Guerrero: Denunciation of the Mexican State before the Inter-American System of Human Rights due to the death and torture of student-teachers in Ayotzinapa, 2011

Photo @Tlachinollan

On 12 December, relatives of the student-teachers from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers College, Jorge Alexis Herrera Pino and Gabriel Echeverría de Jesús, who were killed during a police operation carried out by state and federal agents in December 2011 in Chilpancingo, Guerrero, together with Gerardo Torres Pérez, a student-teacher victim of torture, denounced the Mexican State before the Inter-American System on Human Rights due to the violation of its basic obligations as stipulated in the American Convention and the Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Sanction Torture. The same day, student-teachers and relatives of Gabriel and Jorge Alexis took over the streets of Chilpancingo to arrive at the same place where the crimes took place.

It bears mentioning that, on 12 December 2011, State officials violently displaced the protest being carried out by students from Ayotzinapa. Two student-teachers were executed extrajudicially, being Jorge Alexis and Gabriel, whereas three others were injured by gunfire, 24 were arrested arbitrarily, and one student, Gerardo, was tortured. Despite the existence of evidence that clearly accounts for the violations that took place, to date the violations that have been denounced continue in impunity, as a communique from the Tlachinollan Mountain Center for Human Rights notes: “The Mexican State has in no way adopted the necessary and adequate measures to prevent and guarantee that similar acts do not repeat themselves.”

For more information (in Spanish):

Ayotzinapa otra vez (La Jornada, 15 de diciembre de 2015)

For more information from SIPAZ (in English):

Guerrero: Body of tortured and executed Ayotzinapa student, Julio César Mondragón, is exhumed (21 November 2015)

National: Mobilizations within and outside the country for the first anniversary of the forcible disappearance of the 43 students from Ayotzinapa (10 October 2015)

Chiapas: Actions for the one-year anniversary of the Ayotzinapa disappearances (8 October 2015)

National/International: Multiple mobilizations and marches for the “Pain” and “Rage” of Ayotzinapa

EZLN march in San Cristóbal de Las Casas @ SIPAZ

On 8 October, in at least 25 states of the Mexican Republic and in different cities of the U.S. and Europe, millions of persons marched to demand the appearance with life of the 43 disappeared normalist students of Ayotzinapa, and to demand justice for the 6 who were murdered and more than 20 who were injured during the events of 26 and 27 September.  Following these acts, 22 municipal police were arrested by the authorities in Guerrero, in addition to four suspected members of the United Warriors cartel.  Federal and state experts are analyzing if the 28 recently identified corpses from mass-graves correspond to those who have been disappeared.

March in SCLC @ SIPAZ

In Chiapas, more than 60,000 mobilized in seven regions of the state.  Indeed, approximately 20,000 members of the Zapatista Army for National Liberation (EZLN) marched in rigorous silence, carrying signs with messages like “your pain is ours” and “your rage is ours.”  Furthermore, members of section 7 of the National Union of Educational Workers (SNTE), social organizations, students, and citizens marched as well, with the most popular slogan that was heard being “You took them alive; we want them back alive!”

Beyond this, the Revolutionary Army of the Insurgent People (ERPI) announced the creation of a “justice brigade” to confront drug-trafficking organizations in Guerrero, particularly the “United Warriors” cartel, who are presumed as being responsible for the violence seen in Iguala.

Para más información:

Ayotzinapa convoca a la solidaridad ciudadana (Más de 131, 7 de octubre de 2014)

15,000 personas exigen a Peña hallar a normalistas desaparecidos en Iguala (CNN México, 8 de octubre de 2014)

Marchas en 25 estados para pedir justicia por Ayotzinapa (La Jornada, 9 de octubre de 2014)

Marcha silenciosa de unos 20 mil zapatistas por Ayotzinapa(Chiapas Paralelo, 9 de octubre de 2014)

Se movilizan miles en Chiapas para exigir justicia para Ayotzinapa (Chiapas Paralelo, 9 de octubre de 2014)

RvsR: Ante los asesinatos y desapariciones de Ayotzinapa (Enlace Zapatista, 7 de octubre de 2014)

Video: ERPI declara la guerra a “Guerreros Unidos” (Aristegui Noticias, 9 de octubre de 2014)

Sign the Amnesty Internacional petition: Ayotzinapa Justicia

For more information from SIPAZ (in English):

Guerrero: municipal police of Iguala fire on students of the Rural Normal School of Ayotzinapa. Six have died (11 October 2014)

Guerrero: Impunity continues in the Ayotzinapa case (17 May 2013)

Guerrero: Extrajudicial execution of students from the Rural Normal of Ayotzinapa (21 December 2011)

Guerrero: municipal police of Iguala fire on students of the Rural Normal School of Ayotzinapa. Six have died

Archive photo @ SIPAZ

On 26 and 27 September, municipal police from Iguala, Guerrero, together with an armed commando group that has yet to be identified, opened fire at several coordinated events against students, athletes, and other civilians, leaving six dead, 25 injured, and more than 50 students disappeared.

