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Campaign of Support for the Autonomous Municipality of San Juan Copala, Oaxaca

by Committee for the Defense and Justice for the Autonomous Municipality of San Juan Copala



Oaxaca City, Image by FreeXero.com Oaxaca City, Image by FreeXero.com

To the exploited peoples of Mexico and the world:

To the national and international Other Campaign:

To the organizations in solidarity with the Triqui struggle:

To all independent human rights organizations:

October 29, 2010

In the Triqui region autonomy was formally declared in 2007, with the consensus of 10 communities, at the ceremonial center of San Juan Copala, Oaxaca. The history of the Triqui people is one of more than 500 years of resistance against conquest and intervention by multiple political entities, against the internal and external colonization by the capitalist system that provoke violence between Triqui communities.

Previously, many efforts emerged among the Triqui peoples to build peace in the region and confront the colonizing war of capitalism. The CLUB was created in the 1970s, and the MULT (Movement for Unification and Triqui Struggle) founded in the 1980s. In 2003, the MULT began to have a very different political position with the formation of the Popular Unity Party (PUP), which attempted to impose itself over a stance that rejected political parties. For this reason, many of the founders of the MULT decided to create the Independent Movement for Unification and Triqui Struggle (MULTI), which led to the creation of the Autonomous Municipality of San Jan Copala after an agreement with the Triqui communities.

The Autonomous Municipality was able to halt the violence and the murders in the region for some time, and this is why the autonomous process was able to gain the sympathy of many Triqui communities. In November 2009, the State intensified its repressive methods with a paramilitary siege, coordinated by the leadership of MULT-PUPUBISORT (blocking a caravan of the Atenco Peoples Front in Defense of the Land- FPDT). This escalation also coincided with elections for municipal authorities in October of the same year. After the about 30 murders carried out since 2008 in San Juan Copala, the Autonomous Municipality was evicted on September 13, 2010 by more than 500 armed men supported by the state and municipal police, while destroying, robbing, and burning homes.

Because of these incidents, the Interamerican Commission for Human Rights (CIDH) "... asked the Mexican state to establish preventative measures to protect the 135 Triquis of the Autonomous Municipality of San Juan Copala—all of whom had been evicted—from aggressions by the paramilitary groups" (La Jornada, October 10, 2010). Nevertheless, and despite the precautionary measures, on October 16 displaced Triquis were caught in an ambush that killed two people and left two more seriously injured.

Since the emergence of the Autonomous Municipality of San Juan Copala the political struggle has been pacific, and the conviction one of struggle that does not respond to violence with more violence.

The murder of the leader of the MULT, Heriberto Pazos, is a result of the repressive policy of the State and of political interests that continue to exploit, repress, and colonize. Having attacked the Autonomous Municipality, they now want to exterminate any remaining vestiges of the Triqui struggle, attacking and repressing this community at large with complete disregard for the political affiliation or position of the individuals.

We do not forget the murders that have been committed since the founding of the Autonomous Municipality: Teresa Bautista, Felicitas Martínez, Héctor Antonio Ramírez, Elías Fernández de Jesús, José Celestino Hernández, Beatriz Alberta Cariño, Jiry Jaakkola, Timoteo Alejandro Ramírez (the moral leader of the Triqui community in the Municipality), Tleriberta Castro, Antonio Ramírez, Antonio Cruz, Rigoberto González, Pedro Santos, David García, Paulino Ramírez, Serafín Ubaldo Zurita, and Teresa Ramírez.

None of them was deemed worthy of the State's attention to assign them guards, and neither the current Governor (the murderer Ulises Ruiz) nor the Governor-elect (Gabino Cué) has issued a single statement on the matter.

We hold the State responsible for allowing the massacre in Copala, and for murdering a leader of the MULT, since only someone with the necessary resources could have evaded the security forces of Heriberto Pazos, who had founded the Popular Unity Party (PUP). This party took part in some alliances with the PRI and had some ties to the PAN, and was publicly opposed to the project of autonomy.

We reject the use of this State assassination as an excuse for the authorities and paramilitaries to continue massacring, harassing, and threatening those in the communities that sympathize with the autonomous municipality, as well as those who maintain the plantones (semi-permanent sit-ins/encampments) in the city of Oaxaca and in Mexico City.

We demand that extensive preventive measure be put in place, and enforced, to protect the families of the autonomous municipality.



Justice for San Juan Copala!

No to impunity! Punishment for those materially and intellectually responsible for the murders!

Respect for the Autonomous Municipality of San Juan Copala!

Committee for the Defense and Justice for the Autonomous Municipality of San Juan Copala



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We need your support with supplies and economic assistance to help the Triqui brothers and sisters from the Autonomous Municipality.

We need non-perishable foods including corn, beans, oil, powdered milk, eggs, salt, sugar; medicine (antibiotics, antivirals, etc); personal hygiene supplies; and educational materials for the children. Donations can be brought to the supply centers located at the plantón next to the Cathedral at the Zócalo in Mexico City; and at UNAM: Café Smaliyel de Fac. de Ciencias, Fac. de Filosofía, Fac. Economía; en el café y comedor de Fac. Ciencias; café de la explanada en Fac. Ciencias Políticas y/o en salón B-000.

Financial donations can be deposited to the following accounts: In Mexico: Banamex Acct 8107536, sucursal 100, in the account of Víctor Castillo Pérez International Deposits: Interbank Code 00218001008001075360. HSBC: 4023256654 in the account of Minerva Nora Martínez Lázaro *or* Interbank Code 021610040232566547, ABA Code 021000021 SUCURSAL: BIMEMXMM * For our internal records, please send an email with the amount and time/date of your deposit to the following addresses: libertadparacopala@gmail.com and autonomiaencopala@hotmail.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

In Spanish:

http://municipioautonomodesanjuancopala.wordpress.com/

http://autonomiaencopala.wordpress.com/

http://todosconlacaravana.blogspot.com/

In English:

http://mywordismyweapon.blogspot.com/2010/10/autonomous-supporters-desci...

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/investigation-needed-attack-m...

http://upsidedownworld.org/main/mexico-archives-79/2702-autonomous-autho...



