So they are organizing a new caravan that will include representatives from several Mexican states and members of international organizations to bring food, coal and other basic products.

We interviewed Beatriz Casas of the Regional Human Rights Center Bartolome Carrasco, from the city of Oaxaca. The organization is preparing this new attempt to break the blockade that the Oaxacan community is suffering.

She said that there is no water or electricity in San Juan Copala, and that all education activities are stopped as a result of the repression in the autonomous municipality. The people there do not have basic food to live, so they are launching this call for a new caravan, an open call where they ask several human rights networks to coordinate the caravan.

Beatriz Casas also said that this new humanitarian caravan will have the coverage of local and international media, and that the European Union demanded the necessary guarantees as a result of the incidents happened in April when activist Betty Cariño and Finnish activist Tyri Antero Jaakkola were killed in an ambush by paramilitary groups.

The crimes against the caravan in April led to filing legal cases before the federal court.

Authorities of the State of Oaxaca have admitted that their jurisdiction ends where the arms of irregular groups linked to mining and large estates rule, so justice is quite blurry.

“I believe that this gives a good idea of a government when it recognizes that it has no authority in certain territories”, says Beatriz Casas. “I am a lawyer and I know about these proceedings. I think the state is not paying close attention, it is not addressing the case as it should”.

Meanwhile, the community is going through a “state of siege”. It was reported that on Tuesday June 8, 2010, will be a day to remember by the indigenous communities of Oaxaca. Solidarity is the biggest expression of love”.

In a press release they also demand the basic guarantees so that the humanitarian caravan arrives to destination with all the supplies.

“We demand the state and federal governments to take responsibility and guarantee the free transit and security of the Caravan and of our fellow people of San Juan Copala”, says the Council of the Autonomous Government of the triqui community. “We hold you responsible for any act of provocation that this humanitarian mission may suffer, because your attitude is letting the hired assassins and its criminal group to intimidate with total impunity”.

Photo: cms7.blogia.com