To the state, national, and international news media, to the civil and social organizations, and to the general public:
* THE RECENTLY STARTED FIRES ENDANGER THE LIVES AND INTEGRITY OF THE INHABITANTS OF SAN PEDRO YOSOTATU
* THEY WERE STARTED BY ANDRES CASTRO AND HIS PARA-POLICE GROUP
* THE PURPOSE IS TO PREVENT THE EVALUATION AND COMMUNICATIONS MEETING OF THE OAXACAN SOCIAL MOVEMENT FROM TAKING PLACE
The authorities of the community of San Pedro Yosotatu, Municipal Agent Amado Juan Castro López, President of the Commission of Common Property Pánfilo Ramírez Santiago, and the President of Ejidal Property Marcia López Castro hereby declare the following:
The local power bosses, together with the state government that protects these criminals has come up with new forms of harassment against the people of our community, fomenting a low intensity war led by Andrés Castro, who acts with impunity in the region. Protected by both state and federal institutions, he is threatening our people, violating our rights, and carrying out acts of intimidation and threats against our authorities and the people of Yosotatu.
Today Andrés Castro’s armed men came into the town to start approximately 10 fires at different points, affecting the community orchards. The aim is to stop the meeting of the Alliance of Oaxacan Organizations from taking place on April 26, whose aim is to evaluate the results of the State Forum for the Defense of the Peoples of Oaxaca that was held on April 9-10 in the state capital.
A number of different social and civil organizations were slated to meet in order to discuss the direction of the social movement in Oaxaca. We denounce that the very people who at one time negotiated the sale of the San Pedro Yosotatu Ejido for millions of pesos now seek to prevent this meeting at all costs, hereby serving the interests of the state government which does not want the social movement in the state to regroup.
It’s important to mention that the townspeople of Yosotatu have suffered the loss of nine of our compañeros who have been killed by regional power bosses, and we remind you that we now have two political prisoners who are being deprived of their freedom for crimes they never committed.
We hereby state that we hold Andrés Castro and his gunmen responsible for anything that may happen to the people of San Pedro Yosotatu
We demand the intervention of Civil Protection to put out the fire that is raging out of control right now.
And we demand the immediate arrest and punishment of the murderers of Placido Abraham López, who was killed last November 24 by the previously mentioned power boss and accomplices.
We hereby hold the state government responsible for any act of aggression or repression that our community may experience.
We call on all social and civil organizations to be alert for whatever may happen and to join us in this denunciation.
Respectfully yours:
Municipal Agent Amado Juan Castro López, President of the Commission of Common Property Pánfilo Ramírez Santiago, and the President of Ejidal Property Marcia López Castro
Colectivo Autónomo Magonista (CAMA)
Correos electrónicos:
camadf@yahoo.com.mx
cama@espora.org
csl_rfm@yahoo.com.mx
periodicoautonomia@yahoo.com.mx
cooperativa_culturalibre@yahoo.com.mx
Dirección provisional:
Cerrada de Londres, no. 14, int. 1, col. Juárez, Del. Cuauhtémoc, México, D.F.
(A unos pasos de la estación del metro Sevilla)
Dirección postal:
Cultura Libre de Servicios Educativos y Culturales S.C.
A.P. 6-664
C.P. 06200
México, D.F.
