------------------------------------------------------------ Mexico Solidarity Network ------------------------------------------------------------ Red de Solidaridad con Mexico Please forward: Fall 2008 Study Abroad program deadline extended, 2 spots left! Accepting applications for Spring 2009! The most beautiful part of study abroad in Mexico is the direct contact with it's people. Join us on this wonderful program with Mexico's Social Movements! New for Fall 2008 -US accreditation available through Hampshire College. Add first-hand testimonies from Mexico's vibrant and active social movements to your academic and theory based studies! Fall 2008 September 7 – December 1 Spring 2009 January 25 - May 2 Both programs will travel to Chiapas, Tlaxcala, Mexico City and Ciudad Jaurez.This accredited program focuses on the theory and practice of Mexican social movements, with important lessons for activism in the US context. This hands-on course includes workshops with the Universidad de la Tierra, the Zapatista movement, the National Assembly of Ex-Braceros, the National Urban-Campesino Council, Frente Popular Francisco Villa Independiente, families of femicide victims, maquiladora workers, El Barzon, and other urban barrio organizations. The Spanish language component focuses on oral communication skills. Visit: http://www.mexicosolidarity.or... [1] to download an application.Visit: http://www.mexicosolidarity.or... [2] to download a flyer. Or write to msn@mexicosolidarity.org [3] Fall and Spring Courses and Credits Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in Mexico City accredits the program at the undergrad and masters levels. The 14-week course on Mexican Social Movements offers 16 credits (240 class hours) via a consortium agreement between the UAM-Xochimilco and the Mexico Solidarity Network or through our US school of record Hampshire College. Please accept our apologies if you have received this email in error. To be removed from the Mexico Solidarity Network mailing list, please send a blank message to "studyabroad-unsubscribe@mexicosolidarity.org [4]" If this message has been forwarded to you and you would like to subscribe to the Mexico Solidarity Network mailing list, please visit www.mexicosolidarity.org and use the subscription feature provided, or send a blank message to "studyabroad-subscribe@mexicosolidarity.org [5]" [1] http://www.mexicosolidarity.org/studyabroad/apply [2] http://www.mexicosolidarity.org/sites/mexicosolidarity.org/files/MSN_Study_Abroad_flyer.pdf [3] msn@mexicosolidarity.org [4] studyabroad-unsubscribe@mexicosolidarity.org [5] studyabroad-subscribe@mexicosolidarity.org

------------------------------------------------------------ Mexico Solidarity Network ------------------------------------------------------------ Red de Solidaridad con Mexico WEEKLY NEWS AND ANALYSIS JULY 7-13, 2008 1. ZAPATISTA ECOLOGICAL RESERVE UNDER ATTACK 2. DISSIDENT TEACHERS CREATE PARALLEL LEADERSHIP 3. PRD CALLS FOR UNITY ON ENERGY REFORM 4. SEDENA ACCUSED OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES 5. MSN PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS (Contact MSN@MexicoSolidarity.org [1]) 1. ZAPATISTA ECOLOGICAL RESERVE UNDER ATTACK The Zapatista’s self-declared environmentally protected area in Huitepec, located above one of the regions most important aquifers, is coming under increasing attack by the Mayor of San Cristobal de las Casas, Mariano Diaz.  On Friday, Diaz offered urban development funds to a neighboring community if they would join in opposition to the Zapatista’s environmental efforts, part of an ongoing campaign to free up the land for “development.”  The Community Ecological Reserve, which covers 200 acres, was in danger of being despoiled by illegal logging, overuse of fresh water, and urban development before the Zapatistas declared a protected zone in 2007.  Since then, the Junta de Buen Gobierno planted 2,000 trees in deforested sectors, and animals are beginning to return to the area. 2. DISSIDENT TEACHERS CREATE PARALLEL LEADERSHIP Dissident members of the National Union of Education Workers (SNTE) formed a parallel leadership council during their First Grassroots Congress in an effort to challenge the power of current union president Elba Esther Gordillo.  Sergio Espinal Garcia, former general secretary of Section 18 in Michoacan, was unanimously elected general secretary of the dissident faction.  The parallel structure will not seek formal recognition from the Calderon administration, which in any case would be unlikely.  