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Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos' Words Announcing the Death of Comandanta Ramona

Originally published in Spanish by the Other Campaign - Translated by irlandesa

RamonaJanuary 6, 2006
Tonalá, Chiapas
Cine Palacio
16:15

[transcription]Well, compañeros, compañeras. I'm going to ask you to listen to me carefully, and I'm going to respectfully ask you not to interrupt me until I'm finished. What we're doing with the Other Campaign is so that everyone's voice can be heard, that's why it's important that we're all patient and listen to everyone. In my work as spokesperson for the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, there are moments that are very hard, like this one I'm going to tell you about right now. They've just let me know…that's why we interrupted this…that the compañera Comandanta Ramona died this morning. As everyone knows, she wasn't doing well but [inaudible]…thanks to the help of people like you, she was able to overcome it, and she had a kidney transplant. This morning she began vomiting, with blood and diarrhea, and while she was on the way to San Cristóbal she died on the road.

[It's very difficult for me to talk about this, but what I can say is that the world has lost an exemplary woman. That the world, that Mexico, has lost one of those fighters that it needs, and a piece of our heart has been ripped out. In a few minutes the Caracol of Oventic is going to be closed, and we're going [inaudible] this compañera's death in private. We hope the media will respect this and not turn her death into a [inaudible]. In view of this, we're going to cancel our participation in today and tomorrow's events, and right now we're going to go back there and wait for orders from the compañeros, the Comandancia and the Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee. [inaudible] We'll be there.

[Thank you for coming. Thank you for your words. We'll continue with this. We'll see to the circumstances. Comandanta Ramona was at the closing of the Plenary. Excuse me, when the Plenary began in La Garrucha. We were joking with her. Just a few days ago the compañeros saw her, the first of January. She sent me her greetings and joked [inaudible]. But right now what I remember is that day of the Plenary when she gave us an embroidery piece she'd made when she was convalescing from the operation she had ten years ago. She gave it to me and told me that she hoped the Other Campaign would be like that embroidery. That's what we have to do. Thank you, compañeros. We have to leave. Excuse us.


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