I was convicted of kidnapping six Mexican federal agents. I didn't even know what the word meantI am a Mexican Indian and growing up I didn't learn Spanish. I spoke only my mother tongue, Otomi. I spent my childhood looking after sheep and selling chewing gum on the streets. When I had my own children I was determined they would have shoes and an education. I had to work very hard, but all six of them went to school. On Saturdays we would all get together: sometimes we could only afford tortillas and beans, but my neighbours said we laughed so much they thought my daughters were my sisters. Now all that has been taken away.
On 26 March, 2006, I had set up my stall as usual selling ice lollies in the weekly market. I went to mass and afterwards everyone was talking about a police raid on the pirate DVD vendors. Later on, I took my daughter to the chemist and on our way back we noticed an argument between some women and a man. People said he was one of the Mexican federal agents who had taken the DVDs from the vendors without a warrant. The agent was paying compensation for the discs. I stopped to have a quick look then went back to my stall.
I forgot all about it until, on 3 August, a man and a woman came to get me. They said I had to answer questions at the police station about a tree that had been cut down. As I couldn't speak Spanish, my husband came to translate. When they put me into a car I noticed there were other cars on the street corner filled with men with big guns. But I wasn't frightened because I knew I hadn't done anything wrong.
At the police station I saw the two women who had been arguing with the police in the market and we were all taken into a room full of press photographers. I was separated from my husband and I still didn't understand why I was there. Now, I know that six federal agents said they were kidnapped by the market stallholders and were claiming they had not been paying compensation, but a ransom. Someone had taken a photograph of me looking on at the argument and now they were arresting me for kidnap – although at the time I didn't even know what the word meant...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/aug/20/first-person-mexico-arrest-kidnap Almost Zero I would think.
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