The First Grassroots Congress included teachers from eight states, but did not include representatives from the most militant elements of the SNTE in Oaxaca, Chiapas and Section 9 of the Federal District.  The First Grassroots Congress wants to maintain union unity, even in the face of widely acknowledged corruption by Gordillo and her family who exercise firm control over SNTE finances and politics.  The more radical dissident factions are calling for the formation of a separate independent union.  The SNTE is the largest union in Latin America with about 1.3 million members. In related news, on July 1 Gordillo imposed Maria Perez as general secretary of the dissident Section 9 in the Federal District.  The “election” was held in the patio of an obscure home on the north side of the city, attended only by allies of Gordillo after the union president was unable to buy enough votes for her chosen candidate through distribution of housing credits and other favors.  President Carlos Salinas de Gotari appointed Gordillo president of the SNTE in 1989, and she has exercised near dictatorial control over the union ever since.  She led the PRI bank of Congress during part of the Fox administration, but always maintained close relations with the PAN president.  She broke with the PRI during the 2006 elections, forming her own political party.  Gordillo is largely responsible for the manipulations of the 2006 presidential election that brought Calderon to power.  Calderon re-paid Gordillo by appointing one of her family members as assistant Secretary of Education.  She is widely seen as one of the most corrupt union officials in the history of Mexico. 3. PRD CALLS FOR UNITY ON ENERGY REFORM Guadalupe Acosta, the interim president of the PRD, proposed a meeting this week with leaders of the PRI and PAN to discuss a unified approach to energy reform.  Acosta represents the faction of the PRD aligned with Jesus Ortega, a group that has been willing to negotiate with the Calderon administration in the past.  Elements of the PRD aligned with former presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador refuse to recognize Calderon as the legitimate president.  On Saturday, Lopez Obrador called on Calderon to withdraw his energy reform proposal that would privatize and allow foreign control of large segments of the petroleum industry. 4. SEDENA ACCUSED OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES On Friday, the Federal Human Rights Commission (CNDH) issued a report on eight new cases of military abuse and torture.  In one case, army troops shoved splinters of wood under the finger and toenails of an immigrant caught near the US border, then forced him to drink large amounts of alcohol by forcing a tube down his throat.  They left him passed out in the Sonora desert, but miraculously he survived.  In a separate case, troops applied electric shocks to the testicles of two men and to the stomach of a third while searching their homes without warrants during drug sweeps in Michoacan.  Other cases include assassinations, torture, arbitrary detentions, robbery, and warrantless home searches.  High Long message truncated by MailBucket.

------------------------------------------------------------ Mexico Solidarity Network ------------------------------------------------------------ Red de Solidaridad con Mexico Mexico Solidarity Network Red de Solidaridad con Mexico Please forward to your students: Fall 2008 program deadline extended 2 spots left! The most beautiful part of study abroad in Mexico is the direct contact with it's people. Join us on this wonderful program with Mexico's Social Movements! New for Fall 2008 -US accreditation available through Hampshire College. Add first-hand testimonies from Mexico's vibrant and active social movements to your academic and theory based studies! September 7 – December 13: Program will travel to Chiapas, Tlaxcala, Mexico City and Ciudad Jaurez.This accredited program focuses on the theory and practice of Mexican social movements, with important lessons for activism in the US context. This hands-on course includes workshops with the Universidad de la Tierra, the Zapatista movement, the National Assembly of Ex-Braceros, the National Urban-Campesino Council, Frente Popular Francisco Villa Independiente, families of femicide victims, maquiladora workers, El Barzon, and other urban barrio organizations. The Spanish language component focuses on oral communication skills. Visit: http://www.mexicosolidarity.or... [1] to download an application.Visit: http://www.mexicosolidarity.or... [2] to download a flyer. Or write to msn@mexicosolidarity.org [3] Fall and Spring Courses and Credits Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in Mexico City accredits the program at the undergrad and masters levels. The 14-week course on Mexican Social Movements offers 16 credits (240 class hours) via a consortium agreement between the UAM-Xochimilco and the Mexico Solidarity Network or through our US school of record Hampshire College.  