Mexico: CSOs emit humanitarian alert due to armed attack of the State against civilians
Published on Tue, 2016-06-21 14:46
Last June 19th, we have been witnesses of the extremely violent actions of the Mexican State repressing the teachers and the organized civil society in resistance in different areas of the State of Oaxaca including the Istmus of Tehuantepec, Nochixtlán and the city of Oaxaca. As a result of the excessive use of force, at least six persons have lost their lives and dozens have been injured and arrested. At this moment there is no information about the whereabouts of the arrested persons neither there is an exact total number of injured and killed persons. Medical attention was not guaranteed and civil society had to create points of emergency medical attention to injured persons without being able to cope with the demand. There are happening particularly violent actions in the city of Oaxaca tonight. We have witnessed the arrival of a large number of airplanes of the Federal Police and the Gendarmerie in the city throughout the day as well as we witness that the tension is increasing every minute. Previous events In the State of Oaxaca people live in a context of generalized violence in which repression and criminalization of the social movement and particularly against the teachers who belong to the Sección 22 aggravated in a particularly severe way linked to their fight against the implementation of the educational reform. By today, organizations from civil society and Human Rights organizations reported at least 75 Human Rights defenders imprisoned as political prisoners. Within the events of criminalization of the Oaxacan teacher´s union stand out the following:
It is important to mention that arrest warrants are issued against teachers of intermediate authority, that means against teachers who coordinate and drive the teacher´s movement. This strategy is meant to disassemble the movement. The same way diverse relators of the United Nations made urgent calls to the Mexican authorities expressing their concerns about the violations of Human Rights reported in some cases, in particular detentions without arrest warrant and without investigation, the use of torture during the posterior period of the arbitrary detention and other violations of the guarantees of the arrested persons1. The use of detentions, campaigns of defamation and repression against the Sección 22 have the clear aim to lessen the teacher’s movement which plays historically an important role in the social movement of Oaxaca. Dissembling the teacher´s movement impacts directly the work which all the persons and organizations of Human Rights are realizing in the State of Oaxaca and in Mexico. We, the signing organizations, request that organisms, which are represented by you, are on the alert regarding this particularly violent situation which exists right now and that you join us in the following demands towards the federal government as well as the government of Oaxaca:
Sincerely Civil Society of Oaxaca
Notes: 1 UA 13/2015: In the cases of Juan Carlos Orozco Matus, Othón Nazariega Segura, Efraín Picaso Pérez and Roberto Abel Jiménez García (Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions; Special Relator on promotion and protection of the right of freedom of opinion and expression; Special Relator Especial on the right of freedom of pacific assembly and association; and Special Relator on the situation of Human Rights defenders)
UA /2014 In the case of Damián Gallardo Martínez (Special Relator on torture and other cruel, inhumane treatments or cruel, inhumane or degrading punishment, Special Relator on the situation of Human Rights defenders, Special Relator on promotion and protection of the rights of freedom of pacific assembly and association). Available: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/Pages/CommunicationsreportsSP.aspx It should be pointed out that the arbitrary character of the detentions as well as the their focus on Human Rights defenders were recognized by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions of the United Nations2. 2 Opinion num. 23/2014 in the case of Damián Gallardo Martínez y Opinión num. 56/2015 in the case of Nestora Salgado García issued by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions of the United Nations.
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Reports from Mexico
2018 - No progress to date for the SDGs
2016 - Without a human rights and sustainability approach the 2030 Agenda is not feasible
2014 - Es impostergable revisar el paradigma de desarrollo desde el enfoque de los derechos humanos
2009 - The worsening crisis challenges social rights
2008 - After 60 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
2007 - Right to social security under threat
2006 - Investments that do not guarantee rights
2005 - The challenge of inequality
2004 - Rights and human security to break the vicious circle
2003 - Now the responsibility lies with the individuals
2002 - Priorities of the Vicente Fox government
1999 - 24 millionaires, 40 million poor
1998 - More poor than 15 years ago
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