Oaxaca: Communards of San Dionisio del Mar revoke contract for wind-farm

Wind-farm in the Tehuantepec Isthmus @ La Jornada

On 29 January there was held an assembly among the communards of San Dionisio del Mar in the Tehuantepec Isthmus in which they analyzed the conditions under which was signed the contract of usage of 1643 hectares of communal land for the Preneal firm on 8 November 2004.  The communiqué declares that “it was not reported to the communards beforehand the meaning of the wind-farm on the territory of the Ikojts people.  For this reason our right as indigenous people to full, sufficient, and adequate information was violated.”  As a result, the communards unanimously agreed to “reject and revoke the Act of the Assembly of 7 November 2004 and the Contract of Usage signed with the Preneal Mexico firm and all those contracts and/or conventions agreed to with this firm and other national and/or transnational firms that affect the property, possession, and usage of our territory.”

The assembly agreed also to peacefully occupy the municipal palace of San Dioniso del Mar to demand that the Oaxaca state-government sack the mayor, Miguel López Castellano, “for his failure to represent and defend the interests of our people” and for being “in collusion with the firm through his attempt to impose the wind-project on our territory on top of the sovereign power of our people.”

For more information (in Spanish):

Comunicado de la Asamblea de Comuneros Ikojts de San Dionisio del Mar (Asamblea de Pueblos Indígenas del Istmo de Tehuantepec en Defensa de la Tierra y el Territorio, 29 January 2012)

Acta de asamblea de San Dionisio del Mar (Asamblea de Pueblos Indígenas del Istmo de Tehuantepec en Defensa de la Tierra y el Territorio, 1 February 2012)

Ocupan huaves palacio municipal de San Dionisio del Mar (La Jornada, 1 February 2012)

La comunidad Ikojts de San Dionisio del Mar, niega a empresa eólica el cambio de uso de suelo y licencia para construir parque eólico(Chacatorex, 24 January 2012)

México: La asamblea de comuneros Ikojts de San Dionisio del Mar, desconoce y revoca contrato con empresa eólica Preneal (Kaos en la red, 1 February 2012)

Audio-video:

Asamblea comunitaria de San Dionisio del Mar (Asamblea de Pueblos Indígenas del Istmo de Tehuantepec en Defensa de la Tierra y el Territorio, 1 February 2012)

For  more information from SIPAZ (in English):

Oaxaca: Death-threats against human-rights defenders (4 November 2011)

Oaxaca: Indigenous individuals from the Isthmus denounce threats by Spanish firm in response to their opposition to planned construction of wind-plants (5 July 2011)

Oaxaca: Possible conflict regarding wind-energy projects in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (18 January 2011)