Since the morning of Friday 26 September, close to 150 students from the Rural Normal School of Ayotzinapa had arrived to Iguala to carry out a fundraising activity: they had planned to raise money to finance a march on 2 October, which was the forty-sixth anniversary of the Tlatelolco massacre.  Police intercepted the caravan comprised of three buses and two SUVs, demanding that the vehicles stop, but the youth resisted arrested.  On Saturday 27 September, the students from Ayotzinapa organized a press-conference at the location of the first police attack.  There, they secured the zone using stones to prevent the loss of evidence, particularly the bullet casings left behind by police.  The students were speaking with journalists from different media groups when an unknown group suddenly appeared, opening fire with weapons of different calibers.

The State Attorney General’s Office of Guerrero has arrested 22 members of the State Preventive Police of Iguala who have been indicated as prime suspects in the crime.  On 1 October, though the statistics varied according to the source in question, there were more than 30 persons who continued to be disappeared.  At the same time, it was reported that the PRD mayor of Iguala, José Luis Abarca Velázquez, had also disappeared after having received authorization to investigate the crimes.

For more information (in Spanish):

Enfrentamientos entre policías y normalistas dejan 6 muertos (Milenio, 27 de septiembre de 2014)

ACCIÓN URGENTE | Permanecen desaparecidos 55 normalistas agredidos en Iguala (Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña Tlachinollan, 28 de septiembre de 2014)

Violaciones de DH cometidas en contra de estudiantes de la normal rural Raúl Isidro burgos, en Iguala, Guerrero (Red Nacional de Organismos Civiles de Derechos Humanos “Todos los Derechos para Todas y Todos”, 29 de septiembre de 2014)

Solicita licencia el alcalde de Iguala por el caso de los asesinados el fin de semana (la Jornada de Guerrero, 1ero de octubre de 2014)

Iguala evidencia que policía municipal está infiltrada por la delincuencia, acusa gobernador (Animal Político, 1ero de octubre de 2014)

Localizan a 19 normalistas (El SUr de Acapulco, 1ero de octubre de 2014)

For more information from SIPAZ (in English):

Guerrero: Impunity continues in the Ayotzinapa case (17 May 2013)

Guerrero: Release of police charged for the murder of students from the Rural Normal of Ayotzinapa (29 April 2013)

Guerrero: CNDH confirms serious rights-violations against students of Ayotzinapa (16 January 2012)

Guerrero: Extrajudicial execution of students from the Rural Normal of Ayotzinapa (21 December 2011)

Oaxaca: 162 normalists detained in displacement by State Preventive Police

Detained normalists @ Página3

On 21 March, the State Preventive Police (PEP) proceeded to displace the normalists from the State Coordination for Education in Oaxaca (CNEO) who had installed themselves in front of the State Institute for Public Education (IEEPO), thus protesting in defense of education in Oaxaca.  The PEP used tear gas while the normalists responded with small rockets.  The outcome was that 162 were arrested, with 25 normalists and 3 journalists injured, as well as a vehicle set to fire.

A total of 13 persons were charged as suspects for vandalism.  Ten are normalist students and another 3 are individuals claimed to be “provocateurs.”

Organizations such as the Center for Justice, Peace, and Development A.C. (CEDAP) and Services for an Alternative Education A.C. (EDUCA) called on the Public Security Services (SSP) to respect the physical and psychological integrity of the arrested normalists.  EDUCA called on the state authorities to “restart dialogue with normalist students to find a solution to the educational conflict.”

For more information (in Spanish):

Procuraduría de Oaxaca consignará ante Juez Penal a 10 normalistas y 3 “infiltrados” (Página3, 23 de marzo de 2014)

Acusa Alberto Salinas a Fredy Gil de vínculos con infiltrados en desmanes de normalistas el pasado viernes (La Onda Oaxaca, 24 de marzo de 2014)

Oaxaca: policías repliegan a normalistas con gas lacrimógeno; hay 162 detenidos (Proceso, 21 de marzo de 2014)

Normalistas se enfrentan a Policías en el IEEPO. Queman un camión; 162 detenidos y 25 heridos (Revista Tucán, 21 de marzo de 2014)

CEDAP Y EDUCA llaman a la SSP a que respete la integridad física y psicológica de los normalistas detenidos (Revolucionemos Oaxaca, 21 de marzo de 2014)