The autonomous municipality of San Juan Copala, Oaxaca has ended
Martin O'Neill | 21.09.2010 23:18 | Oaxaca Uprising | Zapatista
According to Martínez Flores the deaths are attributable to the Unidad de Bienestar Social de la Región Triqui (UBISORT) and the Movimiento Unificador de Lucha Triqui (MULT); the dialogue scheduled for 11:00 AM today has been cancelled. She requested the Governor of the state to guarantee the departure of the last families left in the community. On Sunday the majority of the living remnant managed to abandon the community, but nevertheless some families still remain there.
Eleven women and nine children living in the resistance encampment in the zócalo of Oaxaca, informed the press today of the dissolution of the autonomous community, and the initiation of a hunger strike to demand that the state government stop the violence in San Juan Copala.
The twenty people, 11 women and nine children declared the hunger strike (sic, but only eight children are named). Among the children participating are: Moctezuma Velasco, three years old; Marlet Violeta de Jesús Martínez, two years old ; Neydi Odeth de Jesús Martínez, six; Nayla Heidi Velasco Martínez, seven; Maurilio Martínez Martínez, five; Gustavo Cruz Ramírez, twelve; Marco Martínez Martínez, eight, and Ofelia Martínez Martínez, twelve.
Oaxaca contains 2,440 autonomous communities. San Juan Copala declared itself autonomous in January, 2007 but its status as such was never recognized. Instead, the governor of Oaxaca Ulises Ruiz Ortiz has been repeatedly named as responsible for the two paramilitary groups which carried out the approximately twenty deaths, among them several women and children, along with beating, rapes and disappearances. Also murdered were two human rights activists on a caravan to try to bring supplies to the besieged town. The caravan was turned back.
Reports of the events at San Juan Copala in the last week can be found here:
http://glasgowchiapassolidaritygroup.wordpress.com/
Eleven women and nine children living in the resistance encampment in the zócalo of Oaxaca, informed the press today of the dissolution of the autonomous community, and the initiation of a hunger strike to demand that the state government stop the violence in San Juan Copala.
The twenty people, 11 women and nine children declared the hunger strike (sic, but only eight children are named). Among the children participating are: Moctezuma Velasco, three years old; Marlet Violeta de Jesús Martínez, two years old ; Neydi Odeth de Jesús Martínez, six; Nayla Heidi Velasco Martínez, seven; Maurilio Martínez Martínez, five; Gustavo Cruz Ramírez, twelve; Marco Martínez Martínez, eight, and Ofelia Martínez Martínez, twelve.
Oaxaca contains 2,440 autonomous communities. San Juan Copala declared itself autonomous in January, 2007 but its status as such was never recognized. Instead, the governor of Oaxaca Ulises Ruiz Ortiz has been repeatedly named as responsible for the two paramilitary groups which carried out the approximately twenty deaths, among them several women and children, along with beating, rapes and disappearances. Also murdered were two human rights activists on a caravan to try to bring supplies to the besieged town. The caravan was turned back.
Reports of the events at San Juan Copala in the last week can be found here:
http://glasgowchiapassolidaritygroup.wordpress.com/
Martin O'Neill
e-mail:
glasgowchiapassolidarity@googlemail.com
Homepage:
http://glasgowchiapassolidaritygroup.wordpress.com
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Here is a clearer timeline of the events in the last week:
23.09.2010 01:28
To THE TRIQUI PEOPLE
To THE PEOPLE OF OAXACA
To THE PEOPLE OF MEXICO AND THE WORLD
To THE MEDIA
To SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS, CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS
The Municipality of San Juan Copala informs the general public the following recent events in the community of San Juan Copala.
At dawn on September 13, at approximately 04:00 am, 500 heavily armed men with A-47, R-15 machine guns of the Unification Movement and Control Triqui (MULT) and the Unit Social Welfare Triqui Region (UBISORT) from 20 MULT communities and 4 UBISORT communities, violently seized the Municipality of San Juan Copala and the Autonomous City Building. Paramilitary firing and shouting at the same time from that building, a former military barracks from the hills surrounding population slogans such as Viva MULT !, Viva UBISORT!, Viva Rastrojo (MULTI or UBISORT community)!, Death to the Autonomy!, Death MULTI!, Death to José Ramírez Flores!, Death to maestro Miguel Angel Velasco!, Death to Jesus Martinez Flores, and Copala is UBISORT and MULT! and You have until tomorrow to leave the community or You will be slaughtered like dogs!. In this invasion and violent attack, our compañeras were injured Francisco María Rosa 35 and Rosa María López 55 years of age, the first was shot in the ankle and calf of the left and the second at the height of the leg left.
