Jorge has been in prison for more than a year without trial, and urgently needs funds to cover legal expenses and prison costs (food, water, phone calls, visits, administrative fees, utility costs, etc.).
Jorge “Yorch” Esquivel is a beloved fellow comrade of the punk community, and a long-time participant in Okupa Che. He was arrested on December 8, 2022 by plainclothes police officers as he left the campus of Ciudad Universitaria (UNAM) in Mexico City, as part of a criminalization campaign against the Okupa.
BACKGROUND
On February 24, 2016, an operation was carried out in which plainclothes police arrested him, “planting” drugs to fabricate crimes, and accusing him of drug trafficking, as part of a campaign of repression against the Okupa Che squat auditorium of the UNAM (still existing). The whole case was plagued by irregularities. He was transferred to Oaxaca and then to a maximum security prison in Hermosillo, as a strategy to hinder his legal defense by distancing him from his support networks. Thanks to solidarity and legal work, he was reclassified from the crime of drug dealing to simple possession of narcotics, and was released on bail in March 2016.
Although he was no longer in prison, he was not out of danger. The constant threats and journalistic reports did not cease; the press even reported his death and accused him of participating in organized crime. Meanwhile, measures were taken to incriminate him again and re-arrest him for the same fabricated crime.
On December 8, 2022, he was arrested in exactly the same place – a few steps from Ciudad Universitaria, where the Squat is located, again by plainclothes police officers – on the grounds that the Attorney General’s Office appealed the decision to reclassify the crime.
The comrade’s health is fragile due to a prolonged hospitalization a couple of years ago and the havoc caused by prison conditions.
CURRENT SITUATION
Jorge is currently incarcerated in the Reclusorio Oriente in Mexico City. The judicial process is still in the evidentiary phase. Several hearings have been postponed and Jorge’s process is being delayed and prolonged to keep him in what is called “preventive detention” without a sentence, which is common for cases of political prisoners in Mexico. Despite the fact that there is no evidence to keep him in prison, the State’s strategy is clearly to extend it as long as possible, which is a tortuous level of uncertainty for all of us who are close to Jorge.
Thanks to the solidarity of individuals, groups and networks, it has been possible to cover Jorge’s expenses inside the prison, which have been very high due to the corruption that prevails in Mexican prisons. We are raising funds to support their legal expenses and basic needs so that they can survive this unjust incarceration, and rejoin the community abroad as soon as possible. We call for the solidarity of our friends and comrades around the world to help us support our comrade Yorch.
For updates and news:
Instagram: @yorchlibre
Blog: https://yorch-libre.espivblogs.net/
(blog with letters from Jorge)
https://gofund.me/ebca5f6d