San José del Progreso @ EDUCA
On 18 January, at least two residents of San José del Progreso, Ocotlán, who are opposed to the mining operation la Trinidad being carried out by the company Cuzcatlán (associated with the Canadian firm Silver Fortune) were injured by gunshots presumably fired by members of the municipality and police. Bernardo Vásquez Sánchez, one of the injured, succumbed to his wounds the following day. On the day of the incident, several residents had met in the center of the community to protest against the installation on their land of tubes that would allow for the exploitation of a deep well by the mining company. Permission was granted by the municipal authorities without the previous informed consent of the populace. Those opposed to the mining project also indicated the presence and participation of mayor Sánchez Muñoz in the acts, in addition to his brother (contractor for the construction job), and the alderman Gabriel Pérez Ruíz.
The Oaxacan Collective in Defense of Territory demanded that the government of Gabino Cué carry out an exhaustive investigation and punish those responsible for the opening of fire on the people. Section 22 of the National Educational Workers Union (SNTE) also expressed its “total rejection of the use of public force and moreover the criminalization of social protest, given that it is well-known that apart from belonging to any organization, the injured on this occasion have undertaken a struggle in defense of their land and to protect the environment.”
For more information (in Spanish):
Muere víctima de balacera de San José del Progreso (Noticias net, 20 January 2012)
Solicitan apoyo para la familia de Bernardo Méndez Vásquez defensor asesinado en San José del Progreso (Cencos, 20 January 2012)
Balea edil de San José del Progreso a opositores de mina La Trinidad(La Jornada, 19 January 2012)
Sección 22 exige castigo a los responsables del atentado en San José del Progreso (declaración pública de la Sección 22 del SNTE, 18 January 2012)
Tiroteo deja dos lesionados en Oaxaca (El Universal, 18 January 2012)
Urgent action regarding the confrontation in San José del Progreso, to be signed and distributed among one’s contacts and networks.
Posicionamiento del Colectivo Oaxaqueño en Defensa de los Territorios en relación al enfrentamiento en San José del Progreso (18 January 2012)
For more information from SIPAZ (in English):
Mexico: “Mined land, the defense of the rights of communities and of the environment” (14 December 2011)
Oaxaca: Coordination of United People of the Ocotlán Valley close entrance to silver mine in San José del Progreso (14 March 2011)
Oaxaca: Civil Mission of Observation “Water is Life; Let us Defend its Existence” (8 September 2010)
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