Dirty Journalism in Oaxaca

December 17, 2006: Mexican federal police leave Oaxaca City center in sign conflict is ending

2007-01-08T14:55:00.001-08:00

Federal police pulled out of the central square of Mexico's conflict-ridden state of Oaxaca, ending a seven-week occupation that restored order but angered many residents.

The withdrawal Saturday was another sign that six months of protests and street violence that killed nine people, scared away tourists and shattered the historic southern city's economy is ending.

On Saturday, the officers in black body armor packed away tents and sleeping mats and began marching out of the square before dawn, leaving state and city police to keep order.

Lino Celaya, Oaxaca's secretary of citizen protection, said about 2,000 federal police will remain in a military base outside the city in case trouble flares up again.

The protesters, a broad front of leftists, trade unionists and Indian groups, had taken over the center of Oaxaca for five months until more than 4,000 federal police armed with water canons and helicopters drove them off in October and November.

Many residents complained the presence of armored police and equipment cast a dark shadow over the colonial square and was akin to a military occupation.

However, some business owners fear there could be more violence after the police leave.

"What are we going to do without them?" asked Juanita Fosado, owner of a clothing store. "The protesters will come back to burn our businesses."

Federal police clashed with protesters throughout November, arresting more than 200 and pushing them out of all their city bases. Protest leader Flavio Sosa was also arrested, taking the sting out of the movement to oust Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz.

Human rights groups have asked U.N. officials to intervene on behalf of the arrested protesters, alleging they have been tortured and sexually abused in prisons hundreds of miles (kilometers) away.

On Saturday, federal authorities released 42 of the prisoners because there was a lack of evidence against them, according to protest spokesman Jesus Lopez and a federal official who asked not be identified because she was not authorized to speak on the record.

Most of the nine victims of the Oaxaca violence were protesters shot by armed gangs. Activists accuse local police of being behind the killings, and protesters complain that President Felipe Calderon's administration has failed to bring them to justice.

December 12, 2006: Government-allied union ends 1 1/2-year takeover of dissident Oaxaca newspaper

2007-01-08T14:54:00.001-08:00

A labor group allied with the government of the southern state of Oaxaca announced on Monday that it was ending a controversial, 1 1/2-year blockade of the offices of Noticias, a newspaper frequently critical of state authorities.

Press groups had criticized the blockade as an attempt to silence the newspaper, which opposed Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz, who has been hit by six months of protests by striking teachers and leftists seeking to oust him.

Officials of the Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants, or CROC, began handing over the offices of Noticias to the newspaper's director, saying the "strike" was over. Picket lines were removed from the street outside the offices.

David Aguilar, a union representative, said the strike had achieved its goals and that the CROC "had acted within the framework of the law."

While the union technically represents the workers at Noticias, almost none of the paper's roughly 100 employees supported the strike, in which non-newspaper union activists erected a picket line around the offices and prevented employees from entering.

The strike was supposedly called for wage raises, but many saw it as political retaliation against the paper, which harshly criticized Ruiz, who has been accused of corruption, brutality and vote-fixing. The union has close ties to Ruiz's government.

On June 17, 2005, supporters of a union dominated by the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI of which Ruiz is a member set up picket lines outside the Noticias. Some employees remained blockaded inside, but were eventually removed by police.

Seven months earlier, a gang of farmers had staged a violent takeover of a warehouse belonging to Noticias. The paper also accused the state government of being behind that attack, which officials described at the time as a land dispute.

Later, the PRI state government then tried to stop the paper from publishing from an alternative site.

Shortly after the strike started, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists called on Oaxaca officials to halt the blockade, which involved police confiscating copies of the newspaper and trying to block distribution.

"Your government has stated that this is a labor dispute, but the evidence does not support that claim," the committee said in an open letter. "This is an attempt to stifle coverage of state authorities."

Protesters began demanding Ruiz step down in late May, seizing much of Oaxaca city, the state capital. At least nine people were killed in the violence, mainly protesters, before federal police were sent into the city in October to regain control.

December 11, 2006: Mexico Leftist Leader Joins Oaxaca Protest

2007-01-08T14:53:00.001-08:00

A leader of Mexico's largest leftist party led thousands of protesters in a march to the center of this historic city on Sunday, demanding the resignation of the state governor and the withdrawal of thousands of federal police.

Shouting "Freedom for political prisoners!" the demonstrators also called for the release of more than 200 people arrested in the six-month-long conflict in Oaxaca that has shattered the local economy and left at least nine dead.

Leonel Cota, president of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party or PRD, marched at the front of the demonstration alongside his party's lawmakers and Oaxacan protest leaders.

The protesters a broad front of leftists, students and Indian groups accuse Gov. Ulises Ruiz of rigging his election in 2004 and of sending armed thugs against his opponents.

They took over the center of Oaxaca for five months until thousands of federal police drove them off in clashes in October and November.

The PRD has become increasingly involved in the Oaxaca conflict after keeping its distance for months. Last week party leaders took up the cause of protest leader Flavio Sosa, who was arrested in Mexico City, calling him the first political prisoner of recently sworn-in President Felipe Calderon.

The PRD claims Calderon's victory over its candidate, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in July was fraudulent and refuses to recognize him as president.

Most of the nine victims of the Oaxaca violence have been protesters who were shot by armed gangs, and activists blame local police for many of those killings.

Federal police raided the offices of the Oaxaca state police on Friday, and seized their guns to determine whether any were used in shootings of demonstrators.

The conflict has shattered the tourist industry in the city, which is famous for its colonial architecture and spicy cuisine. Although police have regained control of the city center, most foreign visitors continue to stay away.

Human rights groups have asked U.N. officials to intervene on behalf of the Oaxaca prisoners, alleging they have been tortured, sexually abused and taken to prisons thousands of miles away.

On Sunday, Ruiz announced that he had signed an agreement for more than 100 prisoners to be transferred from penitentiaries in the north of Mexico to installations close to their families in Oaxaca.

Meanwhile, about 200 demonstrators marched through Mexico City in solidarity with the Oaxaca march.

December 10, 2006: unmen Slay Indian Activist in Oaxaca

2007-01-08T14:52:00.000-08:00

Assailants shot dead an Indian activist in Mexico's conflict-ridden state of Oaxaca, police said Saturday. It was not clear if the killing was related to months of political violence in which at least nine other people have died.

The bullet-ridden corpse of Raul Marcial Perez was found Friday on a road near the Mixtec Indian community of Agua Fria about 120 miles north of Oaxaca City, state police said in a news release. He had been shot earlier in the day, it said.

Marcial Perez had been involved in disputes involving two rival Triqui Indian rights groups, but it was not clear if that was related to his slaying.

Some Indian groups in Oaxaca have participated in demonstrations against state Gov. Ulises Ruiz, who is accused of thuggery and corruption. The protesters took over the center of Oaxaca for five months until thousands of federal police drove them off in clashes in October and November.

Most of the nine victims of the Oaxaca violence have been protesters who were shot by armed gangs, and activists blame local police for many of those killings.

Among those killed in the protests was freelance video journalist Bradley Roland Will, 36, of New York, who was filming a clash between protesters and a group of armed men on Oct. 27 when he was shot.

On Friday, federal police raided the offices of the Oaxaca state police force and seized their guns to determine whether any were used in shootings of demonstrators.

Oaxaca police director Manuel Moreno said Saturday that the seizure was illegal and accused the federal police of failing to follow correct procedures.

Protesters planned to march into the center of Oaxaca on Sunday to demand the resignation of Ruiz and the freedom of more than 200 people who have been arrested in demonstrations and sent to prisons across Mexico.

December 5, 2006: Leader of Oaxaca protests arrested in Mexico City, supporters calling for weekend march

2007-01-08T14:51:00.000-08:00

Police arrested the symbolic leader of a six-month protest movement that took over the southern city of Oaxaca and left at least nine dead, hours after he said at a news conference in Mexico City that he'd gone to the capital to negotiate a peaceful solution.

Flavio Sosa, whose heavyset, bearded presence became an emblem of the leftist Oaxaca People's Assembly, was arrested late Monday on charges related to the barricades, vandalism and irregular detentions carried out by some protesters.

"Sosa ... is known for his use of violence, damaging private property and public byways, and also burning vehicles and buildings in Oaxaca City," federal prosecutors said.

Sosa was charged with kidnapping, robbery, causing damages and injuries and taken to a maximum security prison just west of Mexico City that holds some of the nation's most dangerous prisoners.

Leaders of the Oaxaca People's Assembly, or APPO, have vowed to keep pressing for Gov. Ulises Ruiz's resignation and called for a "mega-march" Saturday to demand the release of Sosa and other protesters even as life there visibly returns to normal after burned-out vehicles and improvised barricades were removed from the streets.

