Police Detain Normalista Students in Michoacán

Communique from the Indigenous community of Santa María Ostula about the recent repression unleashed by the Michoacán government against Normalista students.

To the Media

To the Social Organizations

To the National Indigenous Congress

To the Indigenous Governing Council

To the People in General

The Indigenous community of Santa María Ostula demands immediate freedom for the following youth: Juan Manuel Zambrano Santos, Aldo de Jesús Nasario, Juan Felipe Serrano Buelvas and Sergio Arceo Guzmán, all originally from this community.

These youth, recently admitted to the Indigenous Normalista School of Michoacán, were detained together with 19 students while traveling in a bus of the company, Parhíkuni.

As part of their legitimate right to protest, the students were in route to carry out an action against the existing irregularities in the admissions process at the school mentioned, as well as in Tiripetío and Arteaga, the other two schools of this type in the state.

Due to a report of theft emitted by the company, agents of the Secretary of Public Security (SSP) and members of the Unit of Restoration of Public Order of the same institution, carried out an operation yesterday September 10th together with the State Roads Division of the Michoacán Police, in the section near the tool booth of the municipality of Panindícuaro, on the West highway.

Twenty-three students were detained who, according to media reports, have been left at the disposal of the State Attorney General to determine their legal situation.

However, we want to emphasize that these youth did not steal any vehicle, nor are they criminals. They are students and they were traveling in a loaned bus, since the state and federal budget for student support is nearly nonexistent and there is no budget for travel.

We demand that the charge of theft be withdrawn and that they immediately release the detained, since the operation and their detention is unjustified.

We also condemn the violent actions on part of the Michoacán police in sending their bus against Normalista students of Tiripetío who were peacefully protesting for the freedom of their compañeros. The terrible attack occurred the morning of September 11^th on the Morelia-Pátzcuaro highway leaving 9 students injured.

The state government led by Silvano Aureoles has had a repressive politics against whatever act of protest. This has been the response to the demand for better education.

In the case that the detained students aren’t freed, the Indigenous community of Santa María Ostula will take necessary actions to achieve this objective, in support of critical and popular education in Michoacán.

Never more a Mexico without us.

Indigenous Community of Santa María Ostula