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RIP Radio Universidad
Interview with Bertha Elena Muñoz, “La Doctora”, Principal broadcaster for Radio Universidad
November 30th, 2006 - Listener writes: In honor of the memory of Radio Universidad, we re-publish this interview with "La Doctora" or Doctor Bertha. She came to be the voice of the movement for many of us, inside and outside of Oaxaca. She gave us the information and explained why it was important. Most of all, she gave us a way to understand what is happening in Oaxaca. This is critical, now that the station is off the air and a virtual genocide is taking place of the people who democratically expressed their opposition to oppression.
November 30th, 2006 - Listener writes: In honor of the memory of Radio Universidad, we re-publish this interview with "La Doctora" or Doctor Bertha. She came to be the voice of the movement for many of us, inside and outside of Oaxaca. She gave us the information and explained why it was important. Most of all, she gave us a way to understand what is happening in Oaxaca. This is critical, now that the station is off the air and a virtual genocide is taking place of the people who democratically expressed their opposition to oppression.
RIP Radio Universidad
http://elenemigocomun.net/107
Interview with Bertha Elena Muñoz, “La Doctora”, Principal broadcaster for Radio Universidad
by ARK
November 27, 2006
The radio has played a crucial role throughout the Oaxacan conflict. The predominant broadcaster for Radio Universidad is that of “La Doctora”, whose strong, deep voice calls for reinforcement for barricades under attack, reminds the people of their strength and courage and the justice of their demands, and serves to calm her listeners.
On November 7th we are sitting in the first aid station of the university, in front of the university radio. She is a 58 year old doctor and a mother of three. La Doctora is an extremely thin woman, whose face reveals her exhaustion. She has been known to broadcast for up to 20 hours a day on the tensest days. The struggle for social justice is nothing new to to her- la doctora was a first year medical student in Mexico City during the 1968 student massacre there.
ARK: How did you get involved with the radio and why?
La Doctora: We’ve had the first aid station here for a few months, practically since July. When they succeeded in getting the radio up and running again- it’s been twenty days since we got Radio Universidad back on the air- there wasn’t anyone to run it. So that’s when I began and ended up staying. I’ve been here [at the radio] for twenty days.
ARK: And before that you were here with the first aid station?
La Doctora: Yes, to help with emergency medical attention.
ARK: Why are you involved in the movement?
La Doctora: Because the situation in Oaxaca has become unsustainable. The last administrations- actually, I believe all of them- but the last few have been the worst: thieves, repressors, and the like. The breaking point was this current governor. He took office and there were political assassinations, political prisoners, and unmistakable robbery- practically in front of our faces. They channeled resources meant for social programs into their own pockets and for Madrazo’s presidential campaign. The destruction of the historic center of the capital city, the zócalo, the fountain of the seven regions, Llano Park- he’s destroyed many things.
The breaking point was when he violently displaced the protesting teachers from the zócalo. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
ARK: In your opinion, what is the importance of the radio for the movement?
La Doctora: The radio has served as a point of union among the different actors in the movement. Besides that, it has served as the voice of the people, because people talk and they denounce [what’s happening]. For the first time there is a space where we can denounce what’s wrong, where the people can say what they feel, and where they have the freedom to speak. The radio broadcasts the agreements of the APPO and serves as a space to analyze the problematic of Oaxaca from various points of view: from the indigenous perspective, cultural perspectives, from the perspective of healthcare- there are many messages to broadcast.
Now the problem has intensified since the arrival of the Federal Preventive Police, the PFP, or a few days before when the journalist [Brad Will] was assassinated. We are trying to return to our established programming, but we’re inundated with these incidents. We’ll see if we will be able to broadcast the normal programming tomorrow. But every day there are denunciations, every day there are attacks. We are overwhelmed by these events- everyone is. The truth is that we are very tired, but we all keep going.
ARK: How do you keep going? What gives you the strength?
La Doctora: We know that we are right. And we know that if we don’t see things through to the end, then things will get worse. And if we don’t remain strong right now, Oaxaca won’t be able to lift up its head for the next fifty years. So we have to remain strong. You can see me and tell that I am very tired. But if you see the rest of the compañeros in the barricades or wherever you go, [you can see that] we’re all the same. If you saw our march, the one last Sunday, you saw loads of people. So many people attended that march. The people are determined. I don’t know if you were able to see the battle on Day of the Dead. It wasn’t even a battle. If they had used their guns, they would have massacred us.
But if you were here, you saw the amount of people who came out. So, where do we get the strength? There is an expression in Spanish that the source of strength is weakness. And truly, I am finding that my strength comes from weakness. Who knows where it comes from? But the people are enduring, they remain standing. And the proof is the enormous march that happened on Sunday. And today the women marched- there were many of them. I don’t know if you saw the march of the priistas today. They say that there were 100,000 people. But they brought people even from outside the state. And there were no revision points for them. With us, ever since the PFP arrived, even a day before, they put up revision points and these revision points prevented many people from different regions from entering the city. [The PFP] was blocking the road, impeding their entrance. On the other hand, with [the PRI supporters], that wasn’t the case. They were brought in from Veracruz, from Puebla, and there were people that were obligated to attend, people who were intimidated, threatened, and paid. So, where is it that we are finding the strength to sustain ourselves? Who knows?
