Celebrity Visits to Zapatistas

Re “Zapatistas in Transition From Fighting to Fashion,” April 21: For victims of war and human rights abuses, the dimming of media interest can spell the end of their hope. It is in secrecy and darkness that history’s most heinous crimes have been committed. The constant challenge we’re faced with is bringing these issues to light. Enter the celebrity.

Oliver Stone participated in the Humanitarian Law Project delegation in March to Mexico not in lieu of the human rights lawyers and activists who composed our delegation, but as a critical component of the task at hand. It was Stone’s presence that put the devastating condition in the militarized area of Chiapas and the peace negotiations back on the front pages of the Mexican papers. This story has since emerged in the U.S. media. Stone has long been an advocate of human rights and has used the film genre to bring these issues to light.

The armed struggle of the Zapatistas has become the point of articulation of Mexico’s affliction: massacres, political assassination, the demise of the crown jewel of NAFTA, near-starving communities in the areas of conflict. The Humanitarian Law Project and Stone accomplished what we set out to do. We helped turn the light up.

LYDIA BRAZON, Director

Humanitarian Law Project, L.A.