Denouncing the Politics of State Terrorism Against the Oaxacan Social Movements

The follow press release calls for a broad resistance to the Oaxacan government, and cites ongoing repression and murder of organizers and femicide, along with the continued construction of megaprojects for extractive industries as reasons to fight back.

A year and three months since the inauguration of Alejandro Murat as governor of Oaxaca has been sufficient time to take account of a state politics that does not engage governability, dialogue or consensus.  During this period there have been more than nine assassinations of social activists, eleven raids, two forced disappearances, dispossession of land and territory, militarization, along with the imposition of megaprojects like mines, hydroelectric dams and wind farms.  Furthermore, there have been threats of death, drone surveillance, espionage, judicial proceedings, arrest orders and defamation against those of us who are active in the social movement of Oaxaca.  In addition, there was the brutal act of spraying members of Section 22 with hydrochloric acid.  The above recount makes evident the politics of state terrorism.

The impunity is excruciating.  Proof lies in the crimes committed by state functionaries that continue without punishment.  Such is the case of the 14 homicides from the helicopter crash on February 16^th.  Despite the fact that those responsible are publicly known, no criminal actions have been taken against them, which makes clear the bias with which the federal and state apparatus operates its administration of justice.

Also, the symptom of state terrorism against women in Oaxaca is part of the growth of a more general uncontrolled violence against women with 145 femicides so far in the six-year term.

In collusion, the Oaxacan State and federal governments have generated a climate of terror, impunity and permissibility.  For many cases there have been complaints filed in both the CNDH (National Commission of Human Rights) as well as the DDHPO (Human Rights Defense of the People of Oaxaca).  Furthermore, complaints have been filed with the State Attorney’s Office and the PGR (Attorney General of the Republic), where up to this point, no responsibility has been cast.

Another clear example of the modus operandi of the Murat government is the execution of Alejandro Antonio Diaz Cruz, Ignacio Ventura Martínez and Luis Ángel Martinez, as well as the assassination attempt against Abraham Ramírez Vásquez, all members of CODEDI.  They were ambushed by bullets after a meeting with the state government in Oaxaca.

In light of the above mentioned, we tell Alejandro Murat and Enrique Peña Nieto that we hold them responsible for the life, physical and psychological well-being of each and every one of the members of the social, teacher’s and popular movement in Oaxaca.  We will not stop doing our legitimate work, and we will not stop being a critical voice.

We thus call on all of the expressions and struggles of the social movement in Oaxaca, to the democratic unions, as well as the people in general, to walk in unity to confront the onslaught of the government against the social movement.  We call on everyone to make use of legitimate mobilization to stop these times of misfortune, where the conservative forces have taken over governing of Oaxaca, and from that position of power, are applying the neoliberal consensus.  That consensus has translated into extractivist megaprojects and the looting of the natural resources, the contamination and overexploitation of Mother Earth, trampling on our civil, political, labor and environmental rights.

We express our concern for the impacts that the Law of Internal Security will have, opening the door to the constant state of exception, generating favorable conditions of a military dictatorship that without doubt will impact the uncontrolled growth of torture, extrajudicial executions, femicides, violence against women and forced disappearances.  This is all the more evident as the Law of Internal Security in itself, is designed to put an end with the various resistances in Mexico.

Today marks one month since the cowardly murder of our compañeros of CODEDI that still remains unpunished.  We demand justice for that crime.  We also demand punishment to those responsible for the assassinations committed during 2006-2007, June 19^th in Nochixtlán, the state crimes of 2017-2018, and the armed attack where members of Section 22 were victim—Roberto Bernal Campos died and Vicente Toledo Martínez still remains in critical condition.

We urgently call on you to put an end to your politics of terror as well as the ongoing impunity, implemented in Oaxaca by the state.

We hold responsible the governor Alejandro Murat for whatever retaliation against social activists, union members, and defenders of human rights.  We demand that the physical and psychological well-being is guaranteed for Abraham Ramírez Vásquz as well as all of the people that integrate the social movement in Oaxaca.

Oaxaca de Juarez, City of Resistance, March 12, 2018

 

Translated from the original here.