Some residents warn that simmering discontent about poverty, injustice and oppression could erupt into violence again at any time.

Tomas Basaldu, Oaxacan state leader of Mexico's leftist Democratic Revolution Party, said he was meeting with the protesters.

"We will take action in the next few days," he said. "We won't lower our guard in backing the protesters."

The conflict began in late May as a strike by teachers seeking higher pay, but quickly exploded into a broader movement including Indian groups, students, farmers and myriad left-leaning activists claiming Ruiz rigged his electoral victory and has repressed opponents.

The conflict kept residents away from the city's historic center and forced nearly all the shops and restaurants to close their doors. Former President Vicente Fox in late October sent in federal troops, who cleared protesters from the streets.

Located about 325 miles southeast of Mexico City and featuring colonial architecture and Indian crafts, Oaxaca is one of the country's premier tourist destinations. But tourism plummeted amid the violence, which prompted the U.S. and several other foreign governments to warn their citizens against traveling to the city.

Before his arrest Monday, Sosa said he had come to Mexico City to try to re-establish negotiations with the government and to escape the "fierce persecution of the police and Ulises Ruiz' hit men," in Oaxaca.

Police called Sosa "the main leader" of the protest movement. Last month, he said everyone in the protest movement was equal "But my big beard and big stomach have made me become the favorite leader of the press and the police."

Sosa's brother, Horacio, was also arrested on unspecified charges.

Leaders who accompanied Sosa at the news conference said 220 protesters have been detained during the conflict, although police cite a figure of about 170. Protesters also claimed some detainees had been beaten, and that another 70 supporters of the movement are missing.

Among those killed in the protests was freelance video journalist from New York who was filming a clash between protesters and a group of armed men.

The violence seemed to come to a head last week when protesters set colonial-era buildings on fire, prompting police to begin arresting demonstrators. Many detainees have been transferred to a federal prison hundreds of miles away in Nayarit state, and many APPO leaders went into hiding after authorities issued warrants for their arrest.

November 27, 2006:Protesters, governor vow to control center of embattled colonial city of Oaxaca

2007-01-08T14:50:00.002-08:00

Leftist protesters in embattled Oaxaca City have vowed to re-establish a protest camp from which they were dislodged during running street battles with police that injured at least 43 people and led to 152 arrests.

Equally unyielding, Gov. Ulises Ruiz, whose resignation the protesters are demanding, made his first public tour of the damaged downtown area in months on Sunday and vowed to use "all the weight of the law" against violent protests.

Protest spokesman Florentino Lopez told local media that the demonstrators would set up camp again on Monday in the Santo Domingo plaza after being removed by federal police who used tear gas and water jets from tanker trucks.

The violence broke out when masked youths broke away from a protest march Saturday of about 4,000 people and hurled gasoline bombs, powerful fireworks and rocks at federal police in a failed attempt to encircle the officers holding the city's main plaza.

Police forced back the protesters and then removed them from the nearby Santo Domingo plaza, where they had regrouped after police re-entered the city in late October, ending a five-month takeover.

The federal police, who have largely remained in the main square and a few positions around the city, said they would actively patrol the city in search of those who committed "direct attacks" against them.

In a statement, the police said four of their officers and several bystanders were injured in the confrontation and accused outside activists of participating in the unrest that left three hotels were damaged, 20 vehicles burned and several businesses looted.

Some supporters of the leftist movement, the Oaxaca People's Assembly, claimed the youths were provocateurs or government agents, but Lopez told local media they were simply demonstrators who "exercised their legitimate right to self defense."

By early Sunday, the blazes were under control, but flames had gutted court offices in one of Oaxaca's colonial edifices. Later Sunday, protesters tossed gasoline bombs at a tax office.

Federal police said 152 people were arrested. Ruiz put the number at 160 and state prosecutors said that at least 43 people were injured. It was unclear whether that figure included 10 police officers and three journalists who suffered minor injuries in the battles.

On Saturday, residents watched in horror as buildings went up in flames and the streets filled with tear gas and smoke.

Josefina Quiros said protesters loosely organized under the Oaxaca People's Assembly, or APPO, were spreading fear. "We are terrified of the APPO people," she said.

The protesters are demanding the resignation of Ruiz, accusing him of brutality, corruption and electoral fraud.

The fires damaged four buildings housing government offices, one university building and the offices of the state hotel association, which had already seen business from tourism the city's main source of outside income reduced to a trickle by the monthslong protest movement.

Ruiz had blamed the disturbances on radical groups from Mexico City.

"These are the death throes of a movement that has already disintegrated," Ruiz told a news conference.

The conflict began months ago as a teachers' strike, but quickly mushroomed into a broad protest against social and economic injustices in the poor state, in which protesters seized and paralyzed much of the city between May and October.

A majority of the teachers have since returned to work and did not participate in Saturday's demonstration.

Nine people have been killed in the clashes, including freelance video journalist Bradley Roland Will, 36, of New York, who was filming a group of leftist protesters that clashed with a group of armed men.

LOAD-DATE:

November 26, 2006: Leftist protesters set buildings ablaze in embattled colonial city of Oaxaca

2007-01-08T14:50:00.001-08:00

Protesters set fire to another building in the colonial city of Oaxaca on Sunday after torching government offices and vehicles and damaging hotels during demonstrations that left at least 43 injured and 152 arrested.

On Saturday, leftist protesters demanding the resignation of the Oaxaca state governor hurled rocks, powerful fireworks and gasoline bombs at federal police, in a bid to encircle the officers in the picturesque, arch-ringed main square of the city.

Police used tear gas and water jets from tanker trucks to force back the protesters and retake another, smaller square nearby where the demonstrators had regrouped after police re-entered the city in late October, ending a five-month takeover.

On Sunday, the federal police who have largely remained in the main square and a few positions around the city announced they would actively patrol the city in search of those who committed "direct attacks on federal police."

In a press statement, the police said four of their officers and several bystanders were injured in the confrontation and accused outside activists of participating in the unrest.

During the clash, bands of masked youths broke off from a march of about 4,000 people earlier Saturday and pushed shopping carts filled with rocks and gasoline bombs through the streets in a running battle with police.

By early Sunday firefighters had controlled the blazes, but the flames had already gutted court offices housed in one of Oaxaca's imposing colonial edifices. Later Sunday, protesters also torched a tax office.

In one of his first public appearances downtown in his own state capital since protesters forced officials out in May, Gov. Ulises Ruiz vowed to punish those responsible and remove the barricades protesters still man in some sections of the city.

"All the weight of the law will be applied to those who have committed these acts of vandalism," Ruiz told reporters.

Federal police said 152 people were arrested. Ruiz put the number at 160 and state prosecutors said that at least 43 people were injured; it was unclear whether that figure included ten police officers and three journalists who suffered minor injuries in the confrontations.

Prosecutors said there were no reports of any deaths; many of the injuries appeared minor, involving tear gas inhalation or blows from rocks and cudgels.

Downtown residents watched in horror as buildings went up in flames and the streets filled with a choking mixture of tear gas and smoke.

Oaxaca resident Josefina Quiros said protesters loosely organized under the leftist People's Assembly of Oaxaca were spreading fear.

"We are terrified of the APPO people," said Josefina Quiros, referring to the assembly by its Spanish initials.

The protesters are demanding the resignation of Ruiz, accusing him of brutality, corruption and electoral fraud.

Demonstrators attacked three hotels, hurling gasoline bombs at one and smashing windows at two others. Some protesters also looted several business in the downtown area.

The fires damaged four buildings housing government offices, one university building and the offices of the state hotel association, which had already seen business from tourism the city's main source of outside income reduced to a trickle by the six-month-old protest movement.

In late October, the federal police retook control of the city's picturesque main square from protesters stationed there since May, but their control over the rest of the city has been tenuous since then.

On Saturday, police advanced in formation from the main square to oust demonstrators from the protest camp they had set up in another square, the Santo Domingo plaza, two blocks away.

Marcelino Coache, a spokesman for the leftist People's Assembly of Oaxaca, said some protesters suffered serious injuries; some of the demonstrators appeared to have retreated to the campus of a local university, where academic-freedom laws prevent police from entering.

Gov. Ruiz earlier blamed the disturbances on radical groups from Mexico City.

"These are the death throes of a movement that has already disintegrated," Ruiz told a news conference Saturday.

The conflict began months ago as a teachers' strike, but quickly mushroomed into a broad protest against social and economic injustices in the poor state; protesters seized and paralyzed much of the city between May and October.

A majority of the teachers have since returned to work and did not participate in Saturday's demonstration.

