Francisco Cerezo, a native of Mexico City, helped to found the human rights organization Comité Cerezo in 2000 after his three brothers were arrested and imprisoned by the Mexican government for student activism. Comité Cerezo advocated for and eventually secured their release, but only after Francisco’s brothers spent seven years in prison, where they were physically and psychologically tortured. The Cerezo brothers are not alone; since 2000, approximately 900 Mexican citizens have been arrested or The Latin American/ Speaker Series at the persecuted by the Mexican state for political reasons. Comité University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point presents Cerezo has been a tireless advocate for political prisoners and the protection of human rights in Mexico and has received international recognition for its work. Currently, it is participating in a nationwide campaign aimed at protecting human rights defenders.

Witness for Peace

Francisco Cerezo’s visit to UWSP is part of a Midwest speaking tour sponsored by Witness for Peace, a thirty-year-old, politically independent organization of U.S. citizens committed to the promotion of U.S. policies in that support peace, justice, nonviolence, and economic well-being.

This event was made possible thanks to support provided by

College of Letters and Science

Department of Political Science

Department of Foreign Languages Francisco Cerezo Mexican Human Rights Activist Office of International Programs

Additional thanks to speaking on

Elise Roberts, Witness for Peace Upper Midwest

Maggie Ervin, Witness for Peace Mexico DRUGS, GUNS, AND U.S. POLICIES IN MEXICO:

Todd Good, UWSP College of Letters and Science LESSONS FROM THE HUMAN RIGHTS Mark Williams, UWSP College of Letters and Science

ORGANIZATION COMITÉ CEREZO

Thursday, October 17, 2013 7:30 p.m.

Noel Fine Arts Center 221 Schedule of Events Drugs, Guns, and U.S. Policies in Mexico: Welcome by Associate Dean Todd Good, College of Letters and Science Lessons from the Human Rights Organization Introduction by Dr. Jennifer Collins, Department of Political Science, Latin American/Caribbean Speaker Series Comité Cerezo

Introduction to Witness for Peace, Ms. Elise Roberts, Regional Organizer, Witness for Peace Upper Midwest A presentation by Background on the situation in Mexico by Ms. Maggie Ervin, Long-term Mr. Francisco Cerezo Volunteer, Witness for Peace Mexico

Public Talk by Mr. Francisco Cerezo (Translation by Ms. Ervin)

Q&A Session Moderated by Dr. Collins Aggressive policies against drug trafficking in over the past 15 years have increasingly pushed drug cartels into Description of the Series and Mexico. In response, in 2008, Mexican The Latin American/Caribbean Speaker Series (LACSS) at UWSP was President Felipe Calderón launched the Mérida Initiative, a founded in 2011 to promote awareness of political, social, economic, environmental, and cultural issues in Mexico, Central America, South campaign that has employed not only law enforcement but America, and the Caribbean region. The series brings scholars, artists, also the Mexican military in a frontal assault on the drug activists, and writers to our campus each year to share their knowledge with cartels. The U.S. government has been a key partner in students, faculty, staff, and the wider community. Reflecting the Mérida, providing technical assistance and over $1.1 billion interdisciplinary nature of the series, the LACSS committee includes Assistant Professor Anju Reejhsinghani (History), Associate Professor Jennifer dollars in military aid to the Mexican government for this Collins (Political Science), and Professor Elia Armacanqui-Tipacti (Foreign program. Languages).

For more information about the series, including a list of upcoming speakers, Thus far, Mérida has failed to defeat the drug cartels. The contact Dr. Reejhsinghani at [email protected] or (715) 346-4122. human costs of the drug war – and the government’s militarized approach to combating it – have been staggering. The death toll is over 60,000; journalists have been subjected to physical attacks; and human rights as a whole have suffered terribly. Ironically, while the U.S. continues to finance the Mexican military, most of the weapons that the drug cartels use to carry out their reign of terror come from the U.S., where lax gun laws make it easy to purchase all manner of high- powered weapons.

Francisco Cerezo will provide an insider’s perspective on Mexico’s drug war, U.S. involvement in it, and its impact on human rights. He will also discuss what U.S. citizens can do to support peace and justice in Mexico.