Please accept our apologies if you have received this email in error. To be removed from the Mexico Solidarity Network mailing list, please send a blank message to "allies-unsubscribe@mexicosolidarity.org" If this message has been forwarded to you and you would like to subscribe to the Mexico Solidarity Network mailing list, please visit www.mexicosolidarity.org [4] and use the subscription feature provided, or send a blank message to allies-subscribe@mexicosolidarity.org [5]  [1] http://www.mexicosolidarity.org/studyabroad/apply [2] http://www.mexicosolidarity.org/sites/mexicosolidarity.org/files/MSN_Study_Abroad_flyer.pdf [3] msn@mexicosolidarity.org [4] http://www.mexicosolidarity.org [5] allies-subscribe@mexicosolidarity.org

------------------------------------------------------------ Mexico Solidarity Network ------------------------------------------------------------ Red de Solidaridad con Mexico MEXICO SOLIDARITY NETWORK WEEKLY NEWS AND ANALYSIS JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2008 1. LOMAS DE POLEO EXECUTION 2. ENVIRONMENTAL FRAUD? 3. LEON POLICE RECEIVE COURSES IN TORTURE TECHNIQUES 4. MCCAIN VISITS MEXICO 5. GOVERNMENT SPIES ON POLITICIANS 6. MSN PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS (Contact MSN@MexicoSolidarity.org [1]) 1. LOMAS DE POLEO EXECUTION Carlos Lopez Avitia, an attorney representing about thirty families in a land dispute in Lomas de Poleo, a barrio on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, was assassinated on June 20 as he left the Agrarian Reform offices in Ciudad Juarez.  Lopez Avitia was a controversial figure.  A former employee of the Agrarian Reform, he spent four months in prison and lost his job after accusations surfaced of negligence in his work and illegal use of government properties.  Lopez Avitia claimed the legal consequences were payback for his defense of residents in Lomas de Poleo who are fighting efforts by the Zaragozas, one of Ciudad Juarez’s richest and most powerful families, to take over their lands.  But some residents claimed he was secretly on the payroll of the Zaragozas and was misrepresenting the families.  In 2004, US and Mexican officials announced construction of a new international bridge that would connect Lomas de Poleo with an El Paso suburb.  Lomas de Poleo was founded more than three decades ago on abandoned desert land.  Until the bridge announcement, there was no dispute over ownership.  Mexican law awards ownership to anyone who has lived at least seven years on a piece of land without legal challenges, and the residents of Lomas de Poleo have a strong legal case.  Nevertheless, the Zaragozas fenced in the land and posted armed guards at the only entrance.  They burned down dozens of houses and killed at least three people, including two small children who died in a house fire set by Zaragoza henchmen.  The Zaragoza family owns beer and bottled gas distribution centers, and has used its political clout to convince local officials and police to stay out of the dispute.  To date, no one has been charged with the murder of Lopez Avitia, and there is no indication that local police are actively pursuing the investigation.  Currently several of the Lomas de Poleo families are represented by Barbara Zamora, perhaps Mexico’s best progressive attorney regarding land tenancy.  You can make a tax-deductible donation to the Lomas de Poleo legal defense fund payable to Mexico Solidarity Network, 3460 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago, IL 60625. 2. ENVIRONMENTAL FRAUD? Capitalizing on worldwide environmental concerns over deforestation, the Calderon administration enrolled half a million citizen volunteers to plant more than eight million trees on Saturday.  The “First National Reforestation Day” featured high profile media events with cabinet members and federal officials planting trees on 490 different communal properties and smallholdings throughout the country.  