Statements From The Autonomous Municipality Of San Juan Copala Press Conference On May 21st, 2010

north america / mexico | repression / prisoners | press release Thursday May 27, 2010 18:48 by Jorge Albino Ortiz and Adalberto Hernandez Alvarez - Municipio Autónomo San Juan Copala

The press conference was given by two representatives from the autonomous municipality of San Juan Copala, Jorge Albino Ortiz and Adalberto Hernandez Alvarez and attended by 17 different media organisations, including official and independent electronic media, as well as magazines and newspapers. The atmosphere was tense and expectant of the autonomous representatives statements about the assassination of its top leader, Timoteo Alejandro Ramirez and his wife Cleriberta Castro and the continuing actions of the Triqui organization.

Jorge Albino Ortiz began by explaining that they were still waiting for the arrival of a communique from the Municipality of San Juan Copala which they were to issue and that it was delayed due to the activity that existed in the region following the murder, the autopsy, preparations for the funeral and the accompanying of the body by various communities to provide security and prevent further conflict. The statement would be sent electronically to the participants later.

However, the conference heard statements by the two representatives, Jorge said emphatically that this attack does not stop the caravan being organized for this June 8th nor the political project of autonomy in the Triqui region. He said that this act was a crime of State and was committed because compañero Timoteo was always an opponent to the creation of the political party “Popular Unity”, a project sponsored by the MULT (Movement for Triqui Unification and Struggle) paramilitaries and which generated dissent against the objectives of the struggle for self-determination by indigenous peoples.

Faced with questions from reporters, compañero Jorge explained that until now there had been no contact with the Office of the State of Oaxaca but that they have all the willingness to collaborate in relevant investigations, and that it is essential that they move swiftly to investigate and solve this murder.

As part of the statements, Jorge pointed out that the state seeks to stop the caravan which is intending to break the paramilitary siege by committing acts like these. However, he stressed that the organization will be strengthened to continue the political project for the unification of the 32 Triqui communities and achieve autonomy and self-determination, he declared that compañero Timotheo never believed in the use of violence to resolve conflicts, nor was he going to opt for the creation of political parties that only generate divisions between communities. In this sense it confirms the guilt of the Municipal government and Mexican state along with their armed paramilitaries the MULT and UBISORT-PRI, as the facts that qualify as a political crime.

Within the framework of timely information about the bloody events, compañero Jorge said that, despite earlier statements by witnesses who spoke of a truck, it was a typical vehicle, a white VW Jetta with no license plates, in which the perpetrators of this crime made their getaway , it was clarified that these people were not from the village.

Finally, compañero Jorge called on the federal government to bring to justice the perpetrators of this crime and stated that the Attorney General of Mexico had not yet begun the investigation needed in the case of the murder of Betty Cariño and Jaakkola Jryi despite statements from several witnesses and enough evidence to begin this work.

For his part, compañero Hernandez Adalberto Alvarez began by explaining that the Triqui community is dismayed at the murder of a social activist and a tireless promoter of maximum autonomy and self-determination for the Triqui people. He expressed the deep anger that exists against such acts and that this crime will not weaken the organization but strengthens it, he promptly declared that "the state and federal apparatus has beaten an autonomous municipality element but nothing stops this fight, on the contrary, today a compañero fell, but we feel that with that many Timoteos were born, one Timoteo dies and a thousand are born. "

Compañero Adalberto declared that the Municipality of San Juan Copala appeals to the “Other Campaign” of the Zapatistas to position itself politically on these events and likewise requested support to strengthen the Triqui fight in the pursuit of justice for the crimes committed against those assisting in breaking the paramilitary siege and the construction of autonomy in the area. He specified that they are the ones that have accompanied the Zapatista struggle since 1994, it is they who have participated in various events for both the Zapatista autonomous communities in the state of Chiapas and Oaxaca, and now it is they who are suffering direct attacks with the beheading of municipal autonomy. He called for solidarity and unity from social organizations both national and international.

Compañero Adalberto stressed that they have lost all confidence in the state and federal courts because they speak of organized crime, "but organized crime is the state, because the went to the home of our compañero and murdered him and his wife, that for us is a crime of State. "

The press conference ended with a reiteration of the demand for justice and respect for autonomy, and the total rejection of the strategy to end the project in San Juan Copala through the militarization of the Triqui region by the State and their paramilitaries.