ARK: How does the radio function? Who are the people who help?
La Doctora: They are all university students. They’re not even Communication majors, but rather, law students, architecture students, students of fine arts, medical students, etc, who didn’t know anything about the radio until they took it over, and then they learned.
ARK: And what happened with Radio Ley? The movement took it over and then lost it?
La Doctora: Originally, when the teachers movement began, they had a radio, Radio Plantón. The day of the violent displacement, Radio Plantón was destroyed. So a group of university students took over Radio Universidad and Radio Universidad began to broadcast on behalf of the movement.
Subsequently, on the first of August, a group of women marchers arrived at the zócalo and it occurred to them to take over Channel 9, so they did. So besides University Radio, the Radio of Channel 9 and the television channel begin to function, with all of the problems that one would expect of a television station run by people who didn’t know anything about running a television station. But, in the little time that it was under their control, [the Priistas] attacked the antennas. They destroyed the transmitters and they cut the broadcasting from Channel 9.
The people who arrived then decided to take over the radios. So they went, and they took over all of the radios of Oaxaca. At 5am, 13 radios were taken over by the people, spontaneously. No one ordered them to do it. Everyone went to the radio that was the closest or the one they liked the least, who knows, but off they went. They returned almost all of them- the only ones they kept were Radio Ley and the Radio Oro chain. Radio Oro didn’t work very well. Radio Ley was the strong one. In that period we didn’t have Radio Universidad, because a group of people who were paid [by the state government] who had infiltrated by earning the trust of the people here had thrown acid on the transmitters.
ARK: Those people were students also, right?
La Doctora: Yes. We were without Radio Universidad for quite awhile. But we still had Radio Ley. Radio Ley transmitted and served its function.
They began to interfere, to block the signal. No one believed that University Radio would be able to go back on the air, but the students worked hard and they were able to get it to work again. We got it back on the air about five days before we lost Radio Ley.
In that period, we had had radio. During all of this time, we hadn’t been without it until right now- right now the signal is blocked. Three or four days ago they created interference, and now it’s almost impossible to hear, you can only hear Radio University in a few places.
ARK: For you, in the radio, what have been the most difficult moments?
La Doctora: Definitely the second [of November]. Because the tanks were right at the corner and they were going to enter. That was the most difficult moment.
ARK: How did you feel at that moment?
La Doctora: At that moment I didn’t think about what I felt, but rather about the necessity of keeping up the morale among the compañeros. I thought about how they felt, they were the ones who were confronting the attacks. At the time, I wasn’t worried about my personal safety. And yes, they were told that we would be there until the very end.
ARK: How do you always manage to remain so calm on the radio?
La Doctora: Because I believe that that’s my role. In my personal life, I’m not a calm person. But in the personal realm, it’s my life that I’m playing with, no one else’s, so I can do whatever I please, I can be explosive. But on the radio, I’m responsible for other people. I’m a mother. When my children were small, if there was an earthquake, a disaster, I couldn’t just run away. You have to calm the children down, tell them that everything will be all right. This is the same thing.
It’s the fact that we are responsible for so many people. That’s the reality for those who are speaking on the radio- most of all, in moments like these. Those of us who are speaking, we have that responsibility. We have to be calm. The truth is I wanted to be present in the confrontation. If it were up to me, I would have taken part in the confrontation. I would have been there, even if just as a doctor, taking care of the wounded. Because there were many who were hurt and wounded.
And I couldn’t even be there tending to the wounded, until afterwards. I had to be at the radio. I left for a moment, running to see how everyone was, passing through the teargas. But the concern was for the compañeros. [The PFP] had almost entered. There was a tank right here at that corner. Nevertheless, one had to stay calm. We continue to remain calm. We are tired, but calm.
ARK: What do you think is going to happen?
La Doctora: I don’t really want to think about it. There are many possibilities, many possible scenarios. It depends on many factors. Because it’s unlikely that they’ll let us win. That’s the reality. Because we would be a bad example for the rest of the country.
ARK: And the rest of the world?
La Doctora: Yes. That’s why I don´t know what will happen. It depends. On one hand, the Fox administration and Carabina de Ambrosio are the same thing. On the other hand, the entering government of Felipe Calderón, which is the extreme right, will be the end of us. The situation is very, very difficult.
International support is very, very important here. Because that’s what will prevent them from massacring us. Obviously, we don’t say that on the radio, it’s not said openly. Right now a number of things are being requested that are a little strange, and one is left to wonder where the blow will come from. Because just like they infiltrated here, they have infiltrated everywhere. Among the leaders, there are people who have sold themselves. Not just in Section 22 of the Teachers Union, but also, I believe, within the Assembly. To a certain degree the people will remain unprotected.
