Los Presos Políticos y de conciencia de Loxicha, desde esta trinchera, repudiamos energéticamente el cobarde asesinatos del Profesor ELEAZAR MARTINEZ ALMARAZ, quien fue acribillado en la mañana del día 14 de Diciembre del presente año, así como el asesinato de otros pobladores zapotecos, casos que han quedado en la absoluta impunidad.

December represents many things; the end of the year, evaluations, reflexion, and planning for a new year. It is also the month where the Virgen of Guadalupe and Christmas is celebrated for Catholics. Additionally, it is also when the International Day of the Declaration of Human Rights is commemorated, of which CASA would like to reflect on:

After the first Nacional Forum: Weaving Resistances in Defense of Our territories which took place on the 17th and 18th of April 2009 in San Pedro Apostol, Octolan, Oaxaca, organizations from around the state and the country have returned to the table to continue to create spaces for analysis and reflection between different movements and communities in resistance, in order to connect and to create solidarity between them and against the plunder of their lands.

The “war on drugs” in Mexico is widely publicized in the United States, with newspaper coverage of the almost daily carnage, violence resulting from drug-trafficking and fighting it. However, the issue is more complex than a mere showdown between cartels and the military. Drug trafficking is Mexico’s largest source of income and the illegal activity functions based on a system of corruption in the military, police force, the government, and banks. The Mexican government itself has reported that 60% of police at all levels are under the control of narco-traffickers, and in the military, even those up to the level of general have been arrested and charged with being on cartel payrolls. Mexican cartels depend on a steady demand for drugs in the U.S. as its main supplier of cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine. The cartels also depend on poverty and limited job opportunities in Mexico.