To the people of the world,

Dost je!, human rights organization from Slovenia, has been carefully observing the state violence in Mexican federal state of Oaxaca over five years. This summer political violence from falsely elected governor Ulises Ruiz escalated sharply. People who demand freedom and democracy face violence and torture.

Over half of the Oaxaca's 3.2 million people, most of whom are indigenous, live in poverty, and 21.5 percent of those over 15 are illiterate, while the average number of years of schooling is 5.6 years -- almost two less than Mexico's national average. Many students in Oaxaca's rural schools lack books and desks. Poor people from the federal state of Mexico, Oaxaca, decided not to live in misery and poverty. They had enough of repression and tyranny. The struggle began on 29th of April 2006 with teacher's demands for improving conditions in schools (fair wages for teachers, free meals and textbooks for pupils, same wages for teachers throughout all the districts of the State of Oaxaca). On June 14, the PRI government headed by Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz unleashed a brutal attack against the strike encampments set up by the teachers in the center of the city of Oaxaca. But the teachers forced the police forces to retreat after five hours of confrontation. During the protests, as many as six people have been killed in violent incidents which apparently involved irregular armed groups linked to the Ruiz administration and the police, according to human rights organisations. A number of demonstrators have also been arrested and injured, and further assaults perpetrated against them by organized, unidentified gangs of thugs have been reported. In response, the unions, neighborhood organizations, peasants and indigenous groups set up a Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO), which organized five huge marches and - with the decisive participation of the teachers - set up barricades that were staffed for self-defense purposes throughout the night. The teachers and the population set up a political tribunal to fight for the demand, "Governor Ulises Ruiz must go!" The teachers and the APPO have occupied the headquarters of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of the state, as well as the local private radios and the provincial television station.

Since then governor Ulises Ruiz is implementing repression against people in struggle and threatening them to withdraw their jobs. Protestors went to Mexico City and demanded intervention from federal authorities, but they were blocked by local police. The president of Mexico Vincente Fox does not want to take responsibility over the situation in Oaxaca and is supporting Ulises Ruiz in his violence.

There are around 380 organizations, collectives and networks which formed APPO, in order to practice democracy and have their voice heard. APPO is consisted of elected representatives. It is very democratic, because it includes the majority of population, of which most are of indigenous origin. For the first time people of Oaxaca have a truly representative institution, which is not using violence against it's own population, like the government of Oaxaca does. APPO demands are: justice, freedom, true democracy, immediate resignation of governor, liberation of all political prisoners and the end of repression!

At the very moment when we write these lines, several Navy helicopters are patrolling the skies of Oaxaca. A police assault could result in a bloodbath. On Sunday, October 1, 2006, a headline in the Mexico City daily Milenio proclaimed, "Preparations for war in Oaxaca," while Mexico City's El Universal newspaper reported that helicopters, planes and 15 troop trucks had assembled in Huatulco, a Pacific tourist getaway and military hub a short flight, but a long and difficult drive from Oaxaca city." According to the independent news website Narconews.com, which has been covering the Other Campaign of the Zapatistas, on Sunday, October 1, 2006: "The Mexican Navy carried out a reconnaissance operation over the buildings and public spaces occupied by the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO in its Spanish initials). Two MI-17 helicopters and one CASA C212 Navy airplane with registration number AMP-118 flew over the streets of the city - where opponents of Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz have maintained several encampments over the past 130 days - for about 40 minutes."

We view this as a direct threat against the people of Oaxaca. We are deeply concerned for our sisters and brothers in Oaxaca. Though they have shown the world that they believe in true democracy, and have taught us many lessons about democracy in practice, the Mexican government of Vicente Fox, to whom democracy comes less naturally and who would be best served by taking an example from the peaceful movement of Oaxaca, seem intent on a state-sponsored, military intervention and massacre with the aims at destroying the democracy of Oaxaca.

We urge you to send a message to the Mexican Government of Vicente Fox that the people of Slovenia are outraged by this weekend's threatening display of force and potential violence against a peaceful, democratic movement of Mexican citizens. We also urge Vicente Fox to go to the negotiation table with APPO representatives, recognize the people of Oaxaca's right to remove from office Ulises Ruiz—who no longer represents the people's will—and recognize the APPO as the official governing body of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. That is why we say:

No to repression against the teachers and the people in the State

of Oaxaca, Mexico!

Respect the fundamental demand of the movement: Governor Ulises

Ruiz Ortiz must step down immediately!

We will continue to keep our eyes on Oaxaca, and will continue to act in solidarity with the APPO and the people of Oaxaca in general here in Slovenia.

Sincerely,

Dost je!,

Slovenia, Europe.