Greenpeace criticized the program as a waste of federal funds, since studies predict that only ten percent of the trees will survive the first year.  Federal officials predicted a survival rate of 60 to 80 percent, but could not site studies backing their figures. 3. LEON POLICE RECEIVE COURSES IN TORTURE TECHNIQUES Police in the city of Leon, Guanajuato, took extensive courses in torture offered by an unidentified US company.  Videos of the course surfaced this week demonstrating the “tehuacanazo” (forcing mineral water up the nose) and the “pocito” (submerging the head in a tank full of excrement and rats).  Members of the Special Tactical Group (GET) who participated in the training were subjected to the torture techniques.  Early in the week, Municipal President Vicente Guerrero from the PAN defended the use of torture and promised to continue the courses.  Initially he was upset with the press for distributing the videos, calling journalists “unethical and irresponsible.”  He defended torture as a necessary tool in establishing law and order, and claimed that previous PAN administrations in the city have used torture techniques.  But on Friday, in the face of overwhelming criticism, including from members of his own party, Guerrero canceled the training program.  According to state legal codes, torture is illegal in Guanajuato.  Article 264 of the state Penal Code prohibits public servants from “intentionally exercising violence against a person, whether to obtain information or for any other form of investigation.”  Violators can spend up to ten years in prison. 4. MCCAIN VISITS MEXICO Republican presidential candidate John McCain visited Mexico this week.  If he was trolling for Latino votes in the November election, he failed miserably by defending the construction of a widely unpopular b Long message truncated by MailBucket.

------------------------------------------------------------ Mexico Solidarity Network ------------------------------------------------------------ Red de Solidaridad con Mexico WEEKLY NEWS AND ANALYSIS JUNE 23-29, 2008 1. PLAN PUEBLA PANAMA BACK ON CALDERON’S AGENDA 2. MERIDA INITIATIVE PASSES BOTH HOUSES 3. MIAMI CUBANS CONTRACT CARTELS TO TRANSPORT IMMIGRANTS 4. BORDER WALL WOULD DIVIDE BI-NATIONAL UNIVERSITY 5. MSN PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS (Contact MSN@MexicoSolidarity.org [1]) 1. PLAN PUEBLA PANAMA BACK ON CALDERON’S AGENDA The widely discredited Plan Puebla Panama (PPP) is back on President Calderon’s agenda, albeit in a slimmed down version that reduces infrastructure initiatives by as much as 95% and repackages the plan in terms of social service programs.  Newly named the Mesoamerica Project, President Calderon unveiled the revamped proposal at a meeting of Central American and Caribbean heads of state in Villahermosa, Tabasco, on Friday.  Former President Vicente Fox initiated Plan Puebla Panama early in his administration, only to see it whither under widespread popular opposition and a three year economic recession.  The more modest Mesoamerica Project will focus on building infrastructure, including toll highways and regional electrical grids (both projects were at the heart of the original PPP).  New to the project is a focus on a regional health initiative, distribution of fertilizer to local farmers, and production of bio-fuels, though without using human food sources.  The new additions, all ill-defined ideas more than concrete proposals, are probably designed to overcome popular opposition to the original PPP, which would have displaced hundreds of indigenous and campesino communities for construction of large infrastructure projects.  Highway and electrical grid construction contemplated under the Mesoamerica Project will likely have the same effects - and face the same opposition. 2. MERIDA INITIATIVE PASSES BOTH HOUSES The Merida Initiative passed both houses of the US Congress this week, and received hearty approval by a wide spectrum of Mexican politicians after Congress weakened human rights language.  The US$400 million program, renewable for three years, will provide Mexican army and police units with advanced radar, heavy weapons, communication equipment, helicopters, speed boats and technical training for use in Calderon’s war on drugs.  The original version of the bill prohibited aid to army and police units engaged in torture or human rights abuses, or who are themselves involved in narco-trafficking, but the approved bill “has no explicit restrictions or any type of limitation on the transfer of resources or military equipment,” according to Mexico’s Ambassador in the US, Arturo Sarhukan.  