And without the radio to orient them. Because the radio served as a convergence point. The radio said- compañeros, come here to the barricade because they’re attacking us, compañeros, stay calm. It gave certain direction that allowed this unity. And now there is no radio. People are infiltrating, causing rumors to fly, separating this nucleus that was united and that was very important. I don´t know what is going to happen. Maybe I am pessimistic because I’m very tired. Maybe that’s all it is, because I’m almost at the physical limits of resistance. Maybe we won, and it will be all right. Maybe it’s only pessimism stemming from exhaust. Who knows? But regardless, we need a lot of international support, mobilization, pressure towards the consulates and embassies. I believe that that’s what could protect us.
source: http://chiapas.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=139746
---------
Oaxaca solidarity:
El Enemigo Común (film and news)
http://elenemigocomun.net
email announcement' list
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/oaxaca
events and actions
http://elenemigocomun.net/category/solidarity
Donate for medical supplies and media equipment
http://elenemigocomun.net/donate
http://elenemigocomun.net/107
Interview with Bertha Elena Muñoz, “La Doctora”, Principal broadcaster for Radio Universidad
by ARK
November 27, 2006
The radio has played a crucial role throughout the Oaxacan conflict. The predominant broadcaster for Radio Universidad is that of “La Doctora”, whose strong, deep voice calls for reinforcement for barricades under attack, reminds the people of their strength and courage and the justice of their demands, and serves to calm her listeners.
On November 7th we are sitting in the first aid station of the university, in front of the university radio. She is a 58 year old doctor and a mother of three. La Doctora is an extremely thin woman, whose face reveals her exhaustion. She has been known to broadcast for up to 20 hours a day on the tensest days. The struggle for social justice is nothing new to to her- la doctora was a first year medical student in Mexico City during the 1968 student massacre there.
ARK: How did you get involved with the radio and why?
La Doctora: We’ve had the first aid station here for a few months, practically since July. When they succeeded in getting the radio up and running again- it’s been twenty days since we got Radio Universidad back on the air- there wasn’t anyone to run it. So that’s when I began and ended up staying. I’ve been here [at the radio] for twenty days.
ARK: And before that you were here with the first aid station?
La Doctora: Yes, to help with emergency medical attention.
ARK: Why are you involved in the movement?
La Doctora: Because the situation in Oaxaca has become unsustainable. The last administrations- actually, I believe all of them- but the last few have been the worst: thieves, repressors, and the like. The breaking point was this current governor. He took office and there were political assassinations, political prisoners, and unmistakable robbery- practically in front of our faces. They channeled resources meant for social programs into their own pockets and for Madrazo’s presidential campaign. The destruction of the historic center of the capital city, the zócalo, the fountain of the seven regions, Llano Park- he’s destroyed many things.
The breaking point was when he violently displaced the protesting teachers from the zócalo. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
ARK: In your opinion, what is the importance of the radio for the movement?
La Doctora: The radio has served as a point of union among the different actors in the movement. Besides that, it has served as the voice of the people, because people talk and they denounce [what’s happening]. For the first time there is a space where we can denounce what’s wrong, where the people can say what they feel, and where they have the freedom to speak. The radio broadcasts the agreements of the APPO and serves as a space to analyze the problematic of Oaxaca from various points of view: from the indigenous perspective, cultural perspectives, from the perspective of healthcare- there are many messages to broadcast.
Now the problem has intensified since the arrival of the Federal Preventive Police, the PFP, or a few days before when the journalist [Brad Will] was assassinated. We are trying to return to our established programming, but we’re inundated with these incidents. We’ll see if we will be able to broadcast the normal programming tomorrow. But every day there are denunciations, every day there are attacks. We are overwhelmed by these events- everyone is. The truth is that we are very tired, but we all keep going.
ARK: How do you keep going? What gives you the strength?
La Doctora: We know that we are right. And we know that if we don’t see things through to the end, then things will get worse. And if we don’t remain strong right now, Oaxaca won’t be able to lift up its head for the next fifty years. So we have to remain strong. You can see me and tell that I am very tired. But if you see the rest of the compañeros in the barricades or wherever you go, [you can see that] we’re all the same. If you saw our march, the one last Sunday, you saw loads of people. So many people attended that march. The people are determined. I don’t know if you were able to see the battle on Day of the Dead. It wasn’t even a battle. If they had used their guns, they would have massacred us.
But if you were here, you saw the amount of people who came out. So, where do we get the strength? There is an expression in Spanish that the source of strength is weakness. And truly, I am finding that my strength comes from weakness. Who knows where it comes from? But the people are enduring, they remain standing. And the proof is the enormous march that happened on Sunday. And today the women marched- there were many of them. I don’t know if you saw the march of the priistas today. They say that there were 100,000 people. But they brought people even from outside the state. And there were no revision points for them. With us, ever since the PFP arrived, even a day before, they put up revision points and these revision points prevented many people from different regions from entering the city. [The PFP] was blocking the road, impeding their entrance. On the other hand, with [the PRI supporters], that wasn’t the case. They were brought in from Veracruz, from Puebla, and there were people that were obligated to attend, people who were intimidated, threatened, and paid. So, where is it that we are finding the strength to sustain ourselves? Who knows?
ARK: How does the radio function? Who are the people who help?
La Doctora: They are all university students. They’re not even Communication majors, but rather, law students, architecture students, students of fine arts, medical students, etc, who didn’t know anything about the radio until they took it over, and then they learned.
ARK: And what happened with Radio Ley? The movement took it over and then lost it?
