Reyna Martinez Flores of the displaced persons protest camp in Oaxaca City

The rural town of San Juan Copala, Oaxaca was thrust into an international spotlight a year ago when an armed group opened fired on a caravan of human rights activists, teachers, and international observers. Two people, Bety Cariño and Jyri Jaakkola, were killed by gunshots to the head.

The incident called wider attention to a cycle of violence and power struggles that had been damaging the indigenous Triqui community for decades. It also revealed a blatant lack of action on the part of authorities to protect a civilian population from attacks by irregular armed groups.

In August of 2010, women and children who fled the siege of the town of San Juan Copala set up a protest camp in the central plaza of Oaxaca City. They were joined by others after a violent – and deadly – displacement campaign forced supporters of the autonomy movement from the town. More than 8 month later, they remain camped out under the arches of the Government Palace.

[dewplayer:http://www.southnotes.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/ReinaMtzFloresApril27_lofi.mp3]

There’s no solid indication of when – or if – they be able to return to their homes. As an event to mark the 1 year anniversary of the deaths of Cariño and Jaakkola wrapped up, South Notes spoke with Reyna Martinez Flores about displacement, impunity, and the role women can play in the peacemaking process.

The audio interview is in Spanish and can be downloaded

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

.

Protest Graffitti - Oaxaca City - Sept. 2010

Across Mexico today, celebrations to mark the 100 year anniversary of the start of the Mexican Revolution. Amongst other things, the revolution was considered a victory for the country’s rural poor, who won land rights away from the wealthy elite.

While Mexico today is preoccupied with with the bloody Drug War in the country’s north, small farmers are facing a new fight over land rights in the south.

[dewplayer:http://www.southnotes.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/twtw_MexRevCen.mp3]

[Chants from Oaxaca City march for Copala]

Women march through the streets of Oaxaca City to call attention to the situation in the farming village of San Juan Copala.

Most of these women fled the town this summer during a violent paramilitary offensive that killed about 20 residents.

Continue Reading

Two recognized leaders of leftist organizations were murdered within a recent 24 hour period in different areas of the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.  Catarino Torres Pereda of the Citizen’s Defense Committee (CODECI) was shot dead in his office in the city of Tuxtepec the afternoon of Friday, October 22nd. Co-founder of the Movement for the Unification of the Triqui Struggle (MULT), Heriberto Pasos Ortiz, was killed by unidentified gunmen as he travelled in a truck in the Oaxaca City area a day later.

Continue Reading

NOTE: This chronology is in the interest of documenting the timeline of the current wave of violence in San Juan Copala. Additions and corrections (backed up by a link to source material) are welcome.

Saturday, September 25: Around 100 people participate in a women’s march in Oaxaca City called by women from the MASJC encampment. One person, David García Ramírez, remains missing.

Oaxaca Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortíz denies the presence of paramilitaries, deaths or missing persons in San Juan Copala.

Friday, September 24: The Las Abejas Civil Society, survivors of the Acteal Massacre of 1997, express concern over the actions of armed groups in the Triqui region in a letter addressed to top national and state government officials.

Day 45 of the women’s protest encampment in support of the Municipio Autonomo de San Juan Copala (MASJC). Day 2 of the MULT women’s sit-in.

Thursday, September 23: Women from the MULT begin a sit-in in the Alameda de Leon, on the opposite end of the Zócalo from the encampment of displaced autonomy sympathizers. MULT sympathizers say they will continue their sit-in until a march planned for Oct 12th.

Ten female autonomy movement members lift their hunger strike after 3 days, saying all but the most elderly of their members have fled San Juan Copala.

Continue Reading

Hunger Strikers' Camp - Sept. 22, 2010

Women displaced by paramilitary violence from the indigenous Triqui village of San Juan Copala began a hunger strike on Monday, September 20th, calling on authorities to ensure the safety of those attempting to leave the town.

They lifted the strike on Thursday, September 23rd saying all but the most elderly of their supporters were able to escape on foot. Some of the newly-displaced spent upwards of 2 days hidden in the hills before finding shelter in nearby towns. In the past 10 days, two young men were killed and 3 women and 1 teen were wounded by gunfire while attempting to flee.

Paramilitaries allegedly affiliated with two Triqui organizations – the MULT and the UBISORT – took control of the town on September 13th. They reportedly burned the homes of autonomy supporters this week. On Thursday, around 100 women from the MULT organization set up camp in the same plaza where women displaced from Copala have been living since mid-August.

San Juan Copala is a key ceremonial center for Triqui culture at the heart of a 3-way factional struggle for territory and regional power. The region is home to productive agricultural land, rich forests, and is rumored to contain significant mineral wealth.

Continue Reading