For the first time in recent memory, US officials assumed partial responsibility for Mexico’s drug cartels.  “The United States recognizes that we share responsibility for the drug trafficking problem,” said US Ambassador to Mexico Antonio Garza.  President Bush is expected to sign the legislation within 45 days as part of an overall spending bill financing the war in Iraq. Meanwhile, Calderon’s project to militarize Mexican society continues apace.  More than 25,000 army troops and Federal Preventative Police (PFP) occupy cities and towns in nine states.  There were at least 4,000 drug-related murders during Calderon’s initial 18 months in office, including at least 500 police officers, soldiers, mayors and other officials.  On Thursday, a commander of the elite PFP, Igor Labastida, was assassinated at an open air lunch counter in Mexico City.  Labastida may be linked to drug cartels, according to officials investigating the murder.  The Federal Attorney General investigated Labastida in 2004 for links with the Sinaloa Cartel. The flow of narco-dollars from the US to Mexico is estimated at US$12 to 15 billion per year.  This includes only bulk transfers of hard currency, and does not include money sent by wire transfer.  Federal Attorney General Eduardo Medina accuses the US of “already financing this war, it’s just that the financing is on the wrong side…  Most of the weapons, I would say around 95% of the weapons that we have seized come from the US.  If the US would stop the flow of weapons to Mexico, the equation would change very rapidly here.”  Mexican officials are also heavily implicated in narco-trafficking.  At least 20% of police in the central state of Aguascalientes are on the payroll of drug cartels, according to a statement released by Governor Luis Reynosa this week.  And Aguasclaientes is not considered a major center of drug trafficking. 3. MIAMI CUBANS CONTRACT CARTELS TO TRANSPORT IMMIGRANTS The Cuban-American National Foundation (CANF), the leading right wing Cuban organization in Miami, has been contracting Mexican drug cartels for at least the past three years to transport Cuban immigrants across Mexican ter Long message truncated by MailBucket.

Help us spread the word - Fall 2008 program deadline extended. Join us on this unique program with Mexico's Social Movements! US accreditation available through Hampshire College for Fall 2008. Add first-hand testimonies from Mexico's vibrant and active social movements to your academic and theory based studies! September 7 – December 13: Program will travel to Chiapas, Tlaxcala, Mexico City and Ciudad Jaurez.This accredited program focuses on the theory and practice of Mexican social movements, with important lessons for activism in the US context. This hands-on course includes workshops with the Universidad de la Tierra, the Zapatista movement, the National Assembly of Ex-Braceros, the National Urban-Campesino Council, Frente Popular Francisco Villa Independiente, families of femicide victims, maquiladora workers, El Barzon, and other urban barrio organizations. The Spanish language component focuses on verbal communication skills. Visit: http://www.mexicosolidarity.or... [1] to download an application.Visit: http://www.mexicosolidarity.or... [2] to download a flyer. Or write to msn@mexicosolidarity.org [3] Fall and Spring Courses and Credits Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in Mexico City accredits the program at the undergrad and masters levels. The 14-week course on Mexican Social Movements offers 16 credits (240 class hours) via a consortium agreement between the UAM-Xochimilco and the Mexico Solidarity Network or through our US school of record Hampshire College. [1] http://www.mexicosolidarity.org/studyabroad/apply [2] http://www.mexicosolidarity.org/sites/mexicosolidarity.org/files/MSN_Study_Abroad_flyer.pdf [3] msn@mexicosolidarity.org

