, but
what was needed was for someone to give a lesson
in dignity, and this fell to the most ancient
inhabitants of this country that is now called
Mexico, but when they were here it did not have a
name, that name. It fell to the lowest citizens
of this country to raise their heads, with
dignity. And this should be a lesson for all. We
cannot let ourselves be treated this way, and we
have to try to construct a better world, a world
truly for everyone, and not only for a few, as
the current regime does. This is what we want. We
do not want to monopolize the vanguard or say
that we are the light, the only alternative, or
stingily claim the qualification of revolutionary
for one or another current. We say, look at what
happened. That is what we had to do.
We have dignity, patriotism and we are
demonstrating it. You should do the same, within
your ideology, within your means, within your
beliefs, and make your human condition count.
Q: It is speculated that you are a member of some
political party.
M: Well, they have asked this question often, if
we are a member of the PRD or of the PAN or some
faction within the PRI that is against [then-
Presidential-candidate Luis Donaldo] Colosio.
But the truth, we tell you sincerely, is that the
political parties do not come to Indigenous
people in Chiapas. They do not come and the
people are tired of butting their heads against
the wall. For that reason, we grew here,
precisely because the political parties do not
have consensus.
* * * * *
Q: Don't you think that people are afraid of you?
M: I think that they did not have bigger problems
than us... Well, more than fear. That yes, but
that we would rape and mutilate and all of that,
no. But aside from that, I hope that the fear has
gone. You should understand than any mess that we
could have made here we would have done at dawn,
when you were sleeping; that is, you should
recognize that. You realized what was going on
when the morning was quite advanced, when we were
already here. You drank a toast to the new year
and went to sleep, and we fell on you, but like a
slap. I think that the force is not against
everyone, quite the opposite.
Q: Why did you pick those four towns, did you
have that already planned?
M: We have everything planned.
Q: In the state [of Chiapas]?
M: Comitan, Tuxtla, Palenque, Arteaga,
Tapachula...
Q: Not just four towns?
M: Well wait, and we'll be right behind you.
Everything is planned down to the hut of Tres
Marias and the Cuernavaca-Mexico highway. And
from there we have planned how to enter. Some say
that we should stay and eat some quesadillas in
Tres Marias... The plan is to go on to all of
the towns. We will go on to all of the towns. The
thing is that we are the majority. That is the
truth. But we will try to follow the bosses of
San Cristobal and not cause any problems to the
civil population and try to convince the Army to
come over from the side of injustice.
The immediate objective is that our agricultural
laws begin to operate in the liberated zones,
that the campesinos organize themselves, taking
land, respecting small rural property and working
in collectives, ignoring all of the debts with
the government. Banrural (Banco de Credito
Rural), all of the taken assets, all of that, we
don't know anything about in the rural zone
because where we move those laws will start to
operate, that is, the old Constitution before
they reformed it. That is the immediate plan that
we have, that is, to organize the rural life of
this country according to the will of the
majority of our compañeros. That is, that there
be land, because there is land, and that it be
distributed, because they just said that they
were not going to give any more out.
So before it was running around in Agrarian
Reform, which they would probably give you. Well
now, even if you run around, they won't give it
to you. That is what Hank Gonzalez and Salinas
de Gortari said when they said: Land reform is
over.
Q: Listen, what about the stores?
M: I said a little while ago up there that
businesses will be permitted to open. We will not
do anything to private commerce, only to the
government. But everything, the mini-buses, the
gas stations, we are not prohibiting them from
opening. We guarantee them that we will not
attack any store because the law about that
says...
Q: Could tomorrow be a normal day?
M: Yes, let's see if you can live with that. In
any case you will have to live always with that
threat over your head, until the problem of
social justice for these people is resolved, they
will come back any moment. You were always scared
of the black legend that we would kill you, rape
you and mutilate you, and you saw that we didn't.
* * * * *
Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous
Committee Decrees
[In the tape a man can be heard who, with
difficulty, reads a document.]
I am going to communicate some of the decisions
that our Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous
Committee, leadership of our revolution, has
decreed today:
First: that the stores and businesses that belong
to the oppressor government be opened so that the
people of San Cristobal can take from them what
they need. Only the stores and businesses that
belong to the federal and state government,
nothing against local commerce.
Second decree: directed at the command of the
31st Military Zone with headquarters in Rancho
Nuevo, of the federal government, to invite the
body of officers, classes and troops to abandon
the ranks of the evil government and pass, with
all of their instruments and all of their
experience, to the side of the struggle of the
people. In case the garrison of the 31st Military
Zone does not accept the abandonment of the cause
of the evil government and embrace the cause of
the people, then I am ordered to ask for the
unconditional surrender of those barracks at the
date and time that it be communicated
appropriately. I make public, therefore, the
offer for the 31st Military Zone and the
battalions and units of the Federal Army to
abandon the federal government and join our cause
in one single army, respecting their ranks and
their chain of command. [applause]
It has already been agreed and tomorrow a
commission is ready to certify that we did not
harm anyone: It will be allowed to leave on the
side of Tuxtla. After this time [six in the
morning] when the delegation is formed and can
see that nothing happened to them, you will be
able to leave the city on the side I already
mentioned, and you will be able to come here for
a safe conduct so that they will let you pass. We
are speaking with the National Human Rights
Commission so that there can be a representative
of theirs on the other side to guarantee the
passage of tourists without being harmed by the
federal troops. This is a negotiation that we are
doing. What we can guarantee is that when this
delegation is formed, we will let them out. What
happens beyond our lines? Go at your own risk.