La Doctora: Originally, when the teachers movement began, they had a radio, Radio Plantón. The day of the violent displacement, Radio Plantón was destroyed. So a group of university students took over Radio Universidad and Radio Universidad began to broadcast on behalf of the movement.
Subsequently, on the first of August, a group of women marchers arrived at the zócalo and it occurred to them to take over Channel 9, so they did. So besides University Radio, the Radio of Channel 9 and the television channel begin to function, with all of the problems that one would expect of a television station run by people who didn’t know anything about running a television station. But, in the little time that it was under their control, [the Priistas] attacked the antennas. They destroyed the transmitters and they cut the broadcasting from Channel 9.
The people who arrived then decided to take over the radios. So they went, and they took over all of the radios of Oaxaca. At 5am, 13 radios were taken over by the people, spontaneously. No one ordered them to do it. Everyone went to the radio that was the closest or the one they liked the least, who knows, but off they went. They returned almost all of them- the only ones they kept were Radio Ley and the Radio Oro chain. Radio Oro didn’t work very well. Radio Ley was the strong one. In that period we didn’t have Radio Universidad, because a group of people who were paid [by the state government] who had infiltrated by earning the trust of the people here had thrown acid on the transmitters.
ARK: Those people were students also, right?
La Doctora: Yes. We were without Radio Universidad for quite awhile. But we still had Radio Ley. Radio Ley transmitted and served its function.
They began to interfere, to block the signal. No one believed that University Radio would be able to go back on the air, but the students worked hard and they were able to get it to work again. We got it back on the air about five days before we lost Radio Ley.
In that period, we had had radio. During all of this time, we hadn’t been without it until right now- right now the signal is blocked. Three or four days ago they created interference, and now it’s almost impossible to hear, you can only hear Radio University in a few places.
ARK: For you, in the radio, what have been the most difficult moments?
La Doctora: Definitely the second [of November]. Because the tanks were right at the corner and they were going to enter. That was the most difficult moment.
ARK: How did you feel at that moment?
La Doctora: At that moment I didn’t think about what I felt, but rather about the necessity of keeping up the morale among the compañeros. I thought about how they felt, they were the ones who were confronting the attacks. At the time, I wasn’t worried about my personal safety. And yes, they were told that we would be there until the very end.
ARK: How do you always manage to remain so calm on the radio?
La Doctora: Because I believe that that’s my role. In my personal life, I’m not a calm person. But in the personal realm, it’s my life that I’m playing with, no one else’s, so I can do whatever I please, I can be explosive. But on the radio, I’m responsible for other people. I’m a mother. When my children were small, if there was an earthquake, a disaster, I couldn’t just run away. You have to calm the children down, tell them that everything will be all right. This is the same thing.
It’s the fact that we are responsible for so many people. That’s the reality for those who are speaking on the radio- most of all, in moments like these. Those of us who are speaking, we have that responsibility. We have to be calm. The truth is I wanted to be present in the confrontation. If it were up to me, I would have taken part in the confrontation. I would have been there, even if just as a doctor, taking care of the wounded. Because there were many who were hurt and wounded.
And I couldn’t even be there tending to the wounded, until afterwards. I had to be at the radio. I left for a moment, running to see how everyone was, passing through the teargas. But the concern was for the compañeros. [The PFP] had almost entered. There was a tank right here at that corner. Nevertheless, one had to stay calm. We continue to remain calm. We are tired, but calm.
ARK: What do you think is going to happen?
La Doctora: I don’t really want to think about it. There are many possibilities, many possible scenarios. It depends on many factors. Because it’s unlikely that they’ll let us win. That’s the reality. Because we would be a bad example for the rest of the country.
ARK: And the rest of the world?
La Doctora: Yes. That’s why I don´t know what will happen. It depends. On one hand, the Fox administration and Carabina de Ambrosio are the same thing. On the other hand, the entering government of Felipe Calderón, which is the extreme right, will be the end of us. The situation is very, very difficult.
International support is very, very important here. Because that’s what will prevent them from massacring us. Obviously, we don’t say that on the radio, it’s not said openly. Right now a number of things are being requested that are a little strange, and one is left to wonder where the blow will come from. Because just like they infiltrated here, they have infiltrated everywhere. Among the leaders, there are people who have sold themselves. Not just in Section 22 of the Teachers Union, but also, I believe, within the Assembly. To a certain degree the people will remain unprotected.
And without the radio to orient them. Because the radio served as a convergence point. The radio said- compañeros, come here to the barricade because they’re attacking us, compañeros, stay calm. It gave certain direction that allowed this unity. And now there is no radio. People are infiltrating, causing rumors to fly, separating this nucleus that was united and that was very important. I don´t know what is going to happen. Maybe I am pessimistic because I’m very tired. Maybe that’s all it is, because I’m almost at the physical limits of resistance. Maybe we won, and it will be all right. Maybe it’s only pessimism stemming from exhaust. Who knows? But regardless, we need a lot of international support, mobilization, pressure towards the consulates and embassies. I believe that that’s what could protect us.
source: http://chiapas.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=139746
---------
Oaxaca solidarity:
El Enemigo Común (film and news)
http://elenemigocomun.net
email announcement' list
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/oaxaca
events and actions
http://elenemigocomun.net/category/solidarity
Donate for medical supplies and media equipment
http://elenemigocomun.net/donate
Add Your Comments
Comments
(Hide Comments)
Please send appeals immediately
Urgent Action: Fear of torture or ill-treatment / incommunicado detention
http://elenemigocomun.net/580
28 November 2006
UA 322/06
Mexico: At least 149 people in detention
Following a violent confrontation between supporters of the Popular Assembly
of the People of Oaxaca (Asamblea Popular del Pueblo de Oaxaca, APPO) and the
Federal Preventive Police (Policia Federal Preventiva, PFP) in the centre of
Oaxaca on 25 November, at least 149 people have been detained. Amnesty
International believes that they may be at risk of torture or ill-treatment
while in custody.
