The Loxicha political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, from our battle front, vigorously repudiate the cowardly murder of professor ELEAZAR MARTINEZ ALMARAZ, who was shot down on the morning of December 14, as well as the murders of other Zapotec people, whose cases have resulted in absolute impunity.

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.

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.

This past October 11 Felipe Calderon issued a presidential decree to "disappear" the semi-nationalized electricity company "Luz y Fuerza del Centro". The move simultaneously left more the 44 thousand people without work and sought to destroy one of the most progressive and powerful unions in the country, the "Sindicato Mexicano de Electricistas". Since then the union has resisted and built popular support to challenge the president´s neoliberal agenda. Actions have been held througout the country, including blockades and marches in Oaxaca, to support them. In Mexico City 11 eleven continue on hunger strike in order to demand a solution from the president.

In Chicomuselo, Chiapas, near the border with Guatemala, residents have been fighting the canadian mining firm "Blackwater" for destroying their communities and lands. On November the 27th, Mariano Abara Rolero, a member of the Mexican Netowork of People Affected by Mining, was murdered in front of his house. Witness stay a man on a motorcycle shot Mariano and a campanion, Orlando Vazquez, and rode away.

Around the world, November 25th is recognized as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. This date originates from the assassination of the three Mirabel Sisters, women from the Dominican Republic who were assassinated for their political activities against the Rafael Trujillo dictatorship. In Oaxaca and elsewhere, the struggle and resistance continue. Click to read various articles about the situation of women in Oaxaca, and their participation in the social movement and in community radios. Also, check out the last article to make a colonial connection with violence against women in Mexico and violence against women of color in the U.S.

While most international news organizations took obedient dictation of the Honduras coup regime's claims of more than 62 percent voter participation in the November 29 "elections," authentic journalist Jesse Freeston did what real reporters are supposed to do: He went directly to the source, asked questions, took notes, and videotaped the evidence.

"...I dream of freedom. It is the sweeetest word I have ever heard and eah night I dream of it. I dream of a country and a world where the death penalty exists only in our memories, where it is history. I dream of the abscence of bars, the abscence of shackles, and the abscence of the threat of death." –MAJ