#Saverosina: Greenpeace activist faces up to 10 years

This post #Saverosina: Greenpeace activist faces up to 10 years originally appeared on the blog of Greenpeace USA.

You might not agree with my struggle, but if you believe in Democracy and free expression, then please keep reading.

My name is Rosina González. I am 26 years old, native to Puebla, Mexico. I grew up with a lot of direct contact with nature, and like everybody else around me, I was a witness to how human beings damage our environment. People cut down forests, pollute our water, and throw garbage on the street, believing there will be no consequences.

I got a degree in Physical Culture, and I have been teaching elementary and preschool. But I have always wanted to do something more for the planet. Why?

The answer is simple: I want this world to be in better shape than when I found it.

I have always known I have to act, that I should not remain silent, just watching our environment’s deterioration. So I became a volunteer in civilian organizations, which always need working hands.

Six years ago, I joined Greenpeace looking for a global change. First I worked in my country, where the challenges are many. One of them is our dependence on fossil fuels like the oil, gas, and coal we burn to produce electricity in our houses. The challenge entails minimizing the enormous environmental impact of this activity.

Last December, energy reforms were approved enhancing our oil dependence. The reformers seemed to not accept that these resources were becoming exhausted, their extraction increasingly expensive, dangerous and dirty. And it seemed that the government did not care about risks we are being exposed to from climate change, the defining challenge of our time.

On March, 1^stfive other activists and I were detained illegally after a peaceful demonstration at the Pemex building located in the Port of Veracruz. We there to demand the Mexican government comply with its legal obligations for more renewable energy. Renewables are essential to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change.

When we were arrested, we were never told what the crime was. We were taken first to the Naval Unit in Playa Linda and then to the Federal Public Prosecutor, where we were left in a van for several hours. Then, Pemex blamed me for alleged damage to a lamp, which they have yet to prove. For this offense I could go to prison for 4-10 years.

Even if you disagree with the struggles I have chosen, I’m sure you can agree with me that we all have the right to express and manifest freely and should not be persecuted for it.

I am infinitely grateful for your solidarity. I am really moved by the support I have received from thousands of people. It makes me stronger. Today, I know I am not alone, that many of us want a better, greener, and fairer world. No matter how hard they try, Pemex will not silence us.