URGENT PRESS RELEASE (Update)

Oaxaca, Oax.- In the Isthmus of Tehuantepec tension has risen among communities which are resisting the entry of a wind energy company.

Faced with the demand of the company Mareña Renovables to “apply the law” in the Istmo region of Tehuantepec, tension has risen among the communities which are resisting the entry of the wind energy company, among them the communities of Alvaro Obregón and San Dionisio del Mar. It is important to note that Alvaro Obregón, municipality of Juchitán, is a passageway to the Santa Teresa sandbank, location where Mareña Renovables aspires to install 102 towers for the generation of wind energy.

On February 1st, at approximately 8 pm, seven state police vans entered the communities, their elements descended from the units on foot to the blockade, which they tried to vacate. Soon the police units found themselves outnumbered, inhabitants of Alvaro Obregón and Santa Rosa approached in order to support their companions; this caused a confrontation with stones, where some persons were injured.

Throughout the day, there was police surveillance in Santa Rosa de Lima, a community located close by to Alvaro Obregón, causing fear amongst local inhabitants. This situation was confirmed by members of the Comité de Defensa Integral de Derechos Humanos Gobixha AC (Committee for the Integral Defense of Human Rights Gobixha), Codigo-DH who, accompanied by Peace Brigades International, arrived in response to the alert emitted by the communities and local organizations.

It needs to be stressed that the state police has protected the company's personnel throughout the various attempts to enter the zone, as on October 31^st, 2012 when we were able to confirm this personally (see: link). The inhabitants in resistance have observed that the state police does not take care of the population in general, but (only) of those who are “on the side of the company.

The situation in the region is tense due to the rumors, harassments and threats, among them the eviction of the blockade that is maintained in Alvaro Obregón, the realization of an questionable assembly in San Dionisio del Mar, as well as death threats against various of the most visible leaders of the movement.

Organization in the Ikojts and binniza communities have strengthened themselves before the series of threats over their territories. It is the life of the people that is caught in the middle. For this reason, they remain resolute in their resistance to a project which threatens their rights and way of life. It should be kept in mind that indigenous communities and have the right to informed consultation and information, to give input and actively participate in the politics and projects which immediately affect their territories and their ways of life, as is the case with this project.

In view of this situation, CODIGO DH demands:

• Retreat of the state police from the communities in resistance as long as they continue protecting the interests of the company.

• Respect for the closure of the shelter which has been conceded to the companions of San Dionisio del Mar.

• Guarantee of the physical integrity of those in resistance and who defend their territories, as well as security conditions for the indigenous community of the Ikjots.

Previous bulletin: Aumenta riesgo de violencia y represión…

(More information can be found in the chapter “Indigenous people and megaprojects. The case of San Dionisio del Mar” on pages 68 to 78 of our 2012 report. Download HERE)