MEXICO SOLIDARITY NETWORK WEEKLY NEWS AND ANALYSIS JUNE 16-22, 2008 1. CONGRESS REVISES MERIDA INITIATIVE 2. PEMEX PAID 93% OF INCOME IN TAXES 3. CALDERON FREEZES PRICES ON 24 PROCESSED FOODS 4. MSN PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS (Contact MSN@MexicoSolidarity.org [1]) 1. CONGRESS REVISES MERIDA INITIATIVE Political parties across the Mexican spectrum hailed a new version of the Merida Initiative, passed this week in the US Congress, which removes some oversight provisions included in the Senate version. The US$465 million military aid bill includes US$400 million for Mexico, with the rest designated for Central America. The bill includes US$215.5 million in direct military aid, including helicopters, advanced radar and weapons, and US$116.5 million for “military to military cooperation.” The original Senate version called for withholding funds from army or police units that commit human rights abuses or are involved in narco-trafficking. The new version calls for a series of periodic “consultations” with Mexican and US officials and non-governmental organizations concerning human rights violations. The bill also expresses concern for the failed investigations of “police responsible for the violations of human rights, including sexual abuse and sexual violence against women in San Salvador Atenco on May 3 and 4, 2006, and Oaxaca between June and December, 2006.” Human Rights Watch supports the new bill, claiming consultations will reveal human rights abuses committed by army and police units involved in narcotics operations. The bill includes US$20 million for “construction of institutions and assistance for civil society,” including US$3 million in “assistance for non-governmental organizations and civil society,” perhaps accounting for comments by Jose Vivanco, Executive Director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch, who claimed the US Congress “has a long tradition of not providing assistance to security forces that commit human rights violations.” The House approved the legislation by a 268-155 vote as part of the military spending bill for the war in Iraq. 2. PEMEX PAID 93% OF INCOME IN TAXES Pemex paid 93% of its income to the federal government in taxes during the first trimester of 2008, compared with 69% the previous year, according to the Treasury Secretary. Pemex paid US$32 billion into the federal treasury during the first four months of 2008, compared to US$17 billion a year earlier. The de-capitalization of PEMEX is part of the Calderon administration’s strategy to privatize the petroleum monopoly, arguing that PEMEX is unable to modernize infrastructure and invest in new development and processing plants. In recent years, PEMEX has provided about 40% of the federal budget, but the recent dramatic increases indicate that PEMEX may be providing as much as 70% of the budget. Federal officials are unwilling to explain how the windfall is being spent. 3. CALDERON FREEZES PRICES ON 24 PROCESSED FOODS In the face of rapidly rising food prices worldwide, the Calderon administration froze retail prices on 24 processed items through the end of 2008. Included in the list are premium tuna, sardines, preserved peaches, three kinds of spaghetti sauce, strawberry jam, flan, canned beans, selected fruit drinks, instant coffee, catsup, prepared jello, shrimp soup, dehydrated parsley, garlic salt, and two kinds of pepper. Not included in the list are tortillas, cooking oil, corn, rice, sugar, powdered milk, wheat flour, bread, meat, eggs, cheese or vegetables. The Confederacion de Camaras Industriales (Concamin), a leading business organization, approved the measure. 4. MSN PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS (Contact MSN@MexicoSolidarity.org [2]) STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM: Summer 2008, May 24 – July 5: Study in Chiapas and Mexico City, focusing on the theory and practice of Mexican social movements, including the Zapatistas, labor organizing and urban movements. The program features guest professor Dr. Adam Morton from the University of Nottingham. Adam is a renowned expert on Gramsci. Eight university credits. Summer 2008, June 15 – July 26: Study the theory and practice of Zapatismo in Chiapas. Eight university credits. Fall 2008, September 7 – December 13: Study in Chiapas, Tlaxcala, Mexico City and Ciudad Juarez, focusing on the theory and practice of Mexican social movements, including indigenous movements, campesino organizations, and urban movements. Spring 2009, January 25 – May 2: Study in Chiapas, Tlaxcala, Mexico City and Ciudad Juarez, focusing on the theory and practice of Mexican social movements, including indigenous movements, campesino organizations, and urban movements. Fall 2009, September 6 – December 12: Study in Chiapas, Tlaxcala, Mexico City and Ciudad Juarez, focusing on the theory and practice of Mexican social movements, including indigenous movements, campesino organizations, and urban movements. CHICAGO AUTONOMOUS CENTER (3460 W. LAWRENCE AVE.) Long message truncated by MailBucket.

