URGENT ACTION

VILLAGERS THREATENED

The inhabitants of a village in southern Mexico, have been attacked repeatedly by a group of armed men, who have now chased away the police officers who were meant to protect them. These men have blocked the road to the village, and the villagers have no protection.

About 100 men armed with guns, machetes and sticks came to Santo Domingo Ixcatlán, Oaxaca state, on 11 October. They attacked the six state police officers who had been sent to protect the villagers, slashing one of them with a machete. The policemen fled the village. The armed men then went and set up barricades on all roads into the village. Among the villagers trapped in Santo Domingo Ixcatlán is human rights defender María de la Luz Martínez, who works for the Centre for Human Rights and Advice for Indigenous People (Centro de Derechos Humanos y Asesoría a Pueblos Indígenas, CEDHAPI).

The group of armed men work for a local political boss (cacique) closely connected to the municipal authorities. Since early 2008, they have been threatening and intimidating members of the community who oppose the sale of community lands. The sale of those lands would bring profit to the municipal authorities and the cacique. In April 2008, three community members opposed to the sale were killed in the village. In December 2008, the same group of armed men besieged the village and threatened to kill the inhabitants. In May 2009, Maria de la Luz Martínez was threatened with death by relatives of the cacique.

The caciquewas arrested in May for the killing of the three men, but others accused of involvement in the killings are still at large, though there are open warrants for their arrest. They are believed to be among the armed men.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ordered the Mexican authorities in 2008 to provide protection for the villagers and members of CEDHAPI, who work with them. However, the authorities have not sent enough police officers to provide protection.

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in Spanish or your own language:

• calling on the authorities to provide effective protection to the community of Santo Domingo Ixcatlán, and reopen safe routes into the village;

• urging them to order a prompt, independent and impartial investigation into the activities of the armed group, intimidating the inhabitants of Santo Domingo Ixcatlán, publish the results and bring those responsible to justice;

• calling on them to arrest immediately those still sought for the April 2008 killings.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 27 NOVEMBER 2009 TO: