VOCAL, JULY 16, 2007.
DETENTION OF TWO MEMBERS OF VOCAL
DETENTION OF SILVIA GABRIELA HERNANDEZ SALINAS ANS MARIA GUADALUPE SIVAJA ORTIZ FROM OAXACA, OAX.
JULY 16, 2007.
To all organizations, collectives and individuals from Oaxaca, México and the worlds.
To La Otra Campaña.
To National and International Human Rights organizations.
To the media.
Voces Oaxaqueñas Construyendo Autonomía y Libertad (VOCAL) asks for your U R G E N T intervention because of the detention of SILVIA GABRIELA HERNANDEZ SALINAS and MARIA GUADALUPE SIVAJA ORTIZ, ARRESTED DURING THE MARCH OF THE POPULAR GUELAGUETZA IN OAXACA CITY.
R E F E R E N C E S :
SILVIA GABRIELA HERNANDEZ SALINAS
SILVIA GABRIELA HERNANDEZ SALINA is a member of Voces Oaxaqueñas Construyendo Autonomía y Libertad (VOCAL), a Sociology graduate from the UABJO and a researcher in this discipñine. She is also adn adherent to La Otra Campaña.
She was born in Oaxaca, she's 24 years old and is an active social fighter. Her schoolmates, teachers and friends acknowledge her as an exemplary student, reporter for different media, poet. She is currently collaborating in an urban agriculture project for VOCAL.
VOCES OAXAQUEÑAS CONSTRUYENDO AUTONOMÍA Y LIBERTAD (OAXACAN VOICES BUILDING AUTONOMY AND FREEDOM)
A highly diverse and active space formed by individuals and collectives of different kiunds, all of them activists in the Oaxacan social movement. VOCAL is proposed as a way to join the efforts of the mobilized Peoples of Oaxaca, trying to keep the social movement faithful to its principles, autonomous and independent from the political parties, restituting the Assembly as the most just and harmonic for to get to understand each other, with self-organization and self-government.
VOCAL is a space that struggles to build, strengthen and link autonomies, for they consider that the autonomy of peoples, groups, collectives, individuals, organizations and such, as a true alternative to oppose the current authoritarian government system. Autonomy as a process to build other realities that may show there is another way to change things from the root where the peoples decide their own forms and modes of life. We must point out that Silvia and Maria are the second and third detainees from VOCAL, after the detention on April 13, 1007 of DAVID VENEGAS REYES, who is currently detained at the Central Penitentiary of Santa María Ixcotel.
BACKGROUND
On the night of July 15 it was agreed to gather at the Zocalo at 8 AM on the morning of the 16th to celebrate the Popular Guelaguetza. At about 10 am the celebration marched up to the Cerro del Fortín, where the Guelaguetza has been celebrated traditionally for decades. There they meant to celebrate peacefully the popular fiesta. The march was received by a large contingent of police from several coorpoations, including the Military. The march/celebration arrived with music and dances, and there was an attempted dialogue with the officials so that the would let the celebration enter the Cerro, briefly, and then return to the downtown area to continue with the celebration. The police refused to let them enter and the celebration was taking place on the avenue, on the corner of Venus and Niños Héroes avenue.
When one of the performances was taking place, the first of many tear gas bombs was launched against the crowd, where there were teachers, children, old people, groups of young people and normal citizens. Some of the demonstrators responded with sticks and stones. The police continued launching tear gas and stones and there are also reports of gunshots against the crowd. When the people started retreating down the Niños Heroes Avenue, the streets of the downtown area, as well as the colonias Xochimilco and Estrella, the police persecution began, with detentions occurring in different streets and areas. Until now there are reports of one dead and several injured, including reporters from local and national Media, and up to 40 detainees, some of them still disappeared, for they have not been presented by any corporation or located in any penitentiary.
FEAR FOR THEIR SECURITY AND THE VIOLATION OF THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS.
SILVIA GABRIELA HERNANDEZ SALINAS has always supported disinterestedly the struggles of the peoples and society of Oaxaca, contributing with different types of social and cultural activities. On July 16, 2007, she was taking photographs of the popular celebration.
She was detained on Periférico, in front of the Number Seven High School of the UABJO. She was last seen trying to board a bus in an area that was pretty far from the area where the main confrontation with the police took place. She and her companions saw several policemen; her companions lost sight of her a few moments after. Her whereabouts were unknown for several hours after her detention, as well as the title of the corporation responsible for it.
The first data we have of her was the appearance of her name in the detainee list issued by the PGJ (Policía General Judicial), as well as several media. She is now in the penitentiary of Tlacolula.
MARÍA GUADALUPE SIBAJA ORTÍZ is a social fighter in the current movement of Oaxaca, she was in the peaceful march/celebration in Oaxaca when the police began the attach. We know now that she has been formally indicted, but we know nothing about how she was detained.
Because of this we are issuing an urgent call for national and international solidarity.
Because of all this VOCAL demands:
1.- The immediate and unconditional liberation of our two detained members: SILVIA GABRIELA HERNÁNDEZ SALINAS and MARÍA GUADALUPE SIBAJA ORTÍZ , as web as all the political prisoners of the moment to date.
2.- That the security and physical integrity of SILVIA GABRIELA HERNÁNDEZ SALINAS and MARÍA GUADALUPE SIBAJA ORTÍZ and all the guaranteed and rights granted them by the law be applied; the same to all those detained and disappeared to date.
CALL FOR SOLIDARITY:
We are issuing an urgent call for national and international solidarity. The list of adherences will be uplodaded in the following web page: www.vocal.lunasexta.org
Atentamente,
VOCES OAXAQUEÑAS CONSTRUYENDO AUTONOMIA Y LIBERTAD (VOCAL)