That's clear. Here they are fewer, but some
people have approached us to ask how they can
help us. I have told them clearly that what we
hope is that they will understand the justice of
our demands.
You may not agree with the path that we have
chosen, but you have to understand that the
conditions that brought us to this are very cruel
and very desperate. If you can understand that,
it is a great help to us. If you realize that we
have done everything possible to respect your
lives, your goods, because the problem is not
with you, and if you can also take it into
account, because right now the press and the
propaganda are saying very much that we are
raping, stealing, robbing gasoline stations,
looting businesses and many things that you have
seen with your own eyes, we have not done here in
San Cristobal. If anyone would like to go
further [applause]... Also, here a person is
telling me to make public the guarantees that we
give to all civilians regardless of their
political affiliation, nationality, race, or
creed, that they will not be touched by our
forces.
Whenever we can, what I want to say to people
that want to go further, if you can give some
food or money, it would be welcome. You know that
we do not steal. Whoever wants to help us in
something more material, they can give us that,
food and money. If you cannot or do not want to,
it is enough [to] understand why we did this.
Then, we will be satisfied.
We will continue towards the regular troops of
the Zapatista National Liberation Army and the
orders that our leadership gives us to go where
they direct us. Now they are sending us to Rancho
Nuevo. Well, it will be there. If it is on the
other side, then to the other side we'll go. But
it should be clear that we are inviting the
federal troops to come over to our side. That is
all, if you have any question, that is all I can
say. Don't worry about your goods or your
persons. They will be respected, as will your
liberty. In case of problems, we are not going to
take hostages or take anyone by force with us to
protect us. In the case that we have to leave, or
that we have to fight, that is the guarantee,
that we will not take civilians or hostages...
[vigorous applause].
We will fight until the fall of the capital of
the Republic. My compañeros have said it very
clearly in their declaration of war, that their
fundamental demands imply the creation of a
transitional government that calls for elections,
clean, real elections, and for that they are
calling for the House of Deputies and the House
of Senators to disregard and unseat the
illegitimate president, Carlos Salinas de
Gortari, and from among them a coalition
government of various parties and people of known
prestige; a transitional government that would
call for clean elections so that the will of the
people could win. That is what the compañeros
explain. I was ready to talk with anyone but the
only thing they have sent is airplanes. That
should be clear: We have not denied the dialogue
to anyone. There has been no attempt, other than
that of the National Human Rights Commission,
which did approach us to ask for the free passage
of foreigners. All of us are Mexicans. The
movement is national, and among our troops that
fight here are people who have visited various
states of the Republic but mainly the troops that
are here are Chiapanecos and mainly Indigenous.
We are not requiring the reaching of an accord as
a condition for leaving San Cristobal. We may
leave even though there is no accord, according
to orders that may tell us to leave and attack
another place. We would have to march to other
places. In this case Tuxtla, since if the order
is that we have to go there, we have nothing to
do here. What I want you to understand is our
situation here. We have not prohibited any
commerce, not the gas stations, not the bus
stations, not the mini-buses, not that, nor have
we prohibited the radio stations. The only thing
we have prohibited is leaving the city because we
cannot guarantee that the federal troops will
respect you. As for the rest, we have not done
anything but get things a bit dirty. That we have
done, but we will try to fix that as well, very
soon. So we advise with this, then, to the small
and medium businesses, that they will not be
touched, only the business that is of the federal
and state government.
* * * * *
[Marcos is speaking again.]
M: Let me finish.
Q: Wait a minute.
M: Of course, finish.
Q: Compañeros of Chiapas, Indians, permit me a
minute, if you were brought tortillas, water,
pozolito, would you accept it?
M: Yes, of course. That is what we are eating.
That is the situation. What has to continue is
our advance to Mexico City. We started this very
day. Today the North American Free Trade
Agreement begins, which is nothing more than a
death sentence to the Indigenous ethnicities of
Mexico, who are perfectly dispensable in the
modernization program of Salinas de Gortari. Then
the compañeros decided to rise up on that same
day to respond to the decree of death that the
Free Trade Agreement gives them, with the decree
of life that is given by rising up in arms to
demand liberty and democracy, which will take
them to the solution to their problems. This is
the reason that we have risen up today. Any other
questions, because they are going to cut me off?
Q: We don't want free trade. What is happening?
M: What I know is nothing more than you know.
There were displays of adherence and sympathy in
four or five states of the Republic, among them
Veracruz, Oaxaca, Puebla and another state in the
North that I can't remember. Our organization
will also speak on a national level. A column was
lost as they entered and then they went in there,
they left to look, but we are not going to enter
any civilian house. We did not do it when you
were sleeping [applause], and won't now that you
are awake. I think we did well, because you did
not awaken until very late. [applause]
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