The violence followed a demonstration organized by APPO supporters, to
protest against the presence of PFP in the city and to call for the
resignation of the Governor of Oaxaca. During the clashes with the police,
dozens of people were reportedly injured by stones and intoxicated by
teargas. There were also several reports that some people had been shot and
wounded. Dozens of cars and buses and several public buildings, including the
State Superior Court (Tribunal Superior de Justicia) and a theatre, were set
on fire. According to reports, groups of armed men wearing balaclavas,
believed to be state police, shot at protesters and buildings and arrested
scores of people, several of whom reportedly had no involvement in the
demonstrations.
By the end of the day, the authorities published the names of 149 people
being held in two state prisons of Tlacolula and Miahuatlan, both outside the
city of Oaxaca. All detainees have reportedly been denied access to family
and independent legal counsel (suspects are generally forced to rely on
inadequate public defenders provided by the authorities). There are also
reports that on 27 November, 141 detainees were transferred to a prison in
the remote state of Nayarit. Families and human rights organizations have not
been informed of the charges faced by those in detention.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
An Amnesty International delegation recently visited the city of Oaxaca and
interviewed scores of victims of human rights violations committed during the
ongoing crisis in Oaxaca. The organization documented the repeated violations
committed by unidentified armed groups, believed to be state and municipal
police officers working in plain clothes, who make arrests without
identifying themselves or explaining the reasons for arrests. The
organization documented in several cases the use of incommunicado detention
over several days. The organization also received credible reports that
detainees had been tortured and ill-treated, primarily by state and municipal
police, but also by members of the PFP.
In May 2006 teachers initiated a strike in Oaxaca state calling for improved
pay and conditions, and occupied the main square and surrounding streets. An
attempt by state police to forcibly evict teachers on 14 June led to a
radicalization of the protest and the formation on of the Asamblea Popular
del Pueblo de Oaxaca, APPO (Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca), an
umbrella organization of social and political groups in support of the
teachers and calling for the resignation of the state governor. As the
climate of violence in the city increased, armed police in plain clothes
started to arbitrarily detain protesters and were reportedly responsible for
several shootings. Protesters established barricades in many neighborhoods in
late August and the security situation further declined as unidentified armed
men continued to target opposition supporters in marches and on barricades.
On 29 October, the PFP entered the city to restore order. The operation
resulted in the death of two civilians and the detention and injury of scores
of others. Many of those who have been detained during the crisis have been
released reportedly as a result of political negotiations, but with no clear
idea of whether they may face re-arrest at a future date.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- calling on the authorities to ensure all those detained during protests on
25 November are allowed immediate access to families, adequate medical
attention and legal counsel of their choice;
- calling for them to be either charged with a recognizably criminal offence
or released immediately;
- calling on the authorities to ensure the physical and mental integrity of
those in custody and to carry out immediate and impartial investigations into
allegations of torture or ill-treatment;
- reminding the authorities to their duty to maintain public order while
protecting the human rights of all people, and ensuring that the use of force
is proportionate and necessary to confront the threat faced;
- calling for an immediate and impartial investigation into the use of armed
groups, believed to be state and municipal police, operating illegally to
attack and detain protesters and passers-by, and for those responsible to be
held to account;
- urging the federal and state authorities to ensure that all measures taken
to address the crisis in Oaxaca fully respect international human rights law,
and calling for them to avoid taking action which may worsen the human rights
situation.
