November 3rd, 2007 Claudio writes: I’m sending out the testimony of our comrade Nicéforo Urbieta, arrested and subsequently released on November 2 in Oaxaca.
Today, Friday November 2, at around 7:00 a.m., people from various neighborhoods were gathering at the 5 Señores Circle to erect a traditional altar in commemoration of the dead among the peoples of Oaxaca. People were arriving with flowers, special bread, candles, and food, as well as sawdust, pigments, and truckloads of sand for creating figures on a funeral carpet.
Just then, a black car without license plates charged a group of comrades who were beginning to organize the event, trying to run over them; the car then made a high-speed exit. At the same time, pairs of policemen armed with AK-47 and F:A.L. high-power assault rifles walked up and down the sidewalks, and others took photos and videos of the participants so as to intimidate them and make a police record of them. Having done this, they left. (en español)
About five minutes later, many patrol trucks rushed in at high-speed from all directions on the six streets and avenues that come together at the traffic circle known as Cinco Señores, causing participants to disperse. Then the patrol trucks drove in among demonstrators, and some of them parked where comrades were concentrated. Without saying a word, [the police] began to beat people and load the whole group onto more than ten pick-up trucks placed in a circle around the demonstrators to keep them from fleeing. They then rushed the comrades who had begun to create the Commemorative Altar, while those with guns used them to beat the comrades. Grabbing people by the belt, they threw them into the trucks until each one was full of detainees, piling the bodies on top of each other like sandwiches, men and women alike, including professors, bricklayers, architects, students from the Benito Juarez Autonomous University (UABAJO), APPO council members (Belén, Román). During the ride to the Ministry of Citizen Protection [SEPROCI], they were beaten and insulted with all typical police vulgarity.
Afterwards, in the police holding cells, the comrades were interrogated with physical and verbal violence. Psychological terror techniques were applied; for example, [the interrogators] told people that they were going to shoot them or pour gasoline on them and light them on fire, showing even greater cruelty to people with long hair.
Seventeen of us were released from the SEPROCI at 11:00 a.m. due to the pressure exerted by different comrades, some of which were family members, Human Rights Defense Committees, the November 25 Committee, United Neighbors of 5 Señores and Sta. Lucia del Camino, as well as U.A.B.J.O. students.
Three APPO comrades were taking to a Security Center in the western part of the city before being taken to the SEPROCI.
We are going to confirm the death of a comrade who was shot in the back and run over by two trucks after he was killed. Two elderly people who witnessed the incident say that once the young man fell, he was finished off by two patrol trucks. Upon seeing this they rebuked the police, saying, “If you think this crime will frighten the people, you’re mistaken because the consequences are going to be even worse.”
A march is now underway from the Hotel del Magisterio to the 5 Señores Circle, where one year ago the people stopped the aggression of the Federal Preventive Police (PFP) against the UABJO radio station (XUBJ Radio Universidad 1400 AM).
P.S. Two wounded people are in the hospital. That’s what we we’ve been able to recover.
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Les envío el testimonio del compañero Nicéforo Urbieta detenido y sucesivamente liberado el día de ayer en Oaxaca.
- Claudio
Hoy viernes, 2 de noviembre, alrededor de las 7:00 AM, se estaba concentrando la gente de la poblacin de las colonias, en la Glorieta de 5 Seores para realizar un altar como es tradicional conmemorar a los difuntos en los pueblos de Oaxaca, la gente iba llegando con flores, pan de muerto, veladoras y comida, as como aserrn y pigmentos, adems de carros de arena para construir las figuras del tapete mortuorio del mismo. En ese momento apareci un coche negro sin placas que se lanzo sobre un grupo de compaeros que estaban empezando la organizacin del evento intentando arrollarlos para escapar a toda velocidad posteriormente, mientras desde las aceras de enfrente de la glorieta, venan parejas de policas armados con fusiles de asalto AK-47 y F.A.L., mientras tanto, otros se dedicaban a filmar y fotografiar a todos los participantes para intimidarlos y registrarlos en fichas policacas, hecho cual todos se retiraron para aparecer 5 minutos despus muchas patrullas a gran velocidad desde todas las direcciones de las 6 calles y avenidas que confluyen en esta glorieta conocida como de 5 Seores, provocando la dispersin de los participantes, despus de lo cual se mezclaron las patrullas entre los manifestantes, algunas se estacionaron dentro de los grupos de compaeros y los policas bajaron de las patrullas y sin decir nada empezaron a golpear y a subirlos en un grupo de mas de 10 camionetas tipo Pick-up que se formaban en circulo haciendo un cerco para impedir la huida de los manifestantes para enseguida arremeter en contra del ncleo de los compaeros que empezaban la creacin del Altar Conmemorativo, mientras tanto, los que tenan fusiles golpeaban con ellos a los compaeros y tomados de la cintura eran lanzados a las camionetas hasta llenarlas con detenidos, encimando los cuerpos unos con otros en forma de Sndwich o Emparedado tanto hombres como mujeres, entre ellos se encontraban Profesores, Albailes, Arquitectos, Estudiantes de la Universidad Autnoma “Benito Jurez” de Oaxaca [U.A.B.J.O.], Concejales de la APPO [Beln, Romn] y durante el trayecto a la Secretaria de Proteccin Ciudadana [SEPROCI] eran golpeados, insultados en el estilo soez acostumbrado por los policas.
Despus, en los separos de la polica eran interrogados con violencia fisica y verbalmente aplicando tcnicas de Terror Psicolgico, como diciendo que les iban a disparar o a rociar con gasolina y prenderles fuego, ensandose con las personas que traan cabello largo.
Fuimos liberados 17 compaeros a las 11:00 AM de la SEPROCI como resultado de la presin de diferentes compaeros, entre ellos familiares, Comits de Defensa de los Derechos Humanos, Comit “25 de Noviembre”, Colonias Unidas de 5 Seores y Sta. Lucia del Camino, as como estudiantes de la U.A.B.J.O.
3 Compaeros de la APPO fueron llevados a una casa de Seguridad por el poniente de la Ciudad antes de ser llevados a la SEPROCI. Vamos a confirmar la muerte de un compaero a quien al dispararle por la espalda, le pasaron 2 camionetas encima, despus de ser asesinado. Dos ancianos que presenciaron los hechos narran que una vez cado este joven, fue rematado por 2 patrullas. Al ver esto, increparon a los policas: “Si crean que con ese crimen asustaban al pueblo estaban equivocados, ya que los consecuencias iban a ser peores”.
Mientras, se esta realizando una Marcha que va del Hotel del Magisterio a la Glorieta de 5 Seores, lugar donde hace un ao el pueblo detuvo la agresin de la Polica Federal Preventiva [P.F.P] en contra de la Radio de la U.A.B.J.O. [XUBJ Radio Universidad 1400 AM].
P.D.: hay 2 heridos que estn en un hospital, eso es lo que pudimos rescatar
