Oaxaca: Nochixtlan Victims Say FGR Refuses to Call Chain of Command of Violent Eviction

Photo @ 24-Horas

In a press conference on July 10th, the Victims’ Committee for Truth and Justice (COVIC in its Spanish acronym) announced that the Attorney General’s Office (FGR in its Spanish acronym) has refused their request to investigate the chain of command involved in the violent eviction on June 19th, 2016 in Nochixtlan.

In their request, which they made last March, COVIC wanted the federal authorities to cite the then president Enrique Peña Nieto, the secretary of the Interior, Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, the former governor of Oaxaca Gabino Cue Monteagudo, the former national commissioner of the Federal Police, Enrique Galindo Ceballos, and the former National Security Commissioner, Renato Sales Heredia.

COVIC’s lawyer, Daniel Blas Garcia, said that “the demands are part of the first point of the recommendation 7VG/2017 issued by the National Commission of Human Rights (CNDH).”

He pointed out that they know “that the order came from above (…) however, on June 25th, the Public Prosecutor’s Office only granted that Enrique Galindo be interviewed, while it continues to oppose the collection (of the other interviews), under the appreciation that there are no reasons to call them.”

COVIC called on the government of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, as well as the FGR, to show signs of certainty and will to the tens of thousands of victims in Mexico about an effective access to truth and justice, through processes that are not re-victimizing or debilitating, Proceso reported.

It should be recalled that in Nochixtlan, on June 19th, 2016, an eviction carried out by federal police against residents and teachers of Section 22 of the National Coordination of Education Workers (CNTE in its Spanish acronym), which left eight dead and more than 100 injured.

For more information in Spanish:

La FGR rechaza citar a Peña Nieto y Osorio Chong por caso Nochixtlán, denuncian víctimas (El Proceso, 10 de julio de 2019)

FGR se niega a investigar a exfuncionarios implicados en hechos violentos de Nochixtlán: Comité de Víctimas por la Verdad y Justicia (Desinformémonos, 11 de julio de 2019)

Fiscalía rechaza citar a Peña Nieto y Osorio Chong por caso Nochixtlán, acusan víctimas (SDP Noticias, 10 de julio de 2019)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Oaxaca: Third Anniversary of Nochixtlan (June 21st, 2019)

Oaxaca/National: CNDH Issues Recommendation for Serious Human Rights Violations during Events in Nochixtlan on June 16th, 2016 (October 28, 2017)

Oaxaca: Impunidad amparada por el gobierno a dos años de Nochixtlán: ONU-DH (June 22, 2018)

Oaxaca: President of Nochixtlan Victims Committee Attacked (April 12, 2018)

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Oaxaca: Third Anniversary of Nochixtlan

Nochixtlan 2016 (@Animal Político)

On June 19th, three years after the police eviction of a blockade carried out in opposition to the educational reform in Nochixtlan, which left eight people dead and 198 wounded by firearms, thousands of professors from Section 22 of the National Union of Education Workers (CNTE in its Spanish acronym) marched to demand that the current government imprison former President Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018), former Secretaries of the Interior and Public Education, Miguel Angel Osorio Chong and Aurelio Nuño Mayer, as well as former governor of Oaxaca, Gabino Cue Monteagudo for their responsibility in the massacre. Similarly, they demanded punishment for the material authors, among which are elements of the Federal and State Police, for the crimes of genocide, homicide, attempted homicide, abuse of authority and injuries.

They denounced the lack of progress in response to their demands for justice, truth, reparation for the damage and non-repetition of events of this nature. They recalled that the case of Nochixtlan was sent to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) for the extrajudicial execution of persons.

The march culminated with a rally before the “Monument to the Fallen”. Eloy Lopez Hernandez, Secretary General of Section 22, highlighted the work in defense of education that three years ago society in general and teachers defended “to the ultimate consequences, a unity that the people must maintain and with which they will face the neoliberal projects that the current president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador intends to impose such as the Interoceanic projects in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec or the Maya Train in the southeast.”

For his part, the member of the Committee of Victims for Justice and Truth June 19 (COVIC in its Spanish acronym), Daniel Mayoral Lopez, reported that victims and their families continue to suffer harassment and assaults: “the last occurred on Tuesday, June 18th, when unknown persons vandalized the victims’ monument”, he said.

