#MARIOLIBRE - More people are in solidarity with Mario!

Mario González García, a 21-year-old student at the College of Sciences and Humanities (CCH ), National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) , was arbitrarily arrested and tortured on October 2, 2013, and has since then been in prison. Mario, stuck in the Mexican system of injustice, initiated 48 days ago a hunger strike -which continues through today-, and he demands to face his trial outside prison.

Why Mario?

Mario was an aware and politically active student who was struggling in UNAM, against changes to curriculum that seek to make education a commodity. As a result of being a student involved in the struggle, he suffered harassment within the CCH and the University, was expelled and falsely accused of robbing a supermarket and was eventually released.

After obtaining his freedom Mario sought to be reinstalled in the school and rejoin the fight. He just wanted to go back to school. Mario together with other students set up a picket outside the Rectory at UNAM.

The day of the arrest...

So on October 2, the day each year in Mexico City we remember the students killed by the government of the PRI in 1968, Mario along with other students left the camp at UNAM to go to the protest, but before arriving, he and 10 other students were taken off of public transportation and detained. Mario never joined the protest that day. Later, Mario was set a bail of 130 thousand pesos –around 10,000 dollars- to go out and face the process. The bail was paid, but the day he was supposed to be set free, he was rearrested for being considered dangerous.

A year after the return of the PRI

Mario's case is not an isolated case, he is not the only young man trapped in the injustice system. Almost a year ago, on December 1 of 2012, after a turbid electoral process: Peña Nieto, the PRI, became president of Mexico. The PRI had governed for over 70 years and only went out for the 12 years of the PAN governments (2000-2012).

With the return of the PRI, the street protest took other dimensions. The popular rejection of the government of Peña Nieto and his policies, is growing rapidly. While Miguel Angel Mancera (PRD) began to govern Mexico City, and his government is dedicated to criminalize protest, there is no respect for Human Rights and hundreds of people, mostly young, have been arbitrarily detained.

The justice system is rotten, if anyone is arrested they have to prove their innocence or remain in prison or with an open proceeding -although the judiciary has no evidence against them-. Summarizing: in Mexico the presumption of innocence is a myth.

In addition to Mario, 7 other youth are still unfairly in prison since October 2. As if that was not enough after several protests in Mexico City: dozens of young people remain trapped in corrupted legal proceedings, some cases are from December 1 of 2012, others of: June 10, September 1 and 2 October of 2013.

In Mexico it has always been dangerous to think differently and organize. It used to be different, at least in Mexico City you used to be free to express dissent, but now even there you are at risk: if you are young, you think differently and go out on the streets to protest.

Join the campaign #MarioLibre //#Free Mario, send your video to: mariolibremx@gmail.com and tweet to the mayor of mexico city: @ManceraMiguelMX #MarioLibre #ProtestarEsUnDerecho