Mexico: Two Years Later, Sandra is Alive
We hereby share an unofficial translation of an obituary published by Mural Newspaper on October 5.
The search ends when the truth is revealed. Justice begins when impunity ends.
Today, two years later, Sandra lives.
And we’re still filled with rage.
Rage because they took her from us.
Rage because we had to search for her.
Rage because we had to learn to recognize a body when all we wanted was to hold her in our arms again.
While we were learning to live with her absence, those in power continued on their way with total
impunity, despite having been singled out by Sandra.
And that also reveals the Oaxaca we have today: an unsustainable state, marked by violence, by bloodshed and by an impunity that seems to have been given free rein to continue.
It is outrageous to see how power can become an obsession capable of shattering loyalties, institutions, families, and even the most sacred bonds.
Because when power ceases to be a means to serve the people and becomes an end in itself, everything can end up being negotiable. Even the truth.
But Sandra is non-negotiable.
Her memory is non-negotiable.
Her dignity is non-negotiable.
And neither is our demand for justice.
Two years after her disappearance, I don’t want Sandra to be remembered merely as just another statistic.
I want her to be remembered for everything she stood for.
For every voice she tried to raise. For every injustice she decided to call out. For every woman she chose to listen to. For every time she chose to speak up when others preferred to remain silent.
Because there is something this country should
have learned long ago: For every human rights violation,
a voice arises, ready to defend those rights. And perhaps that is why it is so
dangerous to those in power that there are women who refuse to be silenced.
I want you to remember who Sandra was.
An Ayuuk woman.
An advocate.
A sister.
A daughter.
A mother.
A woman who decided to speak out when others preferred to remain silent.
And as long as there is even one person who speaks her name, as long as someone continues to ask what happened, and as long as there are those who demand truth and justice, her story will remain
alive.
It will continue to make people uncomfortable.
Because Sandra has not disappeared from our memory.
Sandra lives on.
And as long as there is impunity, we will continue to ask:
Where is justice?
