27 November 2006
The Mexican League for the Defense of Human Rights (LIMEDDH), along with several other human rights organizations, sends this new call for Urgent Action in response to the latest assault by Federal Police Forces, along with other official police and paramilitary forces, against the Oaxacan movement organized in the APPO collective of Oaxaca peoples’ organizations, calling for removal of the state governor, Ulises Ruis, and related social demands. On Sunday November 26, a peaceful mega-march of APPO members and supporters was met with massive police forces, tear and pepper gas, tanks shooting high-pressure water spray tainted with irritating chemicals, gunfire, massive and arbitrary detentions, etc. Several historic buildings in downtown Oaxaca were burned during the clash. The imminent risk exists of a massive operation to obliterate the APPO movement and its members and supporters, and we ask your urgent intervention to let the Mexican government know that the international community is watching the situation and will not tolerate continued abuses. We also ask your help to call on the Mexican government — to be renewed with the inauguration of the new Mexican president, Felipe Calderón, on Friday 1 December — to prioritize balanced and fair negotiations to seek a resolution to the conflict in Oaxaca which is now more than six months old and has led to some 20 deaths.
Attached you will find (in Spanish) a more detailed report including an hour-to-hour chronology of the Sunday events and a list of the injured.
Please send your letters to the Mexican governmental and UN functionaries listed, with copy to LIMEDDH at: enlace.limeddh@gmail.com , limeddh@prodigy.net.mx
Thank you on the behalf of the people of Mexico and Oaxaca.