Above Photo: A demonstrator carries a banner demanding justice during a 3,000-strong protest in the streets of Oaxaca on Nov. 5, 2006. | Photo: EFE
Under the banner of “Now we know!” the Truth Commission report seeks to uncover “historic truth” and calls for an end to impunity in Oaxaca.
The Mexican state committed “massive and systematic” human rights abuses in the southwestern state of Oaxaca in 2006 and 2007, including extrajudicial killings and possible crimes against humanity, according to the final report of the Oaxaca Truth Commission released on Monday.
Human rights experts charged with investigating decade-old violations in Oaxaca found after a year of study that the state and federal governments were responsible for a wave of violations in 2006 and 2007 including arbitrary detentions, torture and inhumane treatment, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings as part of a campaign to crack down on social movement mobilizations.
“Torture was systematic and widespread,” reads the report, titled “Now we know! No more impunity in Oaxaca” and compiled by three commissioners. “Therefore the existence of crimes against humanity can be assumed.”
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The commission cites a testimony from former Mexican President Vicente Fox saying that he was under pressure from his successor Felipe Calderon to send federal forces to Oaxaca, but ultimately took responsibility for launching an operation in the state.
The conflict in Oaxaca broke out in mid-2006 when a teachers’ strike over low education funding morphed into a broad-based popular uprising demanding the resignation of state Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, who refused to step down. Movements used non-violent protests and occupied the capital city of Oaxaca, but faced repression and criminalization.
Almost 10 years since the events, there are still no definitive statistics regarding the extent of abuses during the months-long conflict. The Truth Commission documented the names of 373 victims of various abuses, which is considered an incomplete list.
Recomienda @CV_Oaxaca remover a funcionarios que participaron en violaciones a DH del 2006 #Oaxaca pic.twitter.com/F34YKEVqvG
— Rocío Flores (@RocioFloresCruz) February 29, 2016
“Oaxaca Truth Commission recommends removing officials who participated in human rights violations in 2006.”
The investigation also found that at least 33 journalists and media workers were physically assaulted, and at least two journalists were murdered in 2006. The report added that an “unknown number” of members of alternative media suffered threats, attacks, and assaults on their freedom of expression.
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The report outlines 25 recommendations aimed at raising awareness about the historic human rights violations and pursuing justice and comprehensive reparations for the victims and broader social damage caused by the state-backed abuses.
“Until Oaxaca addresses the aftermath of the conflict that began in 2006 it seems difficult to solve current problems and those of the coming years,” concludes the report. “Because while victims are forgotten, stigmatized, and even criminalized, the perpetrators of the human rights violations enjoy impunity, thanks to what looks like de facto amnesty.”
Under the banner of “Now we know!” the Truth Commission report calls for an end to impunity in Oaxaca.