Nine people have been killed in the clashes, including freelance video journalist Bradley Roland Will, 36, of New York, who was filming a group of leftist protesters that clashed with a group of armed men. Both sides fired, and it is not clear who shot first.

Several governments, including the United States, have warned tourists to stay away from Oaxaca city, formerly popular with tourists for its nearby ruins, cuisine, colonial architecture and handicrafts.

November 23, 2006: Protesters in southern Mexican state of Oaxaca briefly raid radio station to transmit message

2007-01-08T14:49:00.000-08:00

Protesters calling for the resignation of the Oaxaca state governor briefly raided a radio station in the capital city on Wednesday to transmit a message rallying followers to a weekend march.

Members of the Oaxaca People's Assembly, or APPO, forced their way into the Ley 710 radio station and warned that if they were not allowed to broadcast their message, they would take over the station as they did earlier for nearly three months.

The group broadcast a call for supporters to join a Saturday rally at the main central plaza, or Zocalo, which was its base until federal police ousted the protesters last month. The police are still in control of the square.

"We want to show that the APPO has not died and that its demands remain intact," one of the members, who did not identify himself, said during the broadcast. "Our fight is peaceful and it won't end until (Gov.) Ulises Ruiz Ortiz falls."

Ley 710 is one of 10 private radio stations in Oaxaca, all of which were taken over by APPO in August. The group later abandoned the stations, but eight have not resumed broadcasts because APPO threatened to take them over again.

One of the stations that resumed broadcasts is controlled by a member of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party, which supports the protests.

APPO remains in control of the radio station at Oaxaca's Autonomous Benito Juarez University, which the protesters converted into their headquarters early this month after being driven from the Zocalo. The protesters also broadcast from a bootleg radio station.

A separate unlicensed station known as "Radio Ciudadania," or "Citizens' Radio," is broadcasting messages in favor of Ruiz.

On Tuesday, APPO announced that it would reactivate mobile brigades that in the past have symbolically closed government offices as part of their demand to oust Ruiz.

Wednesday marked the six-month anniversary of the conflict, which has cost Oaxaca state millions of dollars in business, including tourism, and 1.3 million children hundreds of hours of schooling. Teachers just recently returned to the classrooms after accepting a pay raise.

The conflict began as a teachers strike, but quickly mushroomed into a broad protest against centuries of social and economic injustices in the poor state.

Nine people have been killed in the clashes, including freelance video journalist Bradley Roland Will, 36, of New York, who was filming a group of leftist protesters that clashed with a group of armed men. Both sides fired. It is not clear who shot first.

On Wednesday, Amnesty International investigator Rupert Knox called for an independent autopsy on Will's body after the Oaxaca state attorney general said Will apparently was shot at point-blank range, indicating that the fatal shots came from nearby leftist protesters.

A spokesman for the protesters said officials were fabricating evidence to win the release of two local officials held in connection with the Oct. 27 killing.

Will was shot twice in the abdomen and died on the way to hospital.

Also Wednesday, two dozen APPO sympathizers marched in front of the U.S. Consulate in Acapulco in Guerrero state, which borders Oaxaca.

"If Ulises Ruiz doesn't leave, Calderon won't enter," they chanted, referring to President-elect Felipe Calderon, who takes office on Dec. 1.

The protesters include many supporters of leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who lost the July 2 presidential election to Calderon by less than 1 percentage point.

November 21, 2006: Renewed clashes between protesters and police in southern Mexican state of Oaxaca

2007-01-08T14:48:00.002-08:00

Masked protesters armed with sticks, rocks, fireworks and homemade gasoline bombs clashed briefly with federal police and raided a downtown hotel Monday as violence continued after more than five months of demonstrations seeking the governor's resignation.

The protesters led a march for Monday's Mexican Revolution holiday to the city's main central plaza, the Zocalo, which police took over in late October in an attempt to end the protesters' siege of the city. As they passed, the demonstrators began using their weapons against police, who fired back with tear gas and pepper spray, eventually dispersing them.

The demonstrators were seen taking vehicles away from motorists driving through the center at the time, including a passenger bus, which they later set on fire. They also raided the Camino Real hotel, breaking the windows of the upscale establishment and spraying its walls with graffiti.

The hotel closed its doors shortly thereafter and did not release any information about its guest list. It was the second time since the protests began in late May that protesters have attacked the hotel.

In late September, about 300 demonstrators armed with machetes, knives and pipes descended on the hotel searching for Gov. Ulises Ruiz, whom they accuse of rigging the 2004 election to win office and violently repressing dissent.

Protest leader Cesar Mateos said police detained some of the demonstrators, but couldn't say how many. Police did not release any information on detentions.

In Mexico's southernmost state of Chiapas on Monday, thousands of Indian sympathizers of the Zapatista rebels blocked highways throughout the state in support of the Oaxacan protesters.

November 16, 2006: New evidence casts doubt over who killed U.S. journalist, Oaxaca Attorney General says

2007-01-08T14:48:00.001-08:00

State investigators have found that a U.S. activist and journalist who was killed while filming a Oaxaca gun battle last month was shot at point blank range, indicating that the two suspects currently in prison may not be behind his death, Oaxaca Attorney General Lizbeth Cana said.

Two officials from the town of Santa Lucia were arrested for the killing of Roland Will, 36, who was shot Oct. 27 in the town near Oaxaca while filming a group of leftist protesters during a clash with authorities.

Cana said Tuesday that the investigation shows that both bullets that killed Will were fired from the same gun, and one of them was fired at point-blank range. The evidence suggest that the protesters being filmed by Will may have shot him, Cana said.

The leftist protesters are calling for the resignation of Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz, an Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, member, who is Cana's boss. They have accused Cana of using her office to support a corrupt governor and she has called them "urban guerrillas."

Protest spokesman Florentino Lopez said Cana was fabricating evidence to try and blame the leftists for the killing.

"It seems a very clear fabrication and a stupid way of trying to blame the protesters," Lopez said.

Will wrote dispatches on independent website Indymedia.com showing he had strong sympathies with the leftist protest movement. He was shot twice in the abdomen in the incident and died on the way to hospital.

Also Tuesday, gunmen killed two members of the PRI in the Oaxacan mountains but it was not clear if their deaths were linked to the political unrest that has swept the state since May.

The shooting took place near the village of San Agustin Loxicha, 120 miles (200 kilometers) south of Oaxaca's state capital.

The two PRI members, identified as Faustino Sebastian Valencia and Jesus Valencia, were ambushed and shot dead as they walked in the mountains, said Lieutenant Manuel Moreno Rivas of Oaxaca state police. Moreno said he did not know the motive for the killing.

Oaxaca PRI president Hector Pablo Ramirez said the killings may been linked to the political conflict in the state or they may have been to do with a personal grudge.

The protests to oust Ruiz have led to at least nine deaths, mostly of leftist protesters who have been shot by gangs of gunmen.

Protesters accuse Ruiz of rigging the 2004 election to win office and of using violence against his opponents.

Last month, President Vicente Fox sent more than 4,000 federal police to quell the unrest.

Associated Press Writer Ioan Grillo contributed to this report from Mexico City.

November 16, 2006: Oaxaca governor avoids giving live address after protesters threaten interruption

2007-01-08T14:47:00.001-08:00

The governor of Mexico's conflict-ridden southern Oaxaca state sent a deputy Wednesday to hand-deliver his annual progress report to lawmakers after protesters said they would interrupt the governor's address if he gave it in person.

Instead of personally delivering a customary live speech at the state legislature, Gov. Ulises Ruiz sent state Interior Secretary Heliodoro Diaz to deliver the written report, state government spokeswoman Luz Divina Zarate said.

A taped message from the governor summarizing his past year in office was broadcast later Wednesday on television and radio stations.

Protests demanding the resignation of Ruiz, whose term ends in 2010, have roiled the city for five months and protest leader Florentino Lopez had said demonstrators would disrupt Ruiz's address if he tried to deliver it in person.

Protesters accuse Ruiz of rigging the 2004 election to win office and of using violence against his opponents. Last month, President Vicente Fox sent more than 4,000 federal police to quell the unrest. The protests have led to at least nine deaths, mostly of leftists who have been shot dead by gangs of gunmen.

On Tuesday, the state's attorney general released a report saying an American activist-journalist who was killed while filming a gunbattle during recent demonstrations was shot at point-blank range, indicating the fatal shots came from nearby leftist protesters.

Lopez said Tuesday that officials were fabricating evidence to win the release of two local officials held in connection with the Oct. 27 killing of Bradley Roland Will, 36, of New York.

Will, 36, was filming a group of leftist protesters who clashed with a group of armed men in Santa Lucia, a working-class town on the outskirts of Oaxaca city. Both sides fired. It is not clear who shot first.