“The repression experienced on June 19th, 2016 in Asuncion Nochixtlan by state and federal forces that claimed the lives of eight civilians, was the result of an action by state to “punish” those who resist and oppose the projects that from the government they intend to impose”, the defender of Human Rights and presbyter, Miguel Concha said, on celebrating a mass at the end of the meeting.

On the same day of the commemoration, the state government appointed the former inspector general of the Ombudsman for Human Rights of the People of Oaxaca, Juan Rodriguez Ramos, special commissioner for the events that took place on June 19th, 2016. However, survivors of the eviction have rejected this appointment.

For more information in Spanish:

Demandan justicia en marcha por tres años de la masacre de Nochixtlán (La Jornada, 19 de junio de 2019)

A tres años de Nochixtlán, sobrevivientes exigen justicia (Proceso, 19 de junio de 2019)

A tres años, sobrevivientes del fallido desalojo en Nochxitlán exigen justicia y castigo a Peña Nieto y Gabino Cué (Página3.mx, 19 de junio de 2019)

Juan Rodríguez, comisionado especial por hechos violentos de 2016 (Quadratin, 19 de junio de 2019)
Víctimas de Nochixtlán, sin justicia a 3 años del enfrentamiento (El Imparcial, 20 de junio de 2019)

19 de junio ¡Ni perdón ni olvido! (NVI Noticias, 20 de junio de 2019)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Oaxaca/National: CNDH Issues Recommendation for Serious Human Rights Violations during Events in Nochixtlan on June 16th, 2016 (October 28, 2017)

Oaxaca: Impunidad amparada por el gobierno a dos años de Nochixtlán: ONU-DH (June 22, 2018)

Oaxaca: President of Nochixtlan Victims Committee Attacked (April 12, 2018)

Oaxaca/International: Oaxaca Consortium Presents Damian Gallardo Case to UN Committee against Torture (CAT)

On May 16th, the Oaxacan organization Consortium for Parliamentary Dialogue and Equity filed a complaint with the United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT) within the framework of the 66th period of sessions of that body, for torture and serious violations of the guarantees of the defender of human rights, Damian Gallardo Martinez from his detention on May 18th, 2013 until his release on December 28th, 2018. It is worth noting that, since 2002, one of the powers of the CAT is to be able to hear individual complaints.

Consortium explained that by resorting to this mechanism “justice is sought not only in the individual case but to generate a precedent that transcends and ends with the criminalization of social protest and the use of torture in arbitrary arrests of defenders in Oaxaca.” It recalled that “Gallardo Martinez was arbitrarily detained on May 18th, 2013, within the framework of the criminalization of the teachers’ struggle and social protest, deployed during the presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto against opponents of the “educational reform””; and that “during the administration of Enrique Peña Nieto, at least 141 arbitrary detentions of defenders in Oaxaca have been documented.”

Consortium also emphasized that “in the case of the state of Oaxaca, there is not a single sentence for torture to date”; and that “at national level, sentences are also very rare.” It indicated that in the case of Gallardo Martinez, after six years of denouncing torture, “progress in the investigations is null and void”, which is why it “decided to seek justice at the international level by filing a complaint with the United Nations.”

The complaint asked the CAT to urge the Mexican State to prosecute, and punish with appropriate penalties all state agents and authorities responsible for violations of the Convention Against Torture as well as to fully compensate for the damage suffered, including “a public acknowledgment of responsibility that impacts on the cessation of the criminalization of social protest in Oaxaca”; among other demands.

For more information in Spanish:

Denuncia ONG a México ante la ONU (Vanguardia, 18 de mayo de 2019)

Denuncia al Estado mexicano por tortura (NVI Noticias, 17 de mayo de 2019)

Frente a impunidad en el país se denuncia ante la ONU a Estado Mexicano por Tortura en el caso de Damián Gallardo Martínez (Consorcio, 16 de mayo de 2019)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Oaxaca : Exigen atención para 33 personas defensoras de derechos humanos bajo procesos judiciales (3 de agosto de 2018)

Nacional/Oaxaca: German Coordination for Human Rights in Mexico (April 10, 2017)

Oaxaca: Demand for the immediate release of Damian Gallardo (December 30, 2014)

Oaxaca: 16 months after the imprisonment of Damian Gallardo, and following call from the UN, there is no response from the Mexican State (October 12, 2014)

Oaxaca/National: Assault on teacher Damian Gallardo in a prison of Jalisco (June 13, 2014)

Oaxaca/Guerrero/National: Political Prisoners, Teachers and Activists Freed. Others Awaiting Rulings on their Cases

On December 28th, 12 political prisoners were released, mainly teachers attached to the National Coordination of Education Workers (CNTE in its Spanish acronym) and activists. The spokesperson for Section 22 of Oaxaca, Wilber Santiago, declared that this act signifies a triumph for the CNTE, since the teachers were fighting for more than five years for their freedom.

