Urgent Action VOCAL, July 16, 2007. Arrest of our compañera, VOCAL member. Detention of Silvia Gabriela Hernandez Salinas, of Oaxaca, OAX July 16, 2007 To all of the organizations, collectives, and individuals in Oaxaca, Mexico and the world. To the Otra Campaña. To National and International Human Rights Organizations To the media. Oaxacan Voices Building Autonomy and Liberty (VOCAL) calls for urgent intervention in response to the detention of Silvia Gabriela Hernandez Salinas, arrested during the march of the People's Guelaguetza in Oaxaca City. Details: SILVIA GABRIELA HERNANDEZ SALINAS SILVIA GABRIELA HERNANDEZ SALINA is a member of Oaxacan Voices Building Autonomy and Liberty (VOCAL), student of Sociology at UBAJO, and researcher in that same subject. Furthermore, she is a member of the Otra Campaña. She is from Oaxaca, is 24 years old, is active in the social movement, studied in the Autonomous University Benito Juarez (UBAJO) in Oaxaca. Her friends and professors know her as an exemplary student, who works across media, and a poet, who has undertaken a number of different investigations within her major. She is currently working on VOCAL's agriculture project. Oaxacan Voices Building Autonomy and Liberty (VOCAL) An intentionally diverse and active space, made up of different individuals and collectives, all activists in the Oaxacan social movement. VOCAL works to join together the efforts of the Oaxaca peoples to mobilize, and keep the movement loyal to its principles, autonomous, and independent from political parties, and to support their way of assembly as a the most just and harmonious way of coming to understand, self organize and self govern. VOCAL is a space that works for the construction, strengthening, and connecting of autonomies, that considers the autonomy of communities, groups, collectives, individuals and organizations as a real alternative for opposing the current authoritarian government system. Autonomy is a process of building other realities that show that there is another way of changing things from the root, where communities decide their own ways of living. It is important to mention that Silvia is the second VOCAL member to be detained. David Venegas Reyes was arrested April 13, 2007 and is currently being held in the Central Jail of Santa Maria Ixcotel. Antecedents On the night of the 15th of July, with was decided to meet at the Zocalo at 8 in the morning for the celebration of the Guelaguetza Popular. From there, at 10 am, the celebratory march climbed the street Porfirio Diaz towards the street Niños Héroes, with the intention of celebrating, in a totally peaceful manner, the popular fiesta in the Cerro del Fortin (the public amphitheater where the Guelaguetza is traditionally held). When they arrived at the Hotel Fortín Plaza, hundreds of police, from different police bodies including the military, were waiting for them. The march/celebration arrived with music and dancing, and tried to initiate a dialogue with the officials, to let the celebration take place. The police refused to let them by, and people began the celebration there in the intersection. When the dance of the chinas oaxaqueñas was taking place, the first canister in a rain of teargas fell on the crowd, dispersing the dancers as well as a large portion of the 3 thousand participants, which included teachers, collectives, groups of young folks, the elderly and children. A number of people responded to the aggression with stones. The police continued launching gas and rocks at the crowd, and there were reports of gunfire coming from the police. Once the crowd was dispersed from the avenue Niños Héroes, the police began pursuing and arresting members of the crowd throughout many streets in the center of the city, as well as the neighborhoods Xochimilco and Estrella. At the moment, we have heard of one death, and a number of injuries, including reporters from national news sources, and at least 30 detained, many of them who have been disappeared, in that they are not included on any official list or in any jail. Human Rights Violations SILVIA GABRIELA HERNANDEZ SALINAS supported the movement of the communities of Oaxaca without personal interest, contributing in a number of social and cultural activities. The 16th of July, 2007, at the time of her detention, she was documenting the popular fiesta. She had with her her camera, which is the principle tool of her work. Her arrest took place on the Periférico, near the number 7 high school of the UABJO. She was last seen trying to get on a public bus, far from the site of the initial police aggression. A number of police were also seen trying to detain the people with her, who were forced to flee and lost sight of her. We still don't know which police force was responsible for her detention. The first news we received about her was when she appeared on the official list of detainees put out by the Attorney General's Office, as well as in the press. The latest news we've heard is that she was being held in the Headquarters of the Investigative Groups of the State Ministerial Groups, located in Domicilio Conocido, Los Pinos, Carretera Santa María Coyotepec , where a Human Rights observer visited her, in response to a denuncia received by the State Human Rights Commission. We don't know how she is doing. **** Update***** Since this urgent action was written, the government has released 23 of the prisoners from the Guelaguetza Popular, for lack of evidence. Unfortunately Silvia was not among the freed prisoners. She is being held in the prison Tanivet, in Tlacolula de Matamoros, and is one of 10 prisoners being charged with property damage, arson, and aggravated assault. All of the remaining 10 prisoners are active members of the APPO or the teachers movement, and the APPO has accused the government of holding them hostage to try and prevent further protests against the Guelaguetza. Call for Solidarity Because of these events, we are issuing an urgent call for national and international solidarity. VOCAL Demands: 1.- The immediate and unconditional freedom of SILVIA GABRIELA HERNÁNDEZ SALINAS, as well as all of the political prisoners from the movement. 2.- A guarantee of the security and physical well being of SILVIA GABRIELA HERNÁNDEZ SALINAS in accordance with all of the guarantees and rights provided by law, which should be applied to all of the detained and disappeared of the movement to date. Cordially, Voces Oaxaqueñas Construyendo Autonomía y Libertad (VOCAL) vocal@riseup.net Please send your calls and displays of solidarity to the following addresses, with a copy to vocal@riseup.net: Louise Arbour, United Nations High Commission for Human Rights, tb-petitions@ohchr.org Sr. Amerijo Inalcaterra, Mexican Representative to the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights, oacnudh@hchr.org.mx Sr. Santiago Cantón, Executive Secretary of the Interamerican Human Rights Commission, cidhoea@oas.org Lic. Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa, President of Mexico, felipe.calderon@presidencia.gob.mx Lic. Francisco Javier Ramírez Acuña, Secretary of the Interior , frjramirez@segob.gob.mx Lic. Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza, Mexican Attorney General, ofproc@pgr.gob.mx. Lic. José Luis Soberanes Fernández, President of the National Human Rights Commission, correo@cndh.org.mx, correo@fmdh.cndh.org.mx Actuaria Eugenia del Carmen Diez Hidalgo, Representative for the promotion and defense of Human Rights in the Ministry of the Interior Lic. Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, Governor of the State of Oaxaca, gobernador@oaxaca.gob.mx Lic. Manuel García Corpus, Secretary General of the Government of the State of Oaxaca, sriagral@oaxaca.gob.mx Dr. Sergio Segreste Ríos, Secretary for Public Safety in the State of Oaxaca, seproci@oaxaca.gob.mx Dr. Evencio Nicolás Martínez Ramírez, Oaxaca State Attorney General, buzonciudadano@pgjoaxaca.net Lic. Jaime Mario Pérez Jiménez, President of the Oaxaca Human Rights Commission, correo@cedhoax.org, quejas@cedhoax.org M.A. Manuel Moreno Rivas, Director of the Oaxacan Ministerial Police, director@polministerialoax.com

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