Will was shot twice in the abdomen and died on the way to hospital.

November 14, 2006: In Mexican city of Oaxaca, classes briefly resume at university wracked by protests

2007-01-08T14:46:00.001-08:00

Students briefly returned to classes at a public university overrun by protesters but lessons were soon suspended after shouting matches between students in favor and those against a leftist movement in the southern Mexican City

Leftist protesters set up their headquarters at Oaxaca's Autonomous Benito Juarez University early this month after police drove them out of the city's main plaza, which they had occupied for months in a bid to force Oaxaca's state governor to resign.

Some students complained Monday they were intimidated by masked protesters who shouted "traitors" at those going into classrooms.

"In truth, the people wearing masks scare me. I'm better off going home," said Bertha Orozco.

Leftist protesters also say they fear for their safety after almost daily shootings at them by pro-government armed groups driving by the university in cars and trucks.

A student protester was shot in the neck earlier this month and remains hospitalized.

University spokesman Carlos Pazaran said there would be no further classes until security conditions were guaranteed.

At least nine people have died since August in the unrest, which has rattled the outgoing administration of President Vicente Fox.

Earlier this month, 30 people were injured during clashes between federal police and protesters after the officers tried to remove barricades on a street near the university.

Rector Francisco Martinez and Mexican Interior Secretary Carlos Abascal vowed Monday to guarantee the safety of the school's 36,000 students, although Martinez made clear federal police would not be allowed on campus. Federal police are not allowed to enter under a law designed to protect academic freedom.

The Oaxaca protests began in May with a strike by teachers looking for better pay and turned into a campaign for the resignation of Gov. Ulises Ruiz after police under his command violently broke up a demonstration.

Leftists, Indian groups and students have joined in, as protesters accuse Ruiz of rigging the 2004 election to win office and sending groups of armed thugs to kill and intimidate his opponents.

Also Monday, parents and teachers opened additional public primary and high school classrooms, joining dozens of schools that have reopened despite the ongoing teachers strike.

November 12, 2006: Youths Fire-Bomb McDonald's in Oaxaca

2007-01-08T14:45:00.001-08:00

Four youths wearing masks tossed gasoline bombs at a McDonald's restaurant in the conflict-torn city of Oaxaca on Sunday, damaging the windows, seats and play area, police said.

Security personnel at the shopping center where the McDonald's is located extinguished the blaze, police said. The restaurant was closed during the pre-dawn attack, and nobody was hurt.

The shopping mall is near a university where leftist protesters set up their headquarters last month after police drove them out of city's main plaza, which they had occupied for five months in a bid to force the resignation of the Oaxaca state governor. Those activists attacked a Burger King restaurant in the same mall with gasoline bombs last week.

However, leaders of the movement, known as the Oaxaca People's Assembly, denied their members were responsible for Sunday's attack.

McDonald's was at the center of controversy here in 2002, when artists and community groups forced the chain to abandon plans to open a franchise in Oaxaca's picturesque colonial main square, saying it would hurt the city's cultural identity.

Oaxaca's conflict started as a teachers' strike for higher pay. It expanded into a fight to oust Gov. Ulises Ruiz, with leftist protesters seizing the city center, building barricades, burning buses and seizing radio stations to call for revolution.

The unrest drove foreign tourists away from the city, one of the country's top attractions.

On Saturday, the Roman Catholic bishop of Oaxaca declined a request to give asylum or sanctuary to People's Assembly leaders who fear arrest. Bishop Jose Luis Chavez Botello said the church did not have the resources to guarantee the safety of the protest leaders but was trying to facilitate understanding and dialogue between the two sides.

Many of the striking teachers recently agreed to accept pay increases and return to work. Federal police have retaken the city center, but violence has persisted elsewhere, including clashes between police and protests that injured 30 people last week.

November 12, 2006: Oaxaca bishop says church cannot grant sanctuary to protest leaders

2007-01-08T14:44:00.000-08:00

The Roman Catholic bishop of Oaxaca said Saturday the church cannot grant sanctuary to four leftists who led a five-month takeover of the city to demand the resignation of the state governor.

The four had publicly asked for protection in one of the city's churches earlier this week, fearing they might be arrested on charges stemming from their role in demonstrations which at times turned violent.

But Bishop Jose Luis Chavez Botello told reporters on Saturday that the church has neither the resources nor the facilities to provide sanctuary, an ancient tradition in which temples shielded people from detention by authorities.

The bishop said the church was trying to act as a facilitator of dialogue and has not shown preferences in the conflict, which began as a teachers' strike in late May.

"We have cared for average citizens, policemen, teachers and state government employees without distinction," the bishop said.

For five months, leftist protesters allied with the striking teachers seized the city center, kept out state police and drove away tourists from one of Mexico's top destinations. They built barricades, burned buses and took over private radio stations to broadcast calls for revolution. Nine people have been killed in the city since August, most of them leftists.

The president on Oct. 29 sent 4,000 federal officers backed by helicopters and water cannons to push the leftists out of the city center and regain control.

Flavio Sosa is the most visible leader of the Oaxaca People's Assembly a coalition of leftists, anarchists and neighborhood groups calling for the resignation of Gov. Ulises Ruiz who they accuse of rigging a 2004 election.

Sosa faces arrest warrants on riot and conspiracy charges, but has also been engaged in on-again, off-again talks with the federal government. He spends most of his time surrounded by supporters at Oaxaca's state university where protesters set up their headquarters after being expelled by police from the city's main square. The university's rector has refused to allow police to enter the facility.

But he also frequently speaks to reporters and supporters just a couple of blocks from positions the federal police took up in the city following the raid in late October. Police apparently have never pursued him.

On Saturday, protesters met to plan out the movement's future strategy after striking teachers voted to accept pay increases and many agreed to return to work.

Meanwhile, sporadic violence has persisted in the city as federal officers clashed with protesters using gasoline bombs and fireworks packed with glass and nails. Last week, 30 people were injured in confrontations with police.

Federal police said over the weekend that they would start assuming anti-crime operations in the city because some criminals had taken advantage of the political upheaval to commit robberies and other crimes.

November 4, 2006: Oaxaca protesters regroup after Mexican federal police retreat from university

2007-01-08T14:43:00.000-08:00

Protesters demanding the governor's resignation in troubled Oaxaca state received fresh support Friday from the country's largest leftist group, a day after forcing federal police from one of their strongholds during six hours of often-violent clashes.

The Democratic Revolution Party said it would join the protesters in a demonstration planned for Sunday in Oaxaca City and would have its followers form human chains around federal police detachments entering the city that day.

The party previously kept its distance from the Oaxaca protest movement a coalition of leftist and anarchist protesters calling for the resignation of Gov. Ulises Ruiz that seized the capital city for five months until being removed by police in a Sunday raid.

The country's top police official, Public Safety Secretary Eduardo Medina, said he expected life to be back to normal in Oaxaca City by the end of the month, despite ongoing fierce clashes in the city's streets.

On Thursday, the demonstrators lobbed firecrackers, gasoline bombs and rocks at police who had surrounded Oaxaca's state university. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons in violent skirmishes that left 20 protesters, 10 police officers and three news photographers injured.

"We are not at war with anyone," Medina said Friday. He added that federal police were trying to create an environment in which negotiations between the two sides could take place.

Federal police have said they are seeking to clear street barricades so that traffic can return to normal, and that they have no plans to storm the university, where the protesters have set up one of their headquarters and are broadcasting messages from its radio station.

On Friday, dozens of masked youths patrolled the barricades re-established outside the university, some carrying long plastic or metal tubes used to launch powerful fireworks against police. Inside the university, teacher and protest supporter Guillermo Contreras said "we are on maximum alert. We will fight their weapons with our spirit and dignity."

Under Mexican law, the university rector must give the police permission to enter. Rector Francisco Martinez, speaking on the university radio station Thursday, called the operation an "attack" and demanded that the police withdraw, which they eventually did.

Protest leaders later dismissed any chance of resuming negotiations with the federal Interior Department. Spokesman Florentino Lopez demanded direct talks with President Vicente Fox instead. Fox was in Uruguay on Friday attending the Iberoamerican summit and his office did not issue a statement.

Also Friday, Ruiz, who is accused of rigging the 2004 election to win office and organizing bands of thugs to attack dissidents, reiterated that he would not resign. He accused radical groups from Mexico City of participating in protests like Thursday's clash.

A free medical clinic near the university reported that more than 20 protesters had been treated for bruises, cuts and injuries related to tear gas in that confrontation. Lopez claimed the number of injured was much higher.

The 10 injured officers received various gas-fire burns and bruises, the federal police said in a statement.

