El Enemigo Común

by carolina

Abraham Ramírez Vásquez, Juventino García Cruz and Noel García Cruz, the first political prisoners of the Ulises Ruiz regime in Oaxaca, are from the Zapotec town of Santiago Xanica. The three members of the Committee for the Defense of Indigenous Rights (CODEDI) and the Popular Anti-neoliberal Oaxacan Magonista Coordinating Body (COMPA) were arrested on January 15, 2005, after hundreds of preventive and judicial police opened a crossfire on a group of 80 men, women, children and old people who were unloading bricks from a truck as part of a community work project. Abraham, Noel and Juventino were seriously wounded by gunshots. The people responded to the attack with sticks and stones, but more police came in, dragged the three wounded people out of the clinic, and took them to a house to be tortured by the police. After a few days, they were taken to the Ixcotel prison and then to the prison at Pochutla. Despite their serious wounds, they received no medical treatment until 36 hours after being admitted to the Pochutla hospital.

Continue Reading »

TO THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS

We, the undersigned, Abraham Ramírez Vásquez, Noel and Juventino García Cruz, members of the Committee for Defense of Indigenous Rights (CODEDI) and the Popular Anti-neoliberal Oaxacan Coordinating Group (COMPA), denounce the following:

Ever since our arrest in 2005 for the offenses of aggravated homicide and kidnapping, which we never committed and will always insist were fabricated by the tyrant Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, the current governor responsible for the crimes against humanity against our comrades in the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca, we have been subjected to violations of our basic human rights that should be respected.

Continue Reading »

02/08/05

URGENT ACTION FAX AND EMAIL FORM LETTER
On January 15, 2005, just weeks after PRI party governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz took office, Oaxacan state police surrounded the community of Santiago Xanica during a communal work day and opened fire in broad daylight upon the villagers. Three people were shot and nine injured. The community members defended themselves with bricks and stones and managed to thwart an attempted massacre. The three wounded community members were arrested and accused of assaulting a police officer. These detainees belong to CODEDI (Committee in Defense of Indigenous Rights), an organization that is part of a state-wide alliance named COMPA, (Oaxacan Anti-neoliberal Popular Magonista Coordination).

Continue Reading »