MEXICO SOLIDARITY NETWORK WEEKLY NEWS AND ANALYSIS JUNE 2-8, 2008 1. ZAPATISTAS UNDER INCREASING ATTACK 2. FEDS CLOSE TWO COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS 3. FORMER PRI GOVERNOR SENTENCED TO 36 YEARS 4. US PROSECUTIONS OF UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS INCREASE 5. TEACHERS SETTLE STRIKE, BUT CONTINUE PROTESTS IN OAXACA 6. MSN PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS (Contact MSN@MexicoSolidarity.org) 1. ZAPATISTAS UNDER INCREASING ATTACK Zapatista communities throughout Chiapas are coming under increasing attack from paramilitary groups, local PRI and PRD affiliates, the police and the army. On Monday, Zapatista communities in the highlands around Zinacantan complained when local PRD officials prevented access to critical community water supplies. The Junta de Buen Gobierno in Oventic said, “Our support bases cannot continue without access to water… We have always had the peaceful will to reach an agreement,” but the PRD “does not have the will. They try to impose and humiliate those who aren’t part of their party.” On Wednesday, the Junta de Ben Gobierno in Oventic criticized the Federal Electrical Commission for allowing a group of 800 PRI affiliates to cut service to the ejido Huaquitepec. Also on Wednesday, a military caravan including more than 200 troops tried to enter the Zapatista communities of Hermenejildo Galeana and San Alejandro, located a stones throw from La Garrucha, one of the five caracoles that house the Juntas de Buen Gobierno. The convoy included a small tank and officials from state and local police forces as well as the Federal Attorney’s General office. They tried to enter the communities under the pretext of searching for marijuana. Cultivation of marijuana and the use or sale of illegal drugs are strictly prohibited in Zapatista communities, which don’t even allow the consumption or sale of alcohol. A tense confrontation ensued in which military authorities insisted on entering the communities while hundreds of Zapatistas armed only with sticks, stones and machetes blocked their passage. The invasion of La Garrucha is not an isolated incident in the canyon region of Chiapas. On May 19, the federal army surprised Zapatista families in San Geronimo Tulija, part of the autonomous municipality of Flores Magon, and destroyed two houses without explanation. On May 23, a huge convoy of troops traveled through a number of Zapatista communities, supposedly looking for marijuana plants. On May 29, the army accompanied by state police, local police, officials from the Public Ministry and members of the state Human Rights Commission tried to enter El Carrizal, a community in which the Campesino Organization Emiliano Zapata (OCEZ) has a strong presence. Military authorities claimed they were looking for an illegal marijuana plantation. Members of OCEZ blocked the incursion and denied the presence of marijuana in their communities. The stepped up provocations appear to be part of a “law and order” strategy handed down by federal authorities. In a recent meeting with the International Civil Commission for the Observation of Human Rights, Chiapas Governor Juan Sabines reported that Calderon recently sent a mandate to governors throughout the country – “during my administration there will be no Zapatistas and no machetes.” Machetes are a reference to the People’s Front in Defense of the Land (FPDT) which was famous for brandishing machetes in public demonstrations. Under the guise of the war on drugs, Calderon is attacking organized civil society in an effort to reduce political opposition. FPDT leaders were recently sentenced to 67 year prison terms, and the army would not initiate public movements like the recent events near La Garrucha without the approval of Calderon. In this context, the crackdown on community radio stations (see article below) is worrisome, especially given the number of unauthorized stations in Zapatista communities. Perhaps in recognition of the increasingly tense situation in Chiapas, Governor Sabines released two Zapatista political prisoners this week after serving twelve years of their sentences. These were the last political prisoners remaining from the 1998 military campaign to dismantle Zapatista autonomous communities. The Mexico Solidarity Network calls on Zapatista supporters to serve as emergency human rights observers in indigenous communities in Chiapas. For more information, please refer to the two principle organizations that coordinate human rights observation in Chiapas: CAPISE at capise.org.mx or the Fray Bartolome Human Rights Center at frayba.org.mx/observadores.php. 2. FEDS CLOSE TWO COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS The federal government abruptly closed two long-standing community radio stations this week in Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey. Friday night at least 250 federal police surrounded a small station located in a private home in Colonia Tierra y Libertad on the outskirts of Monterrey that has operated for the past six years without a formal license. Long message truncated by MailBucket.

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