At least nine people have died in the conflict, mostly protesters shot by police or armed gangs. Among the victims was activist-journalist Bradley Roland Will, 36, of New York, who was shot in the stomach while filming a gunbattle last Friday.

The state prosecutor's office said Wednesday that two people were in custody in connection with Will's death. They were detained after residents identified them as the alleged shooters, and Mayor Manuel Martinez of Santa Lucia del Camino, where Will was killed, said the suspects are officials of the municipality, on the outskirts of Oaxaca City.

The Paris-based media rights group Reporters Without Borders on Friday condemned "shortcomings" in the investigation into his death "and the fact that three others allegedly involved have been able to escape."

"The investigation in no way absolves the Oaxaca state government of responsibility in Will's death and we reiterate our call for the creation of a federal commission of inquiry," the group said in a statement.

It added it had information indicating two Guatemalan journalists have gone missing in Oaxaca.

The embassies of the U.S., Canada, Britain, France and Germany all have warned their citizens to avoid traveling to the region.

The conflict has shattered tourism in the city, which is popular for its colonial architecture, cuisine and ancient ruins.

November 3, 2006: axaca protesters force police retreat, vow to rebuild downed barricades

2007-01-08T14:42:00.001-08:00

Protesters vowed to re-establish street blockades in embattled Oaxaca City after forcing Mexican federal police to retreat at a key intersection following more than six hours of clashes involving tear gas and gasoline bombs.

Thursday's battle left 20 protesters, 10 police and three news photographers injured, after youths wearing bandannas over their face lobbed rocks, large bottle rockets and gasoline bombs at police, who responded with tear gas, water cannons and the rocks pitched at them.

The clash occurred near the state university, where protesters demanding the ouster of the state's governor have set up headquarters and broadcast from a radio station after police retook the city's picturesque central plaza during a massive raid Sunday. Police control in other areas of the city has since been spotty.

Reverberations from the ongoing fight in Oaxaca city seized five months ago by a coalition of striking teachers and leftist protesters demanding the resignation of the Oaxaca state governor also reached the capital of Mexico City, where sympathizers temporarily blocked some downtown streets to demand police be withdrawn from Oaxaca.

In Oaxaca City, about 200 police wearing body armor and carrying riot shields advanced to the university gates and fought the protesters for more than six hours before retreating. The retreat left protesters claiming victory and pledging to re-establish barricades that had been dismantled in previous days.

Under Mexican law, the university rector must give the police permission to enter. Rector Francisco Martinez, speaking on the university radio station, called the operation an "attack" and demanded that the police withdraw.

Federal police said they simply intended to "restore order and peace" on the streets and didn't plan to storm the school.

Previous negotiations between the protesters and the interior department broke down, and on Thursday protest spokesman Florentino Lopez demanded direct talks with President Vicente Fox.

A free medical clinic near the university reported that more than 20 protesters had been treated for bruises, cuts and injuries related to tear gas. Lopez claimed the number of injured was much higher.

The 10 officers received various gas-fire burns and bruises, the federal police said in a statement.

Photographer David Jaramillo of the Mexican daily El Universal was hit in the arm by a large bottle rocket loaded with nails, and was hospitalized in stable condition, the statement said. Another two photographers suffered minor injuries after being hit by stones or nails packed in the rockets, which are about an inch in diameter and six inches (15 centimeters) long.

The university radio station reported that at least six demonstrators had been arrested and demanded their release.

The university is a stronghold of the movement to oust Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz, who is accused of rigging the 2004 election to win office and organizing bands of thugs to attack dissidents. Protesters including trade unionists, leftists and Indian groups have been flocking to Oaxaca since May to press their demands, and took over the center of the state capital for more than five months.

Many of the protesters retreated into the university campus on Sunday after thousands of federal police swept into Oaxaca center firing tear gas and tearing down camps and barricades. It was unclear exactly how many remained there.

At least nine people have died in the conflict, mostly protesters shot by police or armed gangs. Among the victims was activist-journalist Bradley Roland Will, 36, of New York, who was shot in the stomach while filming a gunbattle Friday.

The state prosecutor's office said Wednesday that two people were in custody in connection with Will's death. They were detained after residents identified them as the alleged shooters, and Mayor Manuel Martinez of Santa Lucia del Camino, where Will was killed, said the suspects are officials of the municipality, on the outskirts of Oaxaca City. The embassies of the U.S., Canada, Britain, France and Germany all have warned their citizens to avoid traveling to the region.

The conflict has shattered tourism in the city, which is popular for its colonial architecture and ancient ruins.

October 29, 2006: Federal police converge on besieged Oaxaca one day after U.S. journalist killed

2007-01-08T14:40:00.002-08:00

Protesters vowing to fight to the death hauled massive tree trunks and used semitrailers to block highways leading into Oaxaca Saturday as federal police with riot shields and rifles poured out of planes, preparing to crush five months of violent unrest.

With neat piles of rocks behind them ready for confrontation should police try to storm town, the demonstrators left just one lane of the main highway into the city open and were only allowing taxis and other local traffic through.

Nearby, a sign trumpeted tourist attractions and proclaimed "Welcome to Oaxaca!" It was a stark reminder of how far this picturesque city has slid toward chaos in violent protests to oust the state governor.

Shop owners shuttered their businesses after President Vicente Fox ordered federal police to intervene. Fox, who leaves office Dec. 1, had refused repeated requests to use force in Oaxaca. But gunbattles Friday that killed a U.S. journalist and at least two Mexicans apparently exhausted his patience.

Fox's Interior Department issued an ominous statement late Saturday demanding protest leaders "immediately hand over streets, plazas, public buildings and private property" so that federal authorities can "guarantee public order and adherence to the law, as well as preserve respect for the population's individual guarantees."

It was unclear how many officers of the Federal Preventative Police were converging on this long popular tourist destination, though police in gray uniforms and carrying shields poured off of transport planes at Oaxaca's airport, which was closed to commercial traffic.

Teacher's union leader Daniel Rosas said protesters believed 4,000 federal police had arrived.

Mexican Deputy Interior Secretary Arturo Chavez said late Saturday that the police operation would not begin Saturday night or early Sunday. Interior Secretary Carlos Abascal later said the government was still willing to resolve the conflict through dialogue.

In unrest that began with a teacher strike for higher pay, leftists have blocked streets for months demanding the ouster of Oaxaca state Gov. Ulises Ruiz. They claim the state government has sent gunmen and thugs to provoke them.

After Fox announced he was ordering in federal police, protesters fortified their positions by piling up sandbags and parking large trucks and buses across roads leading into the center of Oaxaca.

Some demonstrators blocked the main highway in from Mexico City, waving Mexican flags and chanting "Get out Ulises!"

"I think there's going to be violence," said Eutelma Cruz, a 54-year-old housewife and protester. "I hope (federal forces) intervene and find a peaceful solution."

Men also were seen removing broadcast equipment from one of the local radio stations seized by protesters months ago. A second station held by leftists remained on the air, urging Oaxaca's residents to prevent federal police from entering the city.

"We're not afraid. We were born to die," said Iris Hernandez, 29, who was guarding a roadblock.

Few people ventured from their homes. Across the heart of the city, nearly all shops and restaurants closed early. Street vendors packed up their wares and disappeared.

"We're afraid there is going to be more shooting," said Juan Lopez said as he pulled metal shutters down over the glass storefront of a sporting goods shop a half block from Oaxaca's leafy central plaza surrounded by arcaded colonial-era buildings.

Friday's deadly violence began when gunmen tried to remove a street blockade in a rough neighborhood. Journalist Bradley Roland Will, 36, of New York, was hit in the abdomen and died later at a Red Cross hospital.

Oaxaca resident Esteban Zurrita was shot dead and the bullet-ridden body of another man, Emilio Alonso Fabian, was discovered about two miles away. A photographer for the Mexican newspaper Milenio was slightly injured.

Will worked for Indymedia.org, an independent Web-based media organization and sold video on a freelance basis, said friends and Indymedia colleague Hinrich Schuleze. He had been documenting the upheaval in Internet dispatches that showed strong sympathy for the protesters.

"What can you say about this movement, this revolutionary moment," he wrote in a dispatch dated Oct. 16. "You know it is building, growing, shaping, you can feel it, trying desperately for a direct democracy."

Oaxaca Attorney General Lizbeth Cana, who has likened the protesters to urban guerrillas, said the shooting was sparked by angry townspeople defending themselves against the demonstrators.

"The people are fed up with permanent violence, threats and kidnappings," she said.

But U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza said in a statement that the shooters may have been Oaxaca police, and the Mexico City newspaper El Universal published photos Saturday identifying some of the men firing at protesters as local officials.