The people who were released are: Leonel Manzano, Sara Altamirano, Mario Olivera Osorio, Lauro Atilano Grijalbo Villalobos, Luis Gutierrez Saldivar, David Vargas Araujo, Alejandra Chavez Chavez, Alejandro Sandoval Martinez, Faustino Diego, Alberto Sandoval Rodriguez, Jose Ambrosio Martinez and Enrique Warrior Aviña.

“We thank the members of the new Government who knew how to keep the promise given to the democratic teachers’ movement”, the ex-prisoners said. The secretary general of Section 22 of the CNTE, Eloy Lopez, said for his part that, “today is not a celebration, it is a struggle and protest to demand the release of all political prisoners in the country who are still behind bars as hostages of an authoritarian policy that was implemented by Enrique Peña Nieto.”

His release was celebrated by the senator from Morena, Nestora Salgado, who on December 14th gave the Secretariat of the Interior (SEGOB in its Spanish acronym) a list of 199 cases of detainees that she considers “political prisoners” (180 men and 19 women), and who seek to benefit from an eventual amnesty law.

On December 28th, members of the Movement for the Freedom of Political Prisoners from the state of Guerrero demanded the release of 19 members of the Council of Ejidos and Communities Opposed to the La Parota Dam (CECOP in its Spanish acronym) and the Community Police of the Regional Coordinator of Community Authorities (CRAC in its Spanish acronym), who claim they are imprisoned unjustly, without evidence and imputed fabricated crimes. Kenya Hernandez, a member of the movement, said that in meetings with officials of the Ministry of the Interior (SRGOB) they were informed that the process will be slow, as the amnesty law is in progress.

It should be explained that some people do not want to be released through an amnesty law but to be cleared of the crimes that have been imputed to them.

For more information in Spanish:

Agradecen presos políticos de CNTE libertad a AMLO (El Imparcial de Oaxaca, 30 de diciembre de 2018)

Maestros que fueran presos políticos son liberados por AMLO; “Agradecemos a los integrantes del nuevo Gobierno que supieron cumplir la palabra dada al movimiento democrático magisterial”: Leonel Manzano (Revolución 3.0, 30 de diciembre de 2018)

Liberan a 12 presos políticos ligados a la CNTE; aquí algunos casos que se revisarán para amnistía (Animal Político, 29 de diciembre de 2018)

Exigen liberación de 19 presos políticos de Guerrero (Regeneración, 28 de diciembre de 2018)

AMLO va por la liberación de indígenas y maestros: se da a conocer la primera lista con 25 presos políticos que serán sujetos de amnistía (Revolución 3,0, 27 de diciembre de 2018)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Guerrero / National: Nestora Salgado announces campaign for the freedom of political prisoners (September 16th, 2018)

 

National: AMLO Presents Plan to Cancel Educational Reform

(@La Brecha)

On December 12th, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) presented a plan to cancel the Educational Reform, one of his campaign promises. He announced the creation of the National Center for the Revaluation of Teaching and the Continuous Improvement of Education that will replace the National Institute for the Evaluation of Education (INEE in tis Spanish acronym), ceasing to be an autonomous mechanism to depend on the Ministry of Public Education (SEP in its Spanish acronym). AMLO said that it was a “commitment fulfilled, teachers” and there would be no return “to disrespecting” teachers with “punitive” evaluations.

AMLO also reported that some imprisoned teachers who had been arrested in protest against the first structural reform of his predecessor, former president Enrique Peña Nieto in 2013, will be released. It was also announced that around a thousand teachers will be reinstated in their posts, after they were dismissed for having failed the teacher evaluation, one of the components of the application of the educational reform.

In addition, the new project contemplates ratifying the obligation and extending free education to the upper and university level. In addition, it proposes the creation of 100 public universities and the granting of 300 thousand scholarships to students from low-income families.

