SOA graduates have played key roles in civilian targeted warfare in the states of Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca. At least 18 top military officials involved in the conflict are SOA graduates.

General Jose Ruben Rivas Peña, who took the SOA’s elite “Command and Staff” course, authored the army’s “Campaign Plan Chiapas 94″ which calls for “training and support for paramilitary organizations.” Rivas Pena’s analysis of the Chiapas conflict helped design the counter-insurgency strategy in Chiapas. Included in this detailed plan are directives to censor local media, to secretly organize sectors of the civilian population, and to conduct psychological operations against civilians.” General Rivas Pena was later sent to command the 28th Military Zone in Oaxaca when the Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR) appeared. After his stay in Oaxaca, paramilitary groups have appeared.

View the names of 1764 Mexican soldiers and the courses they attended at the notorious School of the Americas:
http://soaw.org/grads/index.php
(In the “First Declaration of the Selva Lacandona” from Mexico’s Zapatista Army, the General Command of the EZLN called for “summary trials against the soldiers of the Mexican Federal Army and the political police who have received courses and have been advised, trained, or paid by foreigners … “)

Read a report from the 2007 SOA Watch Delegation to Mexico and Costa Rica:
http://www.soaw.org/article.php?id=1560

Joanne Anderson, Ozone Bhaguan, Le Anne Clausen, Michelle Yippe, Art Landis, Ed Lewinson, Chris Lieberman, Diane Lopez Hughes, Tiel Rainelli, Gus Roddy and Stephen Schweitzer will be facing federal criminal trial on Monday, January 28th for trespass - punishable up to six months in federal prison.

Watch a video clip of Caravan for Justice rider Tiel Rainelli cross the line onto Ft. Benning:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6425827196305187461&hl=en
Tiel sustained only minor scrapes from her crossing, and has healed well. She and the others will be appearing in court on Monday and they will be sentenced at that time.

from Tiel: “To my slum livin young people search’n for meaning in a society that isolates and oppresses us, I call upon your critique, your lived experience, and your participation in the struggle. No longer should we allow others to speak for us, it is indeed time we spoke and organized for ourselves. Oppression has left us with a sickness that disrupts and perverts our capacity to love and resist and we have an undeniable responsibility to ourselves and each other to decolonize our minds and rebuild our communities.”

http://journeyforjustice2007.blogspot.com/2007/11/special-appeal-from-tiel-caravan-rider.html