APPEALS TO:
Minister of the Interior:
Lic. Carlos Abascal Carranza
Secretario de Gobernacion, Secretaria de Gobernacion
Bucareli 99, 1er. piso
Col. Juarez, Delegacion Cuauhtemoc
Mexico D.F., C.P.06600, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 55 5093 3414
Salutation: Dear Minister/ Estimado Secretario de Gobernacion
Minister of Public Security:
Lic. Eduardo Medina Mora
Secretario de Seguridad Publica, Secretaria de Seguridad Publica
Paseo de la Reforma No.364, piso 16
Colonia Juarez, Delegacion Cuahutemoc
Mexico DF. C.P. 06600, MEXICO
Fax: 01152 55 5241 8393
Salutation: Senor Secretario / Dear Minister
Governor of Oaxaca:
Ulises Ruiz Ortiz
Gobernador del Estado de Oaxaca, Carretera Oaxaca - Puerto Angel, Km. 9.5
Santa Maria Coyotopec
C. P. 71254, Oaxaca
Oaxaca, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 951 511 6879 (if someone answers, say ‘’me da tono de fax, por
favor'’)
Salutation: Senor Gobernador / Dear Governor
Interior Minister of Oaxaca:
Lic. Jorge Franco Vargas
Secretario General de Gobierno del Estado de Oaxaca
Constitucion 519
Esq. Martires de Tacubaya, Oaxaca
Oaxaca, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 951 132 5378
Salutation: Senor Secretario / Dear Secretary
President of the National Human Rights Commission:
Dr. Jose Luis Soberanes Fernandez
Presidente de la Comision Nacional de Derechos Humanos (CNDH)
Periferico Sur 3469, 5º piso
Col. San Jeronimo Lidice
Mexico D.F. 10200, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 55 5681 7199
Salutation: Dear President / Estimado Presidente
COPIES TO:
President of the Oaxaca State Human Rights Commission:
Dr. Jaime Perez Jimenez
Presidente de la Comision Estatal
Calle de los Derechos Humanos no. 210, Colonia America
C.P. 68050, Oaxaca
Oaxaca, Mexico
Fax: 011 52 951 503 0220
Salutation: Dear President / Estimado Presidente
Human rights organization in Oaxaca:
Red Oaxaquena de Derechos Humanos
Calle Crespo 524 Interior 4-E, Col. Centro, Oaxaca
Oaxaca, CP. 68000, MEXICO
Ambassador Carlos Alberto De Icaza Gonzalez
Embassy of Mexico
1911 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington DC 20006
Fax: 1 202 728 1698
Please send appeals immediately. Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if
sending appeals after 9 January 2006.
———————————-
Tip of the Month:
If you have questions, please call, write, fax, or email the AIUSA Urgent
Action office. Also, please note our new address in DC (below), and update
your records if you have our old Colorado address on file.
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and
defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact
information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan [at] aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
———————————-
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
---------
Oaxaca solidarity:
El Enemigo Común (film and news)
http://elenemigocomun.net
email ‘announcement’ list
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/oaxaca
events and actions
http://elenemigocomun.net/category/solidarity
Donate for medical supplies and media equipment
http://elenemigocomun.net/donate
Urgent Action: Fear of torture or ill-treatment / incommunicado detention
http://elenemigocomun.net/580
28 November 2006
UA 322/06
Mexico: At least 149 people in detention
Following a violent confrontation between supporters of the Popular Assembly
of the People of Oaxaca (Asamblea Popular del Pueblo de Oaxaca, APPO) and the
Federal Preventive Police (Policia Federal Preventiva, PFP) in the centre of
Oaxaca on 25 November, at least 149 people have been detained. Amnesty
International believes that they may be at risk of torture or ill-treatment
while in custody.
The violence followed a demonstration organized by APPO supporters, to
protest against the presence of PFP in the city and to call for the
resignation of the Governor of Oaxaca. During the clashes with the police,
dozens of people were reportedly injured by stones and intoxicated by
teargas. There were also several reports that some people had been shot and
wounded. Dozens of cars and buses and several public buildings, including the
State Superior Court (Tribunal Superior de Justicia) and a theatre, were set
on fire. According to reports, groups of armed men wearing balaclavas,
believed to be state police, shot at protesters and buildings and arrested
scores of people, several of whom reportedly had no involvement in the
demonstrations.
By the end of the day, the authorities published the names of 149 people
being held in two state prisons of Tlacolula and Miahuatlan, both outside the
city of Oaxaca. All detainees have reportedly been denied access to family
and independent legal counsel (suspects are generally forced to rely on
inadequate public defenders provided by the authorities). There are also
reports that on 27 November, 141 detainees were transferred to a prison in
the remote state of Nayarit. Families and human rights organizations have not
been informed of the charges faced by those in detention.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
An Amnesty International delegation recently visited the city of Oaxaca and
interviewed scores of victims of human rights violations committed during the
ongoing crisis in Oaxaca. The organization documented the repeated violations
committed by unidentified armed groups, believed to be state and municipal
police officers working in plain clothes, who make arrests without
identifying themselves or explaining the reasons for arrests. The
organization documented in several cases the use of incommunicado detention
over several days. The organization also received credible reports that
detainees had been tortured and ill-treated, primarily by state and municipal
police, but also by members of the PFP.
In May 2006 teachers initiated a strike in Oaxaca state calling for improved
pay and conditions, and occupied the main square and surrounding streets. An
attempt by state police to forcibly evict teachers on 14 June led to a
radicalization of the protest and the formation on of the Asamblea Popular
del Pueblo de Oaxaca, APPO (Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca), an
umbrella organization of social and political groups in support of the
teachers and calling for the resignation of the state governor. As the
climate of violence in the city increased, armed police in plain clothes
started to arbitrarily detain protesters and were reportedly responsible for
several shootings. Protesters established barricades in many neighborhoods in
late August and the security situation further declined as unidentified armed
men continued to target opposition supporters in marches and on barricades.