The Secretary of Public Education, Esteban Moctezuma Barragan, said that the teacher is recognized for the first time as an agent of change and said that “the Education Reform of the federal government will propose the regional vision of education, which will promote the formulation of differentiated content for regions of Mexico.” Therefore, the initiative proposes an emphasis on indigenous, bilingual and bicultural education. There will be food support in vulnerable areas, and disadvantaged students will be supported.

The National Union of Education Workers (SNTE in its Spanish acronym) and the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE in its Spanish acronym) celebrated the cancellation of the educational reform. The CNTE considered that the AMLO proposal does not represent a concession by the president, but rather is the product of the demands and the process of struggle of the “democratic” teachers.

The initiative of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will be analyzed until February 2019 in the Chamber of Deputies. The opposition warned that it will not allow “regressions” in education or that any form of teacher evaluation by an autonomous body be canceled.

For more information in Spanish:

Esto es lo que AMLO quiere ‘borrar’ de la reforma educativa de Peña (ADN Político, 14 de diciembre de 2018)

Cuáles son las funciones del Instituto de Evaluación Educativa y las repercusiones que tendría su desaparición (Animal Político, 14 de diciembre de 2018)

AMLO entierra la reforma educativa y elimina al INEE (El Universal, 14 de diciembre de 2018)

¿Qué contempla la nueva reforma educativa de AMLO en México? (CNN, 13 de diciembre de 2018)

Reforma educativa de AMLO elimina la evaluación docente, pero no define cómo asignarán (Radio Formula, 12 de diciembre de 2018)

Firma AMLO iniciativa que cancela reforma educativa (La Jornada, 12 de diciembre de 2018)

AMLO firma iniciativa para derogar la reforma educativa peñista (Proceso, 12 de diciembre de 2018)

Cancelación del INEE, becas y más universidades: puntos clave de la iniciativa de reforma educativa de AMLO (Animal Político, 12 de diciembre de 2018)

Cancelar Reforma Educativa no es concesión de AMLO: CNTE (La Jornada, 12 de diciembre de 2018)

Nueva ‘reforma educativa’ se analizará en 2019; oposición advierte que no pasará (ADN Político, 12 de diciembre de 2018)

El gobierno inicia liberación de maestros que cataloga como presos políticos (ADN Político, 12 de diciembre de 2018)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Chiapas: Mass Mobilization of CNTE in Chiapas (April 28th, 2018)

Oaxaca/ Nacional: La CNTE y la Segob acuerdan mesas de negociación (13 de julio de 2016)

Chiapas/Oaxaca/Guerrero: Teachers Continue Mobilizations Due to Lack of Agreements over Educational Reform (June 30th, 2016)

Nacional : impasse en dialogo entre el Magisterio y el gobierno; parcial regreso a clases (2 de septiembre de 2016)

Chiapas: Violent Eviction of the Sit-in of Teachers from San Cristobal (July 25th, 2016)

Oaxaca/ Nacional: La CNTE y la Segob acuerdan mesas de negociación (13 de julio de 2016)

Oaxaca: Human Rights Organizations Present Report on Repression in Nochixtlan (July 18th, 2016)

URGENT RELEASE: REPRESSION OF TEACHERS IN OAXACA (June 22nd, 2016)

Chiapas/Oaxaca: Actualización de las protestas magisteriales; al menos 6 muertos en Oaxaca (21 de junio de 2016)

Oaxaca: 22 Members of Sol Rojo (Red Sun) Released

Press conference of the Coordination for the Release of Criminalized Defenders in Oaxaca (@Consorcio)

In a statement published on November 6th, the Coordination for the Release of Criminalized Defenders of Oaxaca reported that “after more than three years of facing a judicial process with serious violations of due process, torture and incommunicado detention, 22 members of the organization Corriente del Pueblo Sol Rojo [Current of the Red Sun People] were freed from criminal case 30/2015 in which they were accused of terrorism and carrying a weapon (molotov cocktail). This freedom was given in resolution of the incident promoted in August by the lawyer and defender Ernesto Sernas, rejecting a series of tests used by the Attorney General of the Republic’s office. It should be recalled that these people were arbitrarily arrested on June 7th, 2015 in retaliation for their participation in a peaceful demonstration called by Section 22 of the Oaxacan teachers in the context of the elections on the same day. Their trial was at all times plagued by serious irregularities; also the members of Sol Rojo suffered torture during their detention, as well as during transfers and arrivals in prisons. This torture has left serious consequences on physical and emotional levels.”

