Narco-State Moves Against Community of Santa María Ostula

Compañeros of the Indigenous Nahua community of Santa María Ostula have informed us that in the early morning of February 5^th, five members of the community police of San Pedro Naranjestil were taken from the federal highway 200 at the crossing of Tizupan, Aquila. They were reportedly taken by members of the Marines whom afterwards handed them over to an organized crime group.

The community has reportedly been asked for 21 weapons in exchange for the release of their kidnapped comrades, and also that they abandon the highway screening the community is carrying out on the coast highway. The criminals threatened to execute the community members if they did not receive an affirmative response to their demands.

The community of Ostula has just decided in their assembly to block the federal highway 200 with the support of other communities of the Costa-Sierra region of Michoacán, as an urgent action to call attention to the corresponding authorities and demand the liberation of the members of the community police.

It is alarming that again we see the collusion between the military forces of the state (in this case the Marines) and organized crime, to harass and seriously threaten communities in resistance.

We ask for maximum diffusion of this note.