On 29 October, the PFP entered the city to restore order. The operation
resulted in the death of two civilians and the detention and injury of scores
of others. Many of those who have been detained during the crisis have been
released reportedly as a result of political negotiations, but with no clear
idea of whether they may face re-arrest at a future date.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- calling on the authorities to ensure all those detained during protests on
25 November are allowed immediate access to families, adequate medical
attention and legal counsel of their choice;
- calling for them to be either charged with a recognizably criminal offence
or released immediately;
- calling on the authorities to ensure the physical and mental integrity of
those in custody and to carry out immediate and impartial investigations into
allegations of torture or ill-treatment;
- reminding the authorities to their duty to maintain public order while
protecting the human rights of all people, and ensuring that the use of force
is proportionate and necessary to confront the threat faced;
- calling for an immediate and impartial investigation into the use of armed
groups, believed to be state and municipal police, operating illegally to
attack and detain protesters and passers-by, and for those responsible to be
held to account;
- urging the federal and state authorities to ensure that all measures taken
to address the crisis in Oaxaca fully respect international human rights law,
and calling for them to avoid taking action which may worsen the human rights
situation.
APPEALS TO:
Minister of the Interior:
Lic. Carlos Abascal Carranza
Secretario de Gobernacion, Secretaria de Gobernacion
Bucareli 99, 1er. piso
Col. Juarez, Delegacion Cuauhtemoc
Mexico D.F., C.P.06600, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 55 5093 3414
Salutation: Dear Minister/ Estimado Secretario de Gobernacion
Minister of Public Security:
Lic. Eduardo Medina Mora
Secretario de Seguridad Publica, Secretaria de Seguridad Publica
Paseo de la Reforma No.364, piso 16
Colonia Juarez, Delegacion Cuahutemoc
Mexico DF. C.P. 06600, MEXICO
Fax: 01152 55 5241 8393
Salutation: Senor Secretario / Dear Minister
Governor of Oaxaca:
Ulises Ruiz Ortiz
Gobernador del Estado de Oaxaca, Carretera Oaxaca - Puerto Angel, Km. 9.5
Santa Maria Coyotopec
C. P. 71254, Oaxaca
Oaxaca, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 951 511 6879 (if someone answers, say ‘’me da tono de fax, por
favor'’)
Salutation: Senor Gobernador / Dear Governor
Interior Minister of Oaxaca:
Lic. Jorge Franco Vargas
Secretario General de Gobierno del Estado de Oaxaca
Constitucion 519
Esq. Martires de Tacubaya, Oaxaca
Oaxaca, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 951 132 5378
Salutation: Senor Secretario / Dear Secretary
President of the National Human Rights Commission:
Dr. Jose Luis Soberanes Fernandez
Presidente de la Comision Nacional de Derechos Humanos (CNDH)
Periferico Sur 3469, 5º piso
Col. San Jeronimo Lidice
Mexico D.F. 10200, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 55 5681 7199
Salutation: Dear President / Estimado Presidente
COPIES TO:
President of the Oaxaca State Human Rights Commission:
Dr. Jaime Perez Jimenez
Presidente de la Comision Estatal
Calle de los Derechos Humanos no. 210, Colonia America
C.P. 68050, Oaxaca
Oaxaca, Mexico
Fax: 011 52 951 503 0220
Salutation: Dear President / Estimado Presidente
Human rights organization in Oaxaca:
Red Oaxaquena de Derechos Humanos
Calle Crespo 524 Interior 4-E, Col. Centro, Oaxaca
Oaxaca, CP. 68000, MEXICO
Ambassador Carlos Alberto De Icaza Gonzalez
Embassy of Mexico
1911 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington DC 20006
Fax: 1 202 728 1698
Please send appeals immediately. Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if
sending appeals after 9 January 2006.
———————————-
Tip of the Month:
If you have questions, please call, write, fax, or email the AIUSA Urgent
Action office. Also, please note our new address in DC (below), and update
your records if you have our old Colorado address on file.
** POSTAGE RATES **
Within the United States:
$0.24 - Postcards
$0.39 - Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Mexico and Canada:
$0.55 - Postcards
$0.63 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
$0.75 - Aerogrammes
To all other destination countries:
$0.75 - Postcards
$0.84 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
$0.75 - Aerogrammes
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and
defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact
information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan [at] aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
———————————-
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
---------
Oaxaca solidarity:
El Enemigo Común (film and news)
http://elenemigocomun.net
email ‘announcement’ list
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/oaxaca
events and actions
http://elenemigocomun.net/category/solidarity
Donate for medical supplies and media equipment
http://elenemigocomun.net/donate
# Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2006 01:43:36 -0800 (PST)
Attacks continue in Oaxaca: Radio Universidad may be next
http://elenemigocomun.net/564
Oaxaca City Rebelde: 7th MegaMarch & Aftermath
http://elenemigocomun.net/574
Taken Saturday Night: Names of the Imprisoned
http://elenemigocomun.net/563
---
Attacks continue in Oaxaca: Radio Universidad may be next
http://elenemigocomun.net/564
November 27th, 2006 - danielsan writes: Radio Universidad, 1400 AM and
streaming on the internet, has announced once again that it is expecting an
attack (as of 4:45 PM).
The 4:45 transmission said that Ministerial Police have a warrant to enter
the campus and search the station backed up by the PFP. The signal was then
blocked yet again by la canción that has been overriding the AM broadcast for
more than three weeks. The song is audible in the webcast as well, in
addition to the sound of low-flying helicopters.