Mayor Manuel Martinez Feria of the nearby town of Santa Lucia del Camino said five men who appeared in the photos brandishing pistols had been turned over to state officials for possible involvement in Will's killing. He identified them as two members of Santa Lucia's city council, two of that town's police officers and a former justice of the peace from another town.

Local police officers often out of uniform and armed gangs have staged sporadic attacks on protesters, and at least five other people have been killed.

Several other shootings and clashes were reported in Oaxaca on Friday, and Red Cross officials said Saturday they treated 18 additional victims of violence, though none suffered gunshot wounds.

Teachers went on strike in May demanding higher pay and better working conditions. But after police attacked one of their demonstrations in June, they extended their demands to include a call for Ruiz's resignation and were joined by leftists, students and Indian groups.

The struggle escalated into a fight for control of Oaxaca's streets as demonstrators occupied the central plaza, built barricades, seized radio and television stations, drove off local police and burned buses.

The protesters contend the 2004 governor's election was rigged by Ruiz, a member of the former longtime governing Institutional Revolutionary Party, which lost its hold on Mexico's presidency when Fox was elected six years ago.

Ruiz repeatedly has asked federal authorities to send troops to restore order, but Fox's government had insisted on trying to solve the dispute through negotiations.

Friday's clashes came a day after teachers agreed to end their strike, which has kept 1.3 million children out of classes across the southern state. The deal had been expected to take the sting out of the protests. But Rosas, the teacher's union leader, said late Saturday that Fox's decision to send federal forces could negate the agreement.

Oaxaca, famed for its colonial architecture and as a center of Indian handicrafts and cuisine, is one of the most famous inland tourist attractions in Mexico. Mountains overlooking the city hold the imposing ruins of the Zapotec city of Monte Alban.

October 28, 2006: Mexican president sends federal troops into violence-wracked southern city

2007-01-08T14:40:00.001-08:00

President Vicente Fox announced Saturday he was sending federal security forces into the violence-wracked southern state capital of Oaxaca after a U.S. journalist and two Mexican men were killed by gunfire.

The clashes occurred Friday as leftist protesters barricaded streets as part of a five-month-old campaign to oust the governor.

October 28, 2006: Shootout in besieged Mexican city kills U.S. journalist, two others

2007-01-08T14:39:00.001-08:00

A New York journalist who documented upheaval throughout Latin America was killed along with two Mexican men in a shootout in the historic city of Oaxaca, where leftist protesters have been trying for five months to oust the governor. Several other people were injured.

The gunfire erupted in a rough neighborhood when armed men tried to remove a blockade set up by protesters who are demanding the resignation of Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz, said a police official who was not authorized to speak on the record. Both sides fired but it was not clear who shot first, he said.

Bradley Roland Will, 36, was shot in the abdomen and died at a Red Cross hospital, police, witnesses and friends said. Will worked for Indymedia.org, an independent Web-based media organization and sold video footage on a freelance basis, said friends and Indymedia colleague Hinrich Schuleze.

Oaxaca Attorney General Lizbeth Cana blamed the violence on the leftist protesters, whom she has compared to an urban guerrilla group. She said the armed men trying to move the blockade were angry residents defending themselves.

"The people are fed up with permanent violence, threats and kidnappings," Cana said.

But U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza said the armed group may have been police.

"It appears that Mr. Will was killed during a shoot out between what may have been local police," and protesters, Garza said in a written statement.

Protesters accused the governor of sending the armed men against them.

"Ulises Ruiz is trying to massacre our people," said protester Antonio Garcia.

AP Television footage taken at the scene shows people ducking for cover as shots rattle out from many directions. A group of six men are seen running through the street with Will.

Esteban Zurrita, a resident of Oaxaca, was also shot dead in the clash, said Cana.

The third victim was identified as Emilio Alonso Fabian, whose bullet-ridden body was found about two miles from the clash.

Oswaldo Ramirez, a photographer for the Mexico City daily newspaper Milenio was shot in the foot and taken to hospital, Milenio said on its Web site.

A second shoot-out erupted between protesters and an armed group outside the state prosecutors office and left three people injured, the police official said.

Protesters have taken over the historic city since June, building barricades, driving out police and burning buses. The protesters accuse the governor of rigging the 2004 election to win office and using violence against his opponents.

Many of the protesters have been striking teachers.

Friday's clash came a day after the teachers agreed to end their five-month-old strike, which has kept 1.3 million children out of classes in the state of Oaxaca. The strike's end was expected to ease the protests.

The teachers have been camped out in Oaxaca city's colonial center since May, when they first walked out to demand higher pay and better working conditions.

After police attacked one of their demonstrations in June, they extended their demands to include a call for the resignation of Ruiz and were joined by leftists, students and Indian groups.

Police and armed gangs have led sporadic attacks on the protesters, and at least five people have been killed in violence related to the unrest.

The lawlessness has led to armed groups of protesters and other residents patrolling the streets, frequently capturing and beating suspected criminals.

Will had been documenting the upheaval in Internet dispatches for nearly a month. His reports showed he had strong sympathies with the protesters.

"What can you say about this movement, this revolutionary moment," he wrote in a dispatch dated Oct. 16. "You know it is building, growing, shaping, you can feel it, trying desperately for a direct democracy."

Dyan Neary, 25, of Hawaii, an ex-girlfriend and close friend, said Will had warned her that the situation was dangerous.

"He told me it was getting sketchy," Neary said tearfully. "He would always put himself on the front lines. He was a courageous guy. He really believed in truth, public awareness and justice. He was an amazing human being."

Neary said Will wasn't easily dissuaded from working on documentaries in dangerous environments. She said Will had traveled extensively through South and Latin America. He had been jailed and had guns pointed at his head, she said.

Neary said Will grew up outside of Chicago and graduated from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania in 1992.

Union leaders met with Interior Secretary Carlos Abascal in Mexico City on Friday to hammer out conditions for their return to classes.

After the meeting, the Interior Department and teachers union released statements condemning Friday's violence and saying they were making headway in coming to an agreement.

Ruiz has repeatedly asked federal authorities to send troops to restore order, but the government of President Vicente Fox has insisted on trying to solve the dispute through negotiations.

Associated Press Writer Adam Goldman contributed to this report from New York.

October 28, 2006: Shootout in besieged Mexican city kills NYC journalist

2007-01-08T14:38:00.000-08:00

A U.S. journalist from New York and two Mexican men were killed by gunfire in the Mexican city of Oaxaca, where leftist protesters have barricaded streets and occupied government buildings for five months in a bid to oust the governor. Several other people were injured.

The gunfire erupted in a rough Oaxaca neighborhood Friday when armed men tried to remove a blockade set up by protesters who are demanding the resignation of Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz, said state officials and witnesses. Both sides fired but it was not clear who shot first.

Bradley Roland Will, 36, from New York City, was shot in the abdomen and died later at a Red Cross hospital, police, witnesses and friends said. Will worked for Indymedia.org, an independent Web-based media organization and also sold video footage on freelance basis, said friends and Indymedia colleague Hinrich Schuleze.

Oaxaca Attorney General Lizbeth Cana blamed the violence on the leftist protesters, who she has said are like an urban guerrilla group. She said the armed men were angry residents defending themselves.

"The people are fed up with permanent violence, threats and kidnappings," Cana said.

However, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza said the armed group may have been police.

"It appears that Mr. Will was killed during a shoot out between what may have been local police," and protesters, Garza said in a written statement.

Protesters accuse the governor of sending the armed men against them.

"Ulises Ruiz is trying to massacre our people," said protester Antonio Garcia.

An Associated Press video taken at the scene shows people ducking for cover as shots rattle out from many directions. A group of six men are seen running through the street with Will.

Esteban Zurrita, a resident of Oaxaca, was also shot dead in the clash, said Cana.

The third victim was identified as Emilio Alonso Fabian, whose bullet-ridden body was found about two miles from the clash. Many of the protesters are teachers.

Oswaldo Ramirez, a photographer for the Mexico City daily Milenio was also shot in the foot at and taken to hospital, Milenio said on its Web site.

A second shoot-out erupted between protesters and an armed group outside the state prosecutors office and left three people injured, Cana said.

Protesters have taken over the historic city since for five months, building barricades, driving out police and burning buses. The protesters accuse the governor of rigging the 2004 election to win office and using violence against his opponents.

Friday's clash came a day after teachers agreed to end their five-month-old strike that has kept 1.3 million children out of classes in the state of Oaxaca a move that was expected to take the sting out of the protests.

The teachers have been camped out in Oaxaca city's colonial center since May when they first walked out to demand higher pay and better working conditions.

After police attacked one of their demonstrations in June, they extended their demands to include a call for the resignation of Gov. Ruiz and were joined by leftists, students and Indian groups.

