Yesterday, there was a march here in cuernavaca (the state capital) calling for state, national, and international support and ACTION. Human rights groups, international observers, and many of my friends and colleagues from cuernavaca are already involved. This repression is a TERRIFYING demonstration of the inhumanity of this government.

Please feel free to email with any questions or comments you might have after reading the information below. I have included at the bottom a few VERY simple ways that you can be INSTRUMENTAL in this situation. Thanks in advance for your support... this is hitting pretty close to home for me right now.

working for peace,
elizabeth

CALL FOR URGENT ACTION FROM THE MEXICO SOLIDARITY NETWORK:
Violent Repression in Morelos, Mexico
As the autonomous Zapatista communities of Chiapas, Mexico celebrate the 10 year anniversary their uprising, the town of Tlalnepantla, Morelos, Mexico, declares itself autonomous as well. Armed riot police storm the town and leave at least two dead and many dozens of people missing and wounded. U.S. President George W. Bush says nothing of the massacre while in Mexico.

Synopsis:
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The town of Tlalnepantla, [ Tlahl-ne-PONT-lah] Morelos is located to the south of Mexico City. It is one of the most important producers of edible nopal cactus (an important staple of the Mexican diet.) Tlalnepantla provides a large percentage of the nopal consumed by Mexicans in the United States.

Like thousands of indigenous communities in Mexico, and according to ancient custom, it has always elected its leaders in an open town council consisting of the entire adult population. In last July's elections this way of selecting authorities was rejected by the Mexican electoral commission. The candidate who officially won at the polls was not selected by the full town assembly. The winning candidate, with less than 10% of the electorate's vote, is an unpopular political boss who has been accused of corruption in other political offices he has held. A majority of the population of Tlalnepantla subsequently called for an annulment of the electoral results and legal recognition of it's ancient form of selecting leaders, but the Morelos state government ignored their plea.

After months of discussion within the town, and in full accordance with the legal guarantees of the Mexican constitution, the people of Tlalnepantla declared themselves "autonomous" in the same way that EZLN affiliated indigenous communities in Chiapas have done. Tlalnepantla's declaration of autonomy came just as communities across Mexico and the world were celebrating the ten year anniversary of the uprising in Chiapas.

After repeated threats from the government to dismantle the autonomous government in Tlalnepantla, Governor Sergio Estrada Cajigal ordered nearly 1500 riot police January 14 at 1 A.M., armed with assault rifles to evict the autonomous government from Tlalnepantla. Snipers and police gunmen filled the air with bullets, beat women and men over 80 years of age, and left two dead, many wounded and scores of people disappeared and as of yet unaccounted for. Illegal searches were conducted in dozens of houses in the town.

This, as U.S. President George W. Bush was participating in the summit of the Americas in Mexico, vowing to punish "corrupt" states Venezuela and Cuba, but failing to condemn the continuous armed oppression of indigenous communities throughout Mexico.

TO MAKE YOUR OBJECTION TO THIS INHUMANE REPRESSION HEARD:

Email the governor of Cuernavaca, Sergio Estrada Cajiga: gobernador@morelos.gob.mx

Email the Mexican consulate nearest you: www.mexonline.com/consulate.htm
-if you live in Michigan, give a quick call to (313) 964-4515.

Be sure to let both know that you believe violent repression is WRONG, that democratic representation is a RIGHT, and that the WORLD IS WATCHING.

THANKS in advance. International support is CRUTIAL. You have a voice...