On the 15th September, MULT and UBISORT celebrated the bicentennial anniversary at the Palacio Municipal Autónomo de San Juan Copala, it was video recorded and narrated in Spanish by Gabino Copala Cuyuchi Martínez Ávila, one of the paramilitaries and activists of MULT taking the Autonomous Municipality Main-Building with the UBISORT, who is also the same right hand of Merino Rufino Zaragoza and tax collector of the municipality of Santiago Juxtlahuaca, district ruled by the Popular Unity Party created by the MULT, while more than 500 men, heavily armed from UBISORT and MULT were watching and lurking in all directions to the inhabitants of the Municipality of San Juan Copala. In the afternoon the same day our compañera Macaria Merino Martínez 85 years of age was injured by the UBISSORT and MULT paramilitary when she looked through the door of her house was shot by AK-47 to the ankle the left side.
On the morning of Sept. 18, at 04:30, was killed our compañero David García Reyes 25 years of age in the atrium of the Catholic Church by UBISORT and MULT paramilitary when he tried to leave the community.
On the morning of Sept. 19, at 04:00, was killed our compañero Paul Ramirez Reyes, 28 inside his home located a few meters from the Catholic Church by the MULT and UBISORT. Paul was the son of Antonio Ramirez Flores 72 years old, maximum moral leader and founder of the Autonomous Municipality of San Juan Copala of Santa Cruz Tilapa , who was murdered on August 21 at the site of the Summit Yerbasanta along with other compañeros Antonio Cruz García, 39, and Rigoberto Gonzalez Ramirez 40 years old when they were preparing the third “Caravan of Peace” that was going from Huajuapan de León Oaxaca to Mexico City on August 23 . On the same day were missing our compañer@s Eugenio Martínez López 65, leader and founder of the Municipality of San Juan Copala, Jordan Gonzalez Ramirez, 33, Maria Agustina Flores 54, and Susana López Martínez, 21 years old.
On the 20th of September at 3:00 pm, the UBISORT and MULT paramilitary set fire and destroyed over 100 houses of the leaders and supporters of the Municipality of San Juan Copala, wounding the boy Pablo Velasco Dorantes 16 years old, he also presents serious fire burns. Paul Velasco is a son of teacher Miguel Angel Velasco, leader and founder of the Municipality of San Juan Copala. Also our compañero Jose Gonzalo Cruz 100 years old has been missing.
Finally, we inform you that the Municipality of San Juan Copala has not disappeared and will not disappear because it has the backing and support of people and various Triqui communities.
Not because the MULT and UBISORT killed our leaders, supporters and caring people in our struggle, we succumb, we are stronger than ever!
Not because the MULT and UBISORT burned our houses and stole our belongings, are going to intimidate us, we are stronger than ever!
The cowardly actions from UBISORT and MULT: burning our houses and steal our belongings, they are showing how coward they are!!
We will not surrender to the PRI paramilitary group and pseudo-left murderer MULT!
We will not surrender to the PRI paramilitary group of UBISORT!
We will not be defeated by the murderer Ulises Ruiz Ortiz!
Viva El General Emiliano Zapata!
Long live to our leaders and comrades who were killed by the MULT and UBISORT!
Long live to our compañer@s who gave their lives and blood for our struggle!
Long live to our brave women and children!
Long live to the autonomous peoples of Mexico and the world!
Viva the Municipality of San Juan Copala!
MARTINEZ JESUS FLORES
President of the Municipality of San Juan Copala
September 21, 2010
Martin O'Neill
The autonomous project of San Juan Copala may not be over afterall:
24.09.2010 00:19
Tuesday, 21 September 2010 19:19
The Mexican newspaper Milenio interpreted the failed dialogue and the evacuation of the autonomous municipality as a sign that the autonomous project is dead. However, a source close to the autonomous authorities said, “Once we get everyone out [of San Juan Copala] we will continue the project from the outside. Right now we are worried about getting those people out alive.”
The complete evacuation of San Juan Copala does not in and of itself mean that the autonomous project is dead: San Juan Copala is the name of a town and a municipality (a group of towns, like a county). Only the town of San Juan Copala, which is the municipal cabezera (county seat), has been under siege, and only the town is being evacuated.
Representatives from twenty Triqui communities reportedly participated in the founding of the autonomous municipality. In addition to the town of San Juan Copala, ten Triqui communities are officially aligned with the autonomous municipality. Autonomous authorities claim that an additional six communities support the autonomous municipality, but that they fear retaliation if they publicly declare their affiliation. In addition to the sixteen communities that give their full support to the autonomous municipality, the autonomous authorities claim to have supporters in another handful of communities that are controlled by rival organizations.
Of the ten communities that officially belong to the autonomous municipality, San Juan Copala was the only community under siege. The other communities have suffered attacks and assassinations, but they were not affected by the paramilitary blockade nor the recent invasion.
Martin O'Neill