The barricade at Cinco Señores is now being reinforced and broadcasters are
uncertain of what will happen next. Earlier in the week, a PFP spokesperson
declared that the very same police force was out of control, but they seem to
be cooperating nonetheless.
The station has continued to broadcast from the campus of the UABJO despite
the occupation of Oaxaca City by federal police, and students and APPO
adherents won a significant street battle shortly after the arrival of the
troops in order to maintain both the campus and the signal.
They are calling for water, vinegar, gasoline, glass bottles, fireworks, and
cola (to counter the effects of tear gas) in order to defend ‘the voice of
truth.’ The webstream and the AM broadcast are both unstable due to
interference.
They are also advising (all) women to avoid the city center and the PFP lines
because of escalating male violence against women. See earlier post
http://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/11/20/18331444.php with information about a
sexual assault perpetrated by the PFP last week (2.7 MB MP3 file called
‘gender war‘).
Since Saturday night’s street battle, the PFP has occupied Santo Domingo, the
plaza APPO occupied after they were forcibly removed from the central Zócalo.
Today tanks and police lines had replaced the tents set up by Campesino
groups, Human Rights organizations, and TV monitors showing (and selling)
video footage of the PFP occupation, the battle to defend the radio, the
initial June 14 eviction/massacre…
(x)Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz (URO) has asked for huge increases in the
budget for 2007, including huge expenditures explicitly for guns and tanks in
order to reestablish his power in the state he can barely set foot in for the
protests that explode whenever his helicopters fly him in. The PFP have
begun, for the first time, to patrol the city. Houses have been searched and
the numbers of arrested and disappeared is growing as more and more people
tell what they saw Saturday night. State police have recently been visible
(in uniform) for the first time in months.
Please continue to monitor the situation in Oaxaca.
Radio APPO: http://radio.indymedia.org:8000/appo.mp3.m3u
source: http://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/11/27/18333679.php
---------
Oaxaca solidarity:
El Enemigo Común (film and news)
http://elenemigocomun.net
email ‘announcement’ list
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/oaxaca
events and actions
http://elenemigocomun.net/category/solidarity
Donate for medical supplies and media equipment
http://elenemigocomun.net/donate
Attacks continue in Oaxaca: Radio Universidad may be next
http://elenemigocomun.net/564
Oaxaca City Rebelde: 7th MegaMarch & Aftermath
http://elenemigocomun.net/574
Taken Saturday Night: Names of the Imprisoned
http://elenemigocomun.net/563
---
Attacks continue in Oaxaca: Radio Universidad may be next
http://elenemigocomun.net/564
November 27th, 2006 - danielsan writes: Radio Universidad, 1400 AM and
streaming on the internet, has announced once again that it is expecting an
attack (as of 4:45 PM).
The 4:45 transmission said that Ministerial Police have a warrant to enter
the campus and search the station backed up by the PFP. The signal was then
blocked yet again by la canción that has been overriding the AM broadcast for
more than three weeks. The song is audible in the webcast as well, in
addition to the sound of low-flying helicopters.
The barricade at Cinco Señores is now being reinforced and broadcasters are
uncertain of what will happen next. Earlier in the week, a PFP spokesperson
declared that the very same police force was out of control, but they seem to
be cooperating nonetheless.
The station has continued to broadcast from the campus of the UABJO despite
the occupation of Oaxaca City by federal police, and students and APPO
adherents won a significant street battle shortly after the arrival of the
troops in order to maintain both the campus and the signal.
They are calling for water, vinegar, gasoline, glass bottles, fireworks, and
cola (to counter the effects of tear gas) in order to defend ‘the voice of
truth.’ The webstream and the AM broadcast are both unstable due to
interference.
They are also advising (all) women to avoid the city center and the PFP lines
because of escalating male violence against women. See earlier post
http://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/11/20/18331444.php with information about a
sexual assault perpetrated by the PFP last week (2.7 MB MP3 file called
‘gender war‘).
Since Saturday night’s street battle, the PFP has occupied Santo Domingo, the
plaza APPO occupied after they were forcibly removed from the central Zócalo.
Today tanks and police lines had replaced the tents set up by Campesino
groups, Human Rights organizations, and TV monitors showing (and selling)
video footage of the PFP occupation, the battle to defend the radio, the
initial June 14 eviction/massacre…
(x)Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz (URO) has asked for huge increases in the
budget for 2007, including huge expenditures explicitly for guns and tanks in
order to reestablish his power in the state he can barely set foot in for the
protests that explode whenever his helicopters fly him in. The PFP have
begun, for the first time, to patrol the city. Houses have been searched and
the numbers of arrested and disappeared is growing as more and more people
tell what they saw Saturday night. State police have recently been visible
(in uniform) for the first time in months.
Please continue to monitor the situation in Oaxaca.
Radio APPO: http://radio.indymedia.org:8000/appo.mp3.m3u
source: http://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/11/27/18333679.php
---------
Oaxaca solidarity:
El Enemigo Común (film and news)
http://elenemigocomun.net
email ‘announcement’ list
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/oaxaca
events and actions
http://elenemigocomun.net/category/solidarity
Donate for medical supplies and media equipment
http://elenemigocomun.net/donate
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