Las agresiones a las comunidades zapatistas son cada vez sistemáticamente más violentas y continuas y los actos de provocación contra el EZLN parecen más que obvios. De ahí la necesidad de organizar una Brigada de Observación y Solidaridad para recabar datos, registrar el ambiente y mostrar que nuestros compañeros zapatistas no están solos. La Brigada, que contó con 57 brigadistas, visitó cuatro de los cinco caracoles zapatistas del 28 de agosto al 1 de septiembre (17 fueron al caracol de La Realidad, 12 a Oventik, 16 a La Garrucha y 12 a Morelia). El 2 de septiembre, en conferencia de prensa en en Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas, las y los brigadistas relataron la situación en las comunidades zapatistas.

Informe de La Realidad (Ve el video 1 / Vee el video 2 / Lee el texto)(Descarga aquí)  

Informe de Oventik (Ve el video / Lee el texto)(Descarga aquí)  

Informe de La Garrucha (Ve el video / Lee el texto)(Descarga aquí)  

Informe de Morelia (Ve el video / Lee el texto)(Descarga aquí)  

Informe General (Ve el video / Lee el texto)(Descarga aquí)  

Preguntas y respuestas (Ve el video)(Descarga aquí)  

Ve las fotos abajo: (Continuar leyendo…)

Representatives from 13 indigenous communities in the south of the municipality of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, denounced today (Aug 31) the works that started this month to build in their territory a trash dump for the city of San Cristóbal, without authorization or consultation to the communities and with dire consequences for them. The representatives of the communities demanded a halt to the construction and announced that they will take further actions if their demands are not met.

Read the complete denunciation below: (Continuar leyendo…)

The Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Human Rights Center presented its report, “Late la tierra en las veredas de la resistencia”, a look at the experiences of struggle of the peoples of Chiapas in the defense of their rights, report 2010.

Introducción: Víctor Hugo López Rodríguez – director del Frayba(Descarga aquí)  

Mtra. Magdalena Gómez – defensora de los derechos de los pueblos indígenas(Descarga aquí)  

Manuel Gómez Deara – ejidatario de San Sebastián Bachajón, adherentes a la Otra Campaña(Descarga aquí)  

Guadalupe Liévano y Emperatriz González – Integrantes del Centro de Derechos Humanos Digna Ochoa, Tonalá(Descarga aquí)  

Sara Méndez – Integrante del Comité de Defensa Integral de Derechos Humanos Gobixha, Oaxaca(Descarga aquí)  

Rafael Landerreche – Integrante de la parroquia de San Pedro Chenalhó(Descarga aquí)  

Jorge Santiago Santiago – Integrante del Consejo Directivo del Frayba(Descarga aquí)  

Palabras finales: Víctor Hugo López Rodríguez – director del Frayba(Descarga aquí)  

Ve el video de las palabras finales del Frayba abajo y lee/descarga el informe completo: (Continuar leyendo…)

During the Caravan Step by Step Toward Peace, relatives of missing migrants give their testimony:

Coordination from Guatemala (3:14 min):(Descarga aquí)  
Interview to Father Solalinde (2:32 min):(Descarga aquí)  
Honduran woman who looks for her missing mother (4:30 min): (Descarga aquí)  
Honduran mother who looks for her missing daughter (9 min):(Descarga aquí)  
Man looks for his missing brother (3 min):(Descarga aquí)  
Mother looks for her missing daughter (2:20 min):(Descarga aquí)  
Mother looks for her missing husband (3 min):(Descarga aquí)  
Man who was kidnapped (1 min):(Descarga aquí)  
(Continuar leyendo…)

The population of Las Peras and the Hutitepec Alcanfores neighbourhood in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, and Cahuaré in Chiapa de Corzo, Tuxtla, have decided to unite their struggle against environmental degredation and pollution created by extractive industries. Children, old people, women – in other words the whole community- are suffering from respiratory illnesses and allergies. These are the result of industrial activities which affect the community´s health at the same time as making others rich (in this case, business-owners working hand in glove with the local authorities) on the back of the suffering of others. Nonetheless, the community has organised itself to struggle together for a dignified life and an environment that is healthy for everyone.(Descarga aquí)   (Continuar leyendo…)

The story of Daniel Jiménez López of the Las Abejas civil association in Chenalhó, Chiapas, who suffered serious injuries when he was electrocuted while doing his job. Daniel is an electrical technician from the State Network for Resistance against High Electricity Prices. Daniel recounts what happened that day, the inhuman treatment that he received in hospital in the state capital Tuxtla, an indication of the prevailing racism against indigenous Mexicans. He also talks about the need for the struggle for a dignified life to continue.

(Descarga aquí)  
(Continuar leyendo…)

Los días 12 y 13 de agosto de 2011, se estará realizando el Primer Foro Contracultural Retomando las voces, la organización y el arte en las calles en San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas. El evento se estará realizando en la “Casa de Arte Experimental EDELO” ubicada en Flavio A. Paniagua #10, Col. Centro.

Spot de 45 minutos: (Descarga aquí)  

Invitación completa:(Descarga aquí)  
(Continuar leyendo…)

In this report, we joined the students and workers in Santiago de Chile in the massive march on July 14, 2011, to hear the voices of the protesters in their struggle against neoliberalism and for the democratization of public education. We also spoke with an activist in Santiago about the history of the privatization of education to better understand what is happening in the current struggle in Chile.

UPDATE:

Just a few days ago, on Thursday August 4, 2011, the student movement in Chile was brutally attacked by the neoliberal government of Sebastián Piñera. After nearly six weeks of protests, marches, and occupations of schools, the students once again took to the streets in a massive, unauthorized protest. In response to the escalating protests, President Piñera chose to apply a law put in place by former dictator Augusto Pinochet, which makes popular assembly illegal if it is not authorized by the government. Threatening the student activists, the Minister of the Interior, Rodrigo Hinzpeter stated that “the students will be held responsible for any deaths that result from the protests.”

The massive mobilizations throughout the country were met with violent repression by the thousands of police officers deployed to attack the protesters, and by the end of the day there were dozens wounded and 874 people had been arrested. Reports from Santiago announced that the city was under a state of siege, and the smell of tear gas had permeated the barrios. That night, neighbors took to the streets with the practice known as the “cacerolazo,” banging on pots and pans late into the night to show their support for the students and to denounce the violence. This practice became quite common during the nearly two decades of military dictatorship under Pinochet.

The following day, protests were held across Latin America and around the world, as rallies were held in front of Chilean embassies and Consulates in dozens of countries. And in Santiago, outside of the Memory Museum—a space dedicated to the collective memory of the state terrorism of Pinochet’s dictatorship—student installed the “Museum of Repression” with displays of items they had gathered during Thursday’s protests. Images circulated of a display of tear gas canisters, accompanied by a sign that reads: “Each canister costs approximately $250 dollars, and on this block alone we gathered more than 370 discarded canisters. You can draw your own conclusions.”

What follows is a segment produced by Radio Zapatista a few weeks ago, reporting from the July 14 march in Santiago de Chile. While it is now somewhat outdated, we want to air it because it gives a sense of the events that led to Thursday’s historic march and repression, and allows us to hear some of the voices of those who have been, and continue to, organize in defense of public education.

Interview with compañeros from the community of Nuevo Yibeljoj and with the directive committee of the Las Abejas Civil Association in Acteal, on their resistance to electricity prices and to the actions of the Federal Electricity Commission which cut the power to 10 families in resistance on 6th July 2011.

(Continuar leyendo…)