Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

July 31, 2021

Bacum Yaqui Disappeared Preparing for Traditional Feast in Sonora



Yaqui Disappeared Preparing for Traditional Fest in Bacum

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BACUM, Sonora, Mexico -- A group of seven fellow Yaquis went to bring some cows to the traditional Feast of Bataconsica on July 14. The men have been missing since that day:  Martin Hurtado Flores, Braulio Perez Sol, Eladio Molina Zavala, Juan Justin Galaviz Cruz, Fabian Sombra Miranda, Leocadio Galaviz Cruce and Fabian Valencia Romero. They were last seen at Woiba'am ranch (Coyote) where an ancestor's grave is located.

Authorities in Loma de Bacum learned about the disappearance and gathered the community to take action, decided to wait for them that afternoon and didn't arrive. So the next morning they left the mountains to search for them in four vans with traditional authority surveillance and some volunteers. They only found the scattered baggage of three of them, a piola (rope) and a burnt cow.


Later they arrived at the Communila (Yaqui meeting place) corporations of the State Police, Ministerial Criminal Investigation Agency and the General Attorney General of Justice of the State of Sonora, to enter the Sierra to do search tasks.

Relatives proceeded to file a complaint with the Bacum Public Prosecutor's Office of the seven Yaquis on Friday, July 16, 2021, having as Single Case No. 33988. The complaint to the National Commission for the Search of People of Sonora State took place on July 18, 19 and 20.

Therefore we want to request from the women of Loma de Bacum, from the families of the seven missing persons to help them with what they think best to stand in solidarity in this fight. We want our relatives back, we do not lose hope to find them alive.


Police locate pickup used during kidnapping of Yaqui men

News sources report that after an intense land and air travels by authorities of the three levels of government in the serrana area north of Loma de Bacumm the vehicle they used unknowns to deprive seven members of the Tribe was located.
It was at 15:00 a.m. when police and military authorities involved in the search for the missing today made the find.
It's a Chevrolet, Silverado brand pick up, and a half, white color, which was driven by alleged criminals.
Immediately staff of State Prosecutor's Office took over the lifting of fingerprints.
The missing today are Artemio A. G., Gustavo A., Martin, Braulio, Fabian, Leocadio, Juan Justin, Fabian and Eladio.
All of them were ' lifted up ' at a ranchery called ' El Coyote ' located about twenty miles north of Loma de Bacum's ' Y '.
These events occurred last Wednesday, July 14, in hours of the afternoon, and family members reportedly intervened in motorcycles carrying long weapons.

Sólo encontraron el equipaje esparcido de tres de ellos, una piola y una vaca quemada.


Ciudad de México | Desinformémonos. Mujeres familiares de los siete yaquis desaparecidos en Loma de Bácum, Sonora, exigieron su aparición con vida y llamaron a la solidaridad con su lucha.

«Queremos a nuestros familiares de regreso, no perdemos la esperanza de encontrarlos con vida», dijeron las mujeres, quienes se presentaron el 16 de julio en el Ministerio Público de Bácum para interponer la denuncia de desaparición de Martín Hurtado Flores, Braulio Pérez Sol, Eladio Molina Zavala, Juan Justino Galaviz Cruz, Fabián Sombra Miranda, Leocadio Galaviz Cruz y Fabián Valencia Romero.

Los siete yaquis fueron vistos por última vez el pasado 14 de julio en el rancho Woi ba’am (Coyote), cuando llevaban unas vacas para la fiesta tradicional de Bataconsica, explicaron las mujeres.

Señalaron que las autoridades de Loma de Bácum se enteraron de la desaparición y reunieron a la comunidad, y que la mañana del 15 de julio partieron a buscarlos «en cuatro camionetas con la vigilancia de la autoridad tradicional y algunos voluntarios».

De la búsqueda, las autoridades yaquis «sólo encontraron el equipaje esparcido de tres de ellos, una piola y una vaca quemada». Más tarde elementos de la policía estatal, de la Agencia Ministerial de Investigación Criminal y de la Fiscalía General de Justicia de Sonora llegaron al lugar de reunión del pueblo, conocido como Comunila, «para entrar a la sierra a realizar tareas de búsqueda».

Las familiares de los yaquis desaparecidos, por su parte, también interpusieron denuncias los días 18, 19 y 20 de julio ante la Comisión Nacional de Búsqueda de Personas del Estado de Sonora.

«Por lo anterior queremos solicitar de parte de las mujeres de Loma de Bacum, de las familiares de las siete personas desaparecidas su ayuda con lo que les parezca mejor para solidarizarse en esta lucha», solicitaron las mujeres.

La desaparición de los siete yaquis en Loma de Bácum sucede en un clima de violencia contra el pueblo, en el que las empresas mineras y el gobierno han intervenido para generar despojo y división entre los pobladores.

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