Oaxaca Conflict Flares Back Up

Political tension in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca has recently bubbled back up to the surface. On Tuesday, May 1, labor unions marched through the streets of Oaxaca City in honor of May Day, or International Workers' Day, to demand "the release of protest leaders jailed during anti-government riots last year," the Associated Press reports. The previous day, students gained unauthorized access to a university radio station and demanded the resignation of Ulises Ruiz, Oaxaca's embattled governor, the AP also reports.

During nearly six months of turmoil last year, a combination of striking teachers, indigenous groups, students, and leftists boiled with demands for Ruiz's resignation, saying his 2004 election was fraudulent and that his government consistently retaliated against dissenters. After a period of simmering quiet, which began after former President Vicente Fox sent federal police to Oaxaca last October, Reuters reported in April that José Luis Soberanes, head of Mexico's National Human Rights Commission, told the country's Senate Commission on Human Rights that Mexico's "government was an accomplice in the killing of 20 people in last year's conflict … and permitted torture and illegal arrests." Reuters also reported him saying the protesters "exceeded their right to legitimate protest in some cases" and warning that "the conflict had not been resolved and could flare up again." For ongoing Oaxaca coverage, see www.narconews.com; for past Chronicle reporting, see "Oaxaca Turmoil Touches Austin," Dec. 8, 2006.