Atenco

On August 30th, I stumbled across a protest in one of the main central plazas of San Cristóbal. The group was protesting to demand that the government of Mexico free the political prisoners that are being held as a result of a military confrontation in the pueblo of Atenco on May 3, 2006. Four years prior, the people of Atenco had successfully resisted an effort by the government to build an airport on their land and displace the villagers. In 2006, residents of the nearby city Texcoco, began their own resistance in response to the government’s decision to block the activities of local flower vendors. Because of their knowledge of the prior Atenco protests, the people of Texcoco sought assistance and support from the residents of that village. Erroneously sensing a massive and seditious uprising, governmental representatives cracked down on the resulting protest from the two communities - and sent 3,000 violent policemen to quell the generally peaceful activities of 300 marchers. The result? Several dozen severely injured, hundreds thrown behind bars, many brutal raped and at least two murdered in the prime of life. 212 of the marchers from that day are still behind bars.

The protest in San Cristóbal on August 30th featured a street-theater play that told the story of the conflict and its aftermath. Below are photos from the event:





There have been a number of international campaigns to protest the imprisonment of those arrested at Atenco in 2006. The most recent one I found is being organized by the Coletivo Contraimpunidad. They ask that all members of the international community sign on and spread an International Open Letter which will be sent to the government of Mexico as a result of the unjust sentences to the political prisoners from Atenco. The text of the letter is posted below. To sign on, send your name, occupation (optional), city or country to: contraimpunidad@gmail.com. In the subject line or text of the message, you can write: please sign me on to the international open letter for Atenco or para firmar la carta abierta internacional para Atenco.

August 2008
International Open Letter
As a result of the scandalous sentences announced on August 21 against the activists, victims of the violent days of May 3 - 4, 2006, in San Salvador Atenco, Mexico.
Just women and men from Mexico and the world repudiate the jailing of innocents and demand the government:
1. Immediately drop the 67-year sentences against activists Ignacio del Valle, Felipe Alvarez and Hector Galindo, unjustly sentenced in 2007.
2. Immediately drop the 45-year sentence against Ignacio del Valle, unjustly sentenced on August 21, 2008.
3. Immediately drop the 31-year, 10-month and 15-day sentences of activists Juan Carlos Estrada Romero, Oscar Hernandez Pacheco, Narciso Arellano Hernandez, Alejandro Pilon Zacate, Jorge Alberto y Roman Adan Ordonez Romero, Pedro Reyes Flores, Ines Rodolfo Cuellar Rivera, Edgar Eduardo Morales Reyes and Julio Cesar Espinoza Ramos, unjustly sentenced on August 21, 2008.
4. Immediately free all the political prisoners from Atenco.
5. Bring to justice the murderers of Alexis Benhumea and Francisco Javier Cortes.
Because we will not give up!
We will not be silenced!
We will not forget!
Down with impunity in Mexico!