The Coordination stressed that with this decision – in which it was observed “action on political direction on the part of the Attorney General of the Republic, when imputing crimes that they never committed in coordination with federal and state police bodies” is evidenced once again the “policy of criminalization” of Enrique Peña Nieto against human rights defenders, the “serious pattern of criminalization in Oaxaca” and the urgency that all these serious violations be punished promptly and in accordance with the law.

It also demanded the presentation of the defender Ernesto Sernas who is missing, since last May 10th for reasons that they believe have to do with his defense work in favor of the organization Sol Rojo, in the context that so far “there has been no progress in the investigations to find his whereabouts.”

It reaffirmed its position in favor of the liberation of all the defenders of Oaxaca who remain unjustly in prison as “reprisal” for their legitimate defense work. It also urged the authorities to act against the high risk in which members of Sol Rojo remain who have suffered serious and permanent attacks.

For more information in Spanish:

Defensores de DH integrantes de la organización Sol Rojo en libertad mediante sentencia absolutoria, luego de tres años de proceso judicial (Coordinación para la Libertad de Personas Defensoras Criminalizadas en Oaxaca, 6 de noviembre de 2018)

22 presos políticos de Sol Rojo fueron puestos en libertad (Libertad Oaxaca, 6 de noviembre de 2018)

Dejan en libertad a 22 presos políticos en Oaxaca (Siete Días Oaxaca, 6 de noviembre de 2018)

Anuncian la liberación de 22 activistas de Oaxaca presos por delitos federales (Despertar de Oaxaca, 7 de noviembre de 2018)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Guerrero / National: Nestora Salgado announces campaign for the freedom of political prisoners  (September 16th, 2018)

Oaxaca : Exigen atención para 33 personas defensoras de derechos humanos bajo procesos judiciales (3 de agosto de 2018)

Chiapas: Mass Mobilization of CNTE in Chiapas

March on April 10th, 2018 (@Pozol)

Under the slogan “48-Hour Teachers and Popular Strike Towards National Teacher and Popular Strike”, on April 10th, thousands of teachers of the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE in its Spanish acronym), parents of families, displaced indigenous peoples, student teachers and members of more than 60 campesino social organizations, marched in Tuxtla Gutiérrez against educational reform and declared themselves in favor of creating a “national united front” to face “the onslaught of the federal government with its public policies and legal reforms that criminalize social protest, which generate unemployment with massive layoffs, suspended payments to teachers, which continues to reduce spending on health and education while increasing it for electoral campaigns.” The mobilization was led by 59 families of displaced indigenous people from Puebla ejido in Chenalho who stated that the government still has not meet their demands to return to their homes.

In other protest actions, they also took over the toll booth on the Tuxtla-San Cristobal highway, conducted an information dissemination brigade in public markets and commercial centers, and visited public and private radio and television stations to publicize the reasons for their protests.

Teachers mobilized despite threats that there would be deductions from their salaries for days they did not show up for work. In this framework, the Ministry of Education stated that “our position is clear: there will be discounts if they do not show up for work. We have met our part of the agreement, for that reason we make an attentive call to the teachers so that they do not put their union interests before the continuity of educational services.”

The CNTE said that if there are no negotiations with the Ministry of the Interior, there will be stoppages on April 30th, May 1st and 2nd.

For more information in Spanish:

Marchan en Chiapas contra la reforma educativa y proponen un frente nacional (Proceso, 9 de abril de 2018)

Desplazados se suman a marchas (Aquí Noticias, 9 de abril de 2018)

CNTE en Chiapas levanta paro y anuncia otro de tres días en protesta contra la reforma educativa (Proceso, 10 de abril de 2018)

Maestros levantan plantón, pero amenazan con regresar (NVI Noticias, 11 de abril de 2018)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Oaxaca/ Nacional: La CNTE y la Segob acuerdan mesas de negociación (13 de julio de 2016)

Chiapas/Oaxaca/Nacional: Ante falta de acuerdos sobre la reforma educativa en el diálogo, el magisterio sigue con las movilizaciones (28 de junio de 2016)