Police and armed gangs have led sporadic attacks on the protesters, and at least six people have been killed in violence related to the unrest.

The lawlessness has led to armed groups of protesters and other residents patrolling the street, frequently capturing and beating suspected criminals.

Will, the U.S. journalist, had been documenting the upheaval in Internet dispatches. His reports showed he had strong sympathies with the protest movements.

"What can you say about this movement, this revolutionary moment," he wrote in a dispatch dated Oct. 16. "You know it is building, growing, shaping, you can feel it, trying desperately for a direct democracy."

Dyan Neary, 25, of Hawaii, an ex-girlfriend and close friend of Will, said he had warned her it the situation was dangerous.

"He told me it was getting sketchy," a tearful Neary said. "He would always put himself on the front lines. He was a courageous guy. He really believed in truth, public awareness and justice. He was an amazing human being."

Neary said Will wasn't easily dissuaded from working on documentaries in dangerous environments. She said Will had traveled extensively through South and Latin America. He had been jailed and had guns pointed at his head, she said.

On Thursday, a majority of Oaxaca teachers voted to end their walkout. Union leaders met with Interior Secretary Carlos Abascal in Mexico City on Friday to hammer out conditions for their return to classes.

After the meeting, the Interior Department and teachers union released statements condemning Friday's violence and saying they were making headway in coming to an agreement.

Ruiz has repeatedly asked federal authorities to send troops to restore order, but the government of President Vicente Fox has insisted on trying to solve the dispute through negotiations.

The conflict has been one of the biggest challenges for Fox, whose six-year term ends Dec 1.

Ambassador Garza urged the administration to resolve the problem.

"Mr. Will's senseless death, of course, underscores the critical need for a return to lawfulness and order in Oaxaca," Garza said.

Associated Press Writers Adam Goldman in New York City and Ioan Grillo in Mexico City contributed to this report.

LOAD-DATE:

October 27, 2006: Teachers vote to end strike in besieged southern Mexican state

2007-01-08T14:37:00.000-08:00

Teachers in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca voted to end a five-month-old strike that has kept 1.3 million children out of classes, potentially taking the sting out of anti-government protests besieging this historic city.

Just over 31,000 union members voted Thursday to end the walkout, union secretary Ezequiel Rosales announced in a meeting at a Oaxaca hotel. More than 20,000 voted to continue the strike.

However, Rosales said union leaders still need to meet with officials from the federal Interior Department to discuss conditions for a return to classes. Among the conditions, he said, was the guarantee of security for returning teachers, who fear reprisals from supporters of the governor of Oaxaca who the teachers have been seeking to oust.

Rosales also said the union wanted the government to release some teachers who have been incarcerated during the protests. He did not say how many teachers are in prison.

President Vicente Fox applauded the decision to end the strike.

"This makes me very happy, because the teachers have shown perseverance and today, through dialogue, we have reached this decision. That is very important," Fox told reporters in the Mexican resort of Cancun.

Striking teachers have been camped out in Oaxaca's colonial center since May when they first walked out to demand higher pay and better working conditions.

After police attacked one of their demonstrations in June, they extended their demands to include a call for the resignation of Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz. They were joined by leftists, students and Indian groups who accuse Ruiz of rigging the 2004 election to win office and sending groups of thugs to attacks his opponents.

Protesters built makeshift barricades, burned buses, chased the police out of town and took over radio stations. Police and armed gangs led sporadic attacks on the protesters and five people have been killed.

Authorities have said hope that the situation will improve when teachers return to work.

However, the protesters that joined the teachers have formed a group called the Oaxaca People's Assembly, which has promised to continue the effort to oust the governor.

On Friday, the assembly plans to blockade highways, beef up barricades and boycott commercial centers.

Earlier Thursday, masked protesters with machetes forced passengers off a city bus and set it ablaze.

Also Thursday, protesters retreated from one of the radio stations they seized in August. Protest leader Florentino Lopez said the government had disrupted the transmission and they were no longer able to broadcast their messages.

The lack of police patrols has led to a rise of vigilante justice, with armed groups of protesters and other residents roaming the streets and beating suspected criminals.

Ruiz has repeatedly asked federal authorities to send in troops, but President Vicente Fox has insisted in trying to solve the dispute through negotiations.

October 27, 2006: Protesters in southern Mexico block highways, beef up barricades

2007-01-08T14:36:00.002-08:00

Protesters cut off highways and beefed up street barricades in the southern city of Oaxaca on Friday, vowing not to abandon their fight to oust the state governor even though their movement appears to be splintering.

The blockade of four main roads into this colonial city, one of Mexico's top tourist destinations, came a day after teachers agreed to end their 5-month-old strike that has kept 1.3 million children out of classes in the state of Oaxaca a move expected to take the sting out of the anti-government protests.

The teachers have been camped out in Oaxaca city's colonial center since May when they first walked out to demand higher pay and better working conditions.

After police attacked one of their demonstrations in June, they extended their demands to include a call for the resignation of Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz. They were joined by leftists, students and Indian groups who accuse Ruiz of rigging the 2004 election to win office and sending groups of thugs to attack his opponents.

The protesters have since formed the Oaxaca People's Assembly and promise continued acts of civil disobedience until Ruiz steps down despite the agreement to end the teachers' strike.

On Thursday, some 31,000 teachers voted to end their walkout, union secretary Ezequiel Rosales said. More than 20,000 voted to continue the strike.

Union leaders said they planned to meet with Interior Secretary Carlos Abascal in Mexico City on Friday to hammer out conditions for their return to classes.

Rosales said the teachers would demand that the government guarantee the safety of returning teachers, who fear reprisals from Ruiz supporters. Union leaders also are seeking the release of four jailed protesters and the cancellation of outstanding arrest warrants against demonstrators.

Mexico's Attorney General Daniel Cabeza de Vaca said this week that he had issued arrest warrants for at least 10 protesters accused of damaging buildings and blocking streets.

In recent months, demonstrators have put up barricades, burned buses, taken over radio stations and chased the police out of town. Armed groups of protesters and other residents patrol the streets instead, frequently capturing and beating suspected criminals.

Police and armed gangs have led sporadic attacks on the protesters, and at least five people have been killed in violence related to the unrest.

Ruiz has repeatedly asked federal authorities to send troops to restore order, but the government of President Vicente Fox has insisted on trying to solve the dispute through negotiations.

October 27, 2006: Protesters in southern Mexico block highways, beef up barricades

2007-01-08T14:36:00.001-08:00

October 26, 2006: Protesters torch bus in southern Mexican city

2007-01-08T14:35:00.000-08:00

Masked protesters with machetes forced passengers off a city bus and set it ablaze Thursday in this southern Mexican city held hostage by demonstrations and violence.

The violence came as teachers were expected to vote on ending a strike that has kept 1.3 million children from going to school for five months. But by Thursday afternoon, they had been unable to reach an agreement.

Bystanders were able to put out the flames on the burning bus and no one was injured.

Oaxaca has been on edge since late May, when teachers walked off the job to demand better salaries and benefits. The strike turned into a broad movement after police attacked the strikers in the city's colonial center the next month.

Sympathizers from varied left-leaning groups joined the teachers, and have built barricades, taken over radio stations and newspaper offices, driven out police and other state authorities and scared away tourists from this city popular for its handicrafts, cuisine and colonial architecture.

Chief among their demands is the removal of state Gov. Ulises Ruiz, whom they accuse of rigging his own election and sending armed thugs against protesters. He denies the charges and has refused to step down.

At least five people have been killed in violence related to the protests.

Because there are no police patrols, masked and armed protesters roam the streets, seizing anyone they suspect of criminal activity. Often, they grab young men accused of trying to commit various crimes, tie them up for hours and beat them.

Also Thursday, protesters retreated from one of the radio stations they seized in August. Protest leader Florentino Lopez said the government had disrupted the transmission and they were no longer able to broadcast their messages.

The state government has repeatedly asked federal authorities to send in troops, but President Vicente Fox has instead tried to broker peace negotiations that have made little progress.

Some teachers have defied the union and opened schools, but protesters often block children and their parents from returning to classes.

Protesters have pledged to blockade highways, beef up barricades and boycott commercial centers Friday. If Ruiz doesn't step down, they say they will try to keep President-elect Felipe Calderon from taking office on Dec. 1.

October 25, 2006: Protests erode the rule of law in Mexico's Oaxaca state

2007-01-08T14:34:00.000-08:00

With virtually no police in the streets, residents of this colonial town in rebellion are stepping in to fill the void often with brutal consequences.

People accused of being thieves are tied to light posts and beaten, one home was torched and a man was stabbed to death with an ice pick as five months of protests erode the rule of law in what was once a major Mexican tourist destination.

The beating of Manuel Dominguez was the latest example of how far Oaxaca has spun out of control as mobs of striking teachers, farmers and other protesters demand that Gov. Ulises Ruiz step down. They accuse Ruiz of rigging the 2004 election to win office and of repressing dissent with violence.

Late Tuesday, about 50 people stripped off Dominguez's T-shirt, lashed him to a pole and beat him nearly unconscious. They accused Dominguez, who works as a security guard at a local jail, of trying to rob a house. The crowd left him tied up overnight, finally turning him over to the few police left in town early Wednesday.

For police commander Aristeo Lopez, it was just another public beating. Lopez acknowledged he didn't know how the guard was doing nearly 12 hours after the attack.

"We haven't had time to check what happened to him," he said.

Because there are no police patrols, masked and armed protesters roam the streets, seizing anyone they suspect of criminal activity.

Often, they grab young men accused of trying to commit various crimes, tie them up for hours and beat them.

The conflict began in June, when police attacked striking teachers in the city's colonial center. Protesters rebelled, forcing police and other state authorities out of downtown, taking over television and radio outlets and scaring away tourists drawn to the region by its colonial architecture, Indian culture and handicrafts such as brightly colored wool rugs and black pottery.

The state government has repeatedly asked federal authorities to send in troops, but President Vicente Fox has instead tried to broker peace negotiations that have made little progress.

The conflict comes at the end of Fox's six-year term, which has been marked by protests that spun out of control while the president has watched, reluctant to crack down for fear of provoking more violence.

On Wednesday, teachers said they would release the results of a vote to end a strike that has kept about 1.3 million students out of school for months.

Some teachers have defied the union and opened schools, but masked protesters often block children and their parents from returning to classes.

At the Francisco Zarco school, some parents armed with sticks and metal pipes have kept guard outside to keep protesters away.

Early this week at the same school, as a machete-wielding masked man kept children from entering, 8-year-old Luis Carlos Matus asked his mother: "Mama, don't the protesters like children?"

Many worry they could inadvertently become victims.

"We are afraid that the protesters will get confused and kill us," said Ana Maria Cruz, interviewed outside the school.

On Oct. 5, a teacher opposed to the strike, Jaime Rene Calvo Aragon, was killed by two assailants who stabbed him in the neck with an ice pick. His attackers are still at large.

Four others have been killed by police or armed groups in other violence.

In August, protesters set fire to a house after the owners began arguing with a demonstrator who was urinating outside the home. The demonstrator rallied a mob by accusing the occupants of the home of trying to attack him, and the crowd responded by torching the house. The occupants escaped unharmed, but the house was destroyed.

Protesters have attacked about 20 police officers, beating them and accusing them of crimes before handing them over to authorities. Lino Celaya, Oaxaca state security secretary, said none of them was found to have broken the law.

The conflict seems to be far from over. Protesters have pledged to block highways, beef up blockades and boycott commercial centers this Friday. If Ruiz doesn't step down, they say they will try to keep President-elect Felipe Calderon from taking office on Dec. 1.

Ruiz has refused to leave office.

"I'm not going to cancel my visits. I take care not to hurt other people but there are a lot of people who want to see me," he told The Associated Press. "I have killed nobody. My hands are clean."

October 25, 2006: Crowd lashes man to post, beats him for alleged burglary in restive southern Mexican state

2007-01-08T14:32:00.000-08:00

About 50 people lashed a policeman to a light post and beat him because he was allegedly caught trying to rob a house, the latest in a string of public beatings of suspected thieves in the restive southern state of Oaxaca.

It was unclear whether the crowd released the alleged burglar, Manuel Dominguez, after the beating late Tuesday. Dominguez was identified by his police badge.

"We haven't had time to check what happened to him," local police director Aristeo Lopez said Wednesday.

Authorities have been kicked out of the center of the tourist city 350 kilometers (220 miles) southeast of Mexico City. Police occupy only a few neighborhoods, and have lost control of the city as a whole.

Protesters are demanding the resignation of Gov. Ulises Ruiz, whom they accuse of rigging the 2004 election to win office and of repressing dissent with violence.

The protests began in May when teachers went on strike to demand higher wages. In June, police attacked a demonstration and the teachers took up the call for Ruiz to step down.

On Wednesday, the teachers were to release the results of a vote on whether to return to classes. Previous votes have failed, and the strike has kept schools closed for months.

Some teachers have defied the union and tried to open some schools. But masked protesters have been blocking children and their parents as they try to return to classes.

Also Tuesday, police clashed with protesters in Cosolapa, firing automatic weapons into the air to scatter a crowd protesting Ruiz's visit to the town. No one was injured, but television images showed people ducking for cover behind buildings as police fired repeatedly.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Ruiz said the protesters had thrown firecrackers at the police, forcing them to respond.

Despite public threats against him, Ruiz said he knows of no direct threats against his life. He has refused to step down.

"I'm not going to cancel my visits. I take care not to hurt other people but there are a lot of people who want to see me," Ruiz said. "I have killed nobody. My hands are clean."

Protest leader Florentino Lopez promised to increase actions against the governor after the shooting, saying federal roads would be blocked.

Five people have been killed by police or armed groups, including a teacher who was hacked to death by ice picks. The unrest has scared away tourists, costing the city more than US$300 million (euro238 million), according to local business associations.

Ruiz repeatedly has called on the federal government to send in the army to restore order. But President Vicente Fox's administration has so far refused, saying it prefers to negotiate.

On Tuesday, federal Attorney General Daniel Cabeza de Vaca said he has arrest warrants for 10 protesters for damaging federal property.

A group of 50 teachers went to the United Nations office in Mexico City on Tuesday to demand the international body intervene and ask Ruiz to step down.

UNICEF has called on all parties to resolve the conflict and allow children to return to school.

October 23, 2006: Strike vote divides teachers in besieged Mexican city, prolonging protests

2007-01-08T14:31:00.001-08:00

Striking teachers in this southern Mexican city remained divided over whether to end a five-month walkout, prolonging protests that have triggered violent clashes and driven tourists out of this historic city.

After an all-night meeting in a Oaxaca hotel, a majority of union delegates voted Sunday morning to end the strike, which is affecting 1.3 million children across Oaxaca state. But the vote was quickly annulled by advocates of continuing the strike who alleged manipulated by union leader Enrique Rueda, who has called for the teachers to get back to work.

Teachers now plan to meet to hold another vote in the coming days.

Leftist protesters surrounded the hotel waving banners calling Rueda a "traitor" and "sellout" and threw stones at him when he entered the meeting. He was guarded as he left.

Late Sunday, Mexico's Interior Department released a statement urging teachers to go back to work to allow Oaxacan children to return to school.

Teachers began their strike in May to demand better pay and work conditions in one of Mexico's poorest states.

In June, police attacked one of their demonstrations in this colonial city, 350 kilometers (220 miles) southeast of the Mexican capital, and the teachers added to their demands the resignation of Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz.

Soon they were joined by leftists, students and Indian groups, who accuse Ruiz of rigging the 2004 election to win office and of sending armed thugs against his opponents.

The protesters blocked streets, chased police out of the center of the city, burned buses and took over radio stations.

Five people have been killed by police or armed groups. The unrest has scared away tourists, costing the city more than US$300 million (euro238 million), according to local business associations.

On Thursday, the federal Senate voted that there were no grounds to remove Ruiz from office. On Saturday, about 1,000 protesters marched to the Senate headquarters in Mexico City to condemn the decision, saying it could to lead to more violence.

Ruiz repeatedly has called on the federal government to send in the army to restore order but President Vicente Fox's administration has so far refused, saying it prefers to negotiate.

Interior Secretary Carlos Abascal has asked protesters to let local police under federal command patrol the city. The protesters have not yet responded.

October 21, 2006: Embattled Mexican governor predicts Oaxaca takeover will end within a week

2007-01-08T14:28:00.001-08:00

Oaxaca's embattled governor on Friday predicted that the takeover of this colonial city by protesters trying to oust him will end within a week, as a coalition of radical leftists and striking teachers appeared to be splintering.

Protesters demanding that Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz resign have barricaded streets, burned buses and occupied government buildings and radio stations in Oaxaca city, 220 miles (350 kilometers) southeast of the Mexican capital, since late May.

The protesters have driven police from the city, and violence related to the strike killed at least five people and devastated the city's tourism industry.

"I think that in the coming days, in the next week, the conflict will be resolved," Ruiz told reporters Friday. "Oaxaca can't go on like this."

His comments came a day after the Senate decided that there were no grounds to remove him from office the last legal recourse for protesters, who accuse Ruiz of rigging his 2004 election and sending thugs against the strikers. Ruiz denