On 28 June, some 500 persons, members of social organizations from Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Mexico City, marched in Coyuca de Benítez, Guerrero, to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the “Aguas Blancas” massacre, which took place in June 1995, taking the lives of 17 campesinos. Participants in the march denounced that, 18 years later, justice still had not been done, and so they requested that the case be reopened, that those responsible be punished, and that better security be afforded to social movements, given that repression against social leaders continues to date.
Vidulfo Rosales Sierra, legal coordinator for the Tlachinollan Mountain Center for Human Rights, affirmed that “accounts must be settled with the past, especially the so-called Dirty War, which in terms of El Charco or Aguas Blancas necessitates justice, truth, and reparation of damages done, given that 18 years later, we have not achieved any of these points.” He said that those truly responsible today “continue making policy in the state.”
For his part, Luis Walton Aburto, mayor of Acapulco, called for never again such crimes to be committed due to excessive power being projected against the citizens, and much less against the poorest of Guerrero. He recognized that “despite the great efforts taken today by the federal government and the state government, we should recognize that in Guerrero the conditions of backwardness and social exclusion persist.” He stressed that social movements in Guerrero promote legitimate causes and that “we are convinced that neither repression nor harassment will be able to resolve the conflicts presented in the state.”
For more information (in Spanish):
Marchan por 18 años de masacre en Aguas Blancas (El Universal, 28 de junio de 2013)
Piden sancionar a responsables de Aguas Blancas (El Universal, 28 de junio de 2013)
Reactivó la represión el gobierno de Peña, acusan en Aguas Blancas (La Jornada de Guerrero, 29 de junio de 2013)
Que nunca se repita un exceso de poder contra ciudadanos, plantea Luis Walton (La Jornada de Guerrero, 29 de junio de 2013)
Fue homicidio político, dicen en el vado (La Jornada de Guerrero, 29 de junio de 2013)
For more information from SIPAZ (in English):
Guerrero: 17th anniversary of the Aguas Blancas massacre (10 July 2012)
Guerrero: Solidarity marches 16 years after the Aguas Blancas massacre (17 July 2011)
Guerrero: PGJE requests 50 years for Raúl Hernández (11 August)
Guerrero: 2nd anniversary of the imprisonment of Raúl Hernández (23 April 2010)
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