Mexico Week In Review: 07.03-07.09

Mexico Week In Review: 07.03-07.09
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Published since 1994, 'Mexico Week In Review' is a service of the
Committee of Indigenous Solidarity (CIS). CIS is a Washington, D.C.
based activist group committed to the ongoing struggles of Indigenous
peoples in the Americas. CIS is actively supporting the struggles
of the Indigenous peoples of Mexico while simultaneously combating
related structures of oppression within our own communities.

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"Para Todos, Todo; Para Nosotros Nada"
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ELECTION UPDATE: MORE THAN 100,000 OBRADOR SUPPORTERS PROTEST;
BALLOTS FOUND IN DUMP

More than 100,000 defiant supporters of leftist presidential
candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador massed Saturday (06/08) in a
bid to overturn his narrow election defeat with protests that
threatened to widen Mexico's regional and class divisions. Lopez
Obrador told the huge crowd he would present allegations of fraud to
the nation's electoral court Monday and request that every one of
more than 41 million votes be recounted, to expose what he called
wrongdoing that cost him the election. "We are going to ask that they
clean up the elections. We are going to ask that they count all the
votes -- vote-by-vote, poll-by-poll," Lopez Obrador said to wide
applause.

He called for nationwide marches that would converge on Mexico City
in another rally July 16, provoking groans of disappointment when he
told demonstrators not to block highways. "This has been and goes on
being a peaceful movement," Lopez Obrador said. "We are not going to
fall for any provocations." The show of defiance suggested just how
difficult it will be for apparent victor Felipe Calderon to unify
Mexicans, many of whom believe the nation has yet to overcome decades
of institutional corruption and fraud.

The daily newspaper El Universal reported 10 ballot boxes and a
polling station report were found in a garbage dump in a poor
neighborhood on the edge of Mexico City. Activists demonstrated
outside offices of the government's prosecutor for electoral crimes,
shouting against fraud and hanging a huge banner which said: "Ugalde:
You deserve jail".

European Union election observers have said they had found no major
irregularities. But the ruling party's Calderon can't be declared
president-elect until the electoral court weighs allegations of fraud
or unfair campaign practices. It has until Sept. 6 to declare a
winner. Election officials say Calderon beat Lopez Obrador by less
than 244,000 votes out of a total of 41 million ballots -- or a
margin of about 0.6 percent. Most of Lopez Obrador's supporters come
from poor southern states while conservative Felipe Calderon's
strength is in Mexico's industrialized north. "We are never going to
recognize this man (Calderon)," said Apolinario Fernandez, 37, a
teacher from Lopez Obrador's home state of Tabasco in the southeast.
"If he wants, let him govern in the north for the rich, but not in
the south."

Fernandez traveled all night to the demonstration in Mexico City's
famed Zocalo plaza, where more than 100,000 people in the square
waved banners with slogans denouncing the alleged fraud. Calderon,
who says the vote was clean, has already declared himself the winner
and has received congratulatory phone calls from President Bush,
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Spanish Prime Minister Jose
Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

But Lopez Obrador's supporters remained unconvinced. "We are ready to
do whatever is necessary," said Belasario Cruz, 32, a farmer from
Tabasco. "We are tired of the rich having everything and the poor
having nothing." There were smaller demonstrations planned in cities
including Tijuana on the U.S. border and San Cristobal de las Casas
in the south.

Lopez Obrador, a former Mexico City mayor, has asked protesters to be
peaceful and law-abiding, but also said the government would be
responsible for any flare-up of anger because officials had rejected
his demand for a manual recount. In a meeting with foreign
correspondents, Lopez Obrador said there were more irregularities in
the balloting than under the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or
PRI, which ruled Mexico until it was ousted by President Vicente Fox
in 2000. Calderon belongs to Fox's conservative National Action
Party. "The National Action Party learned from the fraudulent
practices of the PRI and it exceeded them," Lopez Obrador said.

Sources: Associated Press: 07/08; Reuters: 07/06
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ATENCO UPDATE: THIRTEEN POLICE CHARGED

A judge formally charged thirteen state police officers on Monday
with abuse of authority, a misdemeanor, in the May 3 and 4 Atenco
police riots. Seven additional officers named in a state
investigation won temporary restraining orders, but on Friday
authorities filed charges against the seven as well. These are the
first officials charged in the Atenco case, in which more than 3,000
police beat and raped hundreds of protestors defending the right of
flower vendors to sell their wares at a future Wal-Mart site. Among
the charged police were two commanders, but none of the intellectual
authors of the police riot have as yet been charged. State police
commissioner Wilfredo Robledo Madrid excused the actions of police in
Atenco, claiming they suffered "high levels of stress." State police
continue to harass Atenco residents with regular armed patrols though
the town and threats to occupy local schools.

On Thursday (06/29), a federal judge suspended hearings for some of
the 146 Atenco residents and supporters who were released on bail.
The judge claimed "conditions don't exist" for the hearings due to a
boisterous protest organized by Atenco residents and the Other
Campaign outside the hearing. The Other Campaign continued its
strong support for the Atenco prisoners, including 29 who remain
jailed without bond, charged with kidnapping. Attorney Barbara
Zamora noted at their first court hearing that officials couldn't
identify any of the prisoners as being responsible for kidnapping
state officials, and characterized the evidence as hearsay. More
than 2,000 state representatives of the Other Campaign met in Mexico
City on Friday and Saturday to discuss the current political climate
and future plans. On Sunday (07/02), about 10,000 members of the
Other Campaign marched from the Angel de la Independencia to the
Zocalo, condemning the façade of democracy represented by
presidential elections and calling for another way of doing politics.

Source: Mexico Solidarity Network Weekly News Summary: 06/26-07/02
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DIRTY WAR UPDATE: EX-PRESIDENT DENIES MASSACRE

Mexican ex-President Luis Echeverria has declared he is innocent of
genocide charges stemming from an alleged massacre of students in
1968. The ailing Mr. Echeverria, under house arrest since Friday
(06/30), made the declaration before a judge at his home. He is
accused of involvement in the deaths of up to 300 students when
troops opened fire on protesters. "Nothing proves that I was the
author of or participated in any crime," Mr. Echeverria said in a
written statement.

Mr. Echeverria's legal team said that although 43 protesters and
troops were killed in clashes during the protest, this was not
because of any "state policy of extermination". "To say that genocide
was committed against students on 2 October 1968 is an absurd
distortion of the clash that happened that day," his statement said.
Mr. Echeverria was interior minister in 1968 at the time of the
killings in Tlatelolco Square.

Prosecutors say up to 300 people may have died when government agents
hidden among regular soldiers opened fire during the protest, which
took place days before the Olympic Games opened in Mexico City.
But the former president denies allegations that he posted snipers on
scores of buildings and gave orders to shoot.

In a surprise ruling last week, an appeals court ruled that there was
enough evidence to support a charge of genocide against Mr.
Echeverria and ordered his arrest. Outside the former president's
residence, survivors of the clashes displayed signs reading "prison
for the assassin" and called for his hearing to take place in public.
His lawyer, Juan Velasquez, has told the Associated Press news agency
that Mr. Echeverria would not serve time in prison because of his
age. Special prosecutor Ignacio Carillo has tried and failed twice
previously to bring genocide charges against Mr. Echeverria.

Hundreds died or disappeared during Mexico's "Dirty War" on leftists
under Mr. Echeverria's presidency between 1970 and 1976. Outgoing
Mexican President Vicente Fox, who leaves office in December, has
vowed to bring to justice those responsible for killings and
oppression in the country's past.

Source: BBC News: 07/06

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The above articles were originally published and copyrighted by the
listed sources. These articles are offered for educational purposes
which CIS maintains is 'fair use' of copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.

end: Mexico Week In Review: 07.03-07.09
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