#UrgentAction | Arbitrary detention and violent eviction of the “Land and Freedom” Camp in Oaxaca

• 6 people arbitrarily detained, Mixe peasants who were protesting against the construction of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec railroad.

• Elements of the National Guard, the Secretary of the Navy and state police violently evicted the civilian and peaceful encampment that had been there for 60 days.

On April 28th of 2023 at 10:38 am military elements of the National Guard (GN), the Secretary of the Navy (SEMAR) and state police of Oaxaca violently evicted the “Tierra y Libertad” Camp, an encampment of Mixe campesinos affected by the works of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec railroad, taking six people whose names are Maria Magdalena Martinez Isabel, Esperanza Martinez Isabel, Elizabeth Martinez Isabel, Eliodoro Martinez Isabel, Fernando Hernández Gomez and Adela Severo Teodoro, the latter was beaten. At the time of issuing this Urgent Action, it is not known where they were transferred to nor the conditions in which they are being held.

Prior to this eviction, the Union of Indigenous Communities of the Northern Zone of the Isthmus (UCIZONI) denounced various acts of threats, intimidation and aggression perpetrated by elements of the GN, SEMAR and Oaxaca state police against those exercising their right to protest, the defense of land and territory from the “Land and Freedom” Camp in the community of Mogoñe Viejo, municipality of San Juan Guichicovi, Oaxaca.

The “Land and Freedom” Camp was set up in practice of the right to protest in order to denounce the imposition of infrastructure projects, such as the construction of the Inter-Oceanic Corridor train tracks, which affect the land and territory of the native Mixe peoples of this region in Oaxaca. During the violent eviction, the material goods of the Camp were destroyed and the belongings, such as cell phones, of the people who were documenting, were stolen.

Yesterday, April 27th of 2023, members of the Caravana El Sur Resiste held a meeting in the Camp that today was evicted by military and police forces; in solidarity, the Caravana demonstrated on the Transisthmian Highway, at the height of Oteapan, Veracruz, to denounce the acts of repression.

Therefore, we urge the Federal Government and the State of Oaxaca:

• Immediate and unconditional release of Maria Magdalena Martinez Isabel, Esperanza Martinez Isabel, Elizabeth Martinez Isabel, Eliodoro Martinez Isabel, Fernando Hernández Gomez and Adela Severo Teodoro.
• Medical attention granted to Adela Severo Teodoro, who was beaten during the eviction, and the corresponding clarification of responsibilities.
• The return of the stolen goods, especially the cell phones.
• Attention to the demands of the Mogoñe Viejo community, which has maintained the blockade for more than a month.
• An end to all acts of harassment and threats against the people who form part of the Tierra y Libertad de Mogoñe Camp, old municipality of San Juan Guichicovi, Oaxaca.
• Guarantees of security for the members of the Caravan of the South Resists as it passes through the southeastern Mexican states.

Send your appeals to:

Lic. Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Presidente Constitucional de México.
Correo: amlo@presidencia.gob.mx
Twitter: @lopezobrador_
Lic. Adán Augusto López Hernández.
Secretario de Gobernación de México.
Correo: secretario@segob.gob.mx
Twitter: @adan_augusto
Lic. Alejandro Encinas Rodríguez,
Subsecretario de Derechos Humanos, Población y Migración
Correo: ajencinas@segob.gob.mx
Twitter: @A_Encinas_R
Ing. Salomón Jara Cruz
Gobernador Constitucional del Estado de Oaxaca
salomon.jara@oaxaca.gob.mx
José de Jesús Romero López
Secretario General de Gobierno del Estado de Oaxaca.
jesusromero@oaxaca.gob.mx
Jose Bernardo Rodriguez Alamilla
Fiscal General del Estado de Oaxaca
contacto.fiscalia@fge.oaxaca.gob.mx
Elizabeth Lara Rodriguez.
Defensoría de Derechos Humanos de Oaxaca
defensoria@derechoshumanosoaxaca.org