International Day of Action in Solidarity with San Juan Copala, Oaxaca

International Day of Action in Solidarity with the Autonomous Municipality
of San Juan Copala, Oaxaca June 2nd, 2011

May 30, 2011 NYC Indymedia

TO THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD

TO THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND ORGANIZATIONS

TO THOSE IN SOLIDARITY WITH THIS JUST CAUSE

The Triqui people of the Autonomous Municipality of San Juan Copala in
Oaxaca, Mexico, make a call-out for international solidarity to all the
nations and peoples of the world, so that in the coming days solidarity
actions are carried out as far and wide as possible, to exert pressure on
the Mexican government and to shed light onto the situation that the
people of Copala have endured since 2007. This situation has culminated in
the events of the last days and in the Caravan of the Color of Blood, that
is happening now, and whose intention is for the people of Copala, who
were dispossessed and displaced because they exerted their right to
autonomy, to return to their homes.

The Autonomous Municipality of San Juan Copala declared its autonomy
January 1st, 2007, after members of the community had participated in the
Oaxacan uprising of 2006, and from that day onward the Mexican government
has maintained a politic of disrespect and destruction of that autonomy.
The Mexican government has carried out this process through two
political-paramilitary organizations which it has armed and financed; the
UBISORT-PRI and the MULT-PUP.

Since 2007 in this war against the autonomy of the Triqui people of San
Juan Copala there has been a death-count of more than 30 people - among
them young children, women, men, elders, traditional leaders, and
solidarity activists. Furthermore this war has made children orphans and
women widows and survivors of sexual assault.

On April 7th, 2008 two comrades from the community radio station “The
Voice that Breaks the Silence” were assassinated; their names were Teresa
Bautista and Felicitas Martínez.

On November 28th, 2009 the comrades of the Peoples Front in Defense of the
Land of San Salvador Atenco visited to share information on their
political prisoners, but their entrance was denied by the paramilitary
groups. It was on this date that the Autonomous Municipality of San Juan
Copala was put under a paramilitary siege. Consequently the water and
lights began to be cut, and the school was closed, rendering the whole
community without services.

After 5 months under siege national and international solidarity came
through the Humanitarian Caravan of Peace. On April 27th, 2010 the caravan
was ambushed just outside of Copala by the paramilitary group UBISORT, who
murdered Beatriz Cariño (human rights activist) and Jyri Jaakola (Finnish
internationalist). Other participants in the caravan were shot and wounded
and had to spend three days in hiding in the mountains. This is how the
camp of resistance and struggle began in the main plaza of Mexico City to
demand justice.

Later, on May 29th, 2010, MULT-UBISORT assassinated Timoteo Ramírez
Alexander, traditional leader and tireless promoter of the Autonomous
Municipality of San Juan Copala, along with his wife Cleriberta Castro,
leaving their six children orphaned.

On June 8th, 2010 the second Humanitarian Caravan, named after Bety Carino
and Jyri Jaakola, was organized to go to the MASJC (Municipio Autonomo de
San Juan Copala), with truckloads full of supporters, medical supplies,
and food, but could not enter, once again, due to the paramilitary and
military repression. From this moment the threats and repression
intensified. The women of the community were forced to traverse the
mountainside in search of food and supplies, and were often detained,
beaten, tortured, raped, sexually assauled, kidnapped or killed by the
paramilitaries if discovered. This is how the paramilitaries behave
towards the indigenous Triqui women.

On August 11th, 2010 comrades of the MASJC initiated a protest camp in the
main plaza of Oaxaca City to demand justice and punishment to the people
in charge of the attack on the sisters Selena (17 years old) and Adela
Ramirez Silvas (15 years old), who is now paralyzed after being shot by
the paramilitaries.

On August 23rd, 2010 a caravan of widows and orphaned children had been
planned but could not leave because of an ambush of its organizers by the
paramilitaries. Three people were killed and two were injured with high
caliber guns; their names were Rigoberto González, Antonio Cruz and
Antonio Ramirez. The caravan would have arrived in Mexico City to denounce
the repression and its consequences.

On September 14th, 15th and16th, 2010 the MULT-UBISORT paramilitary
attacked the community with guns, leaving many families wounded and
several dead. Many went towards the mountains, which began the
displacement of the 700 families of the MASJC.

9 months of the protest camp have gone by in Oaxaca City and a year in
Mexico City. These camps have been comprised mainly of women and children,
living in the street in very difficult conditions, without bathrooms,
houses, school or medical attention, and sometimes lacking food. Due to
these factors the joint-decision was made by the displaced MASJC and its
Communitarian Assembly to reclaim their houses and the territory of which
they were displaced. To this end the Caravan of the Color of Blood was
organized. The caravan departed May 23th, 2011 from Oaxaca City for Mexico
City with the aim of recovering the territory on May 28th, 2011. However,
the caravan, formed by the people of Copala, and accompanied by social
organizations and national and international activists, has been called on
by the governor of Oaxaca, Gabino Cué, who was pressured through their
political work to personally arrive in Mexico City on May 27th, 2011. The
people were warned that the security conditions do not exist for the
return of the displaced to their community and were summoned to a meeting
in Oaxaca City, where it was proposed to them that in a maximum of 10 days
the necessary conditions will be fulfilled, conditions which the National
Commission of Human rights previously recommended on May 24th, 2011, on
the basis of recommendations by the Inter-American Commission of Human
Rights in Washington, D.C on October 7, 2010.

The Caravan of the Color of Blood and the MASJC, without trusting the
governor, grant this term to the government, thus to be able to enter in a
peaceful way and to secure the success of one of the objectives of this
Caravan, that is the return of the displaced to their community. We ask
the international community to be attentive to the events of the next 10
days, which are decisive, and that as far as possible to take diverse
actions as a show of solidarity with the autonomous movements of the world
and in particular with the autonomy of the Triqui people and the MASJC who
decided to exert their right to self-determination by their own free will
based on their traditions and customs.

We summon all in their respective countries to a day of mobilization and
action on June 2nd, 2011, or on any and all of the next 10 days:

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE AUTONOMOUS
MUNICIPALITY OF SAN JUAN COPALA, OAXACA, MEXICO

Organize demonstrations or telephone calls at Mexican embassies and
consulates in different countries, or any other action that with your
creativity or possibilities you can carry out to exert pressure on the
Mexican government as a show of international solidarity with the Triqui
nation and in defense of its autonomy.

The demands of the Autonomous Municipality of San Juan Copala are:

THE RETURN OF THE DISPLACED TO THEIR TERRITORY.

JUSTICE AND PUNISHMENT TO THOSE RESPONSIBLE (PHYSICALLY AND
INTELLECTUALLY) FOR THE MURDERS OF MORE THAN 30 COMMUNITY MEMBERS (AMONG
THEM CHILDREN, WOMEN AND TRADITIONAL LEADERS).

RESPECT FOR THE SELF-DETERMINATION AND THE RIGHT TO AUTONOMY OF THE TRIQUI
PEOPLE AND OF ALL THE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD.
…..

send news of actions to cdefensayjusticiamasjcblogspot.com and
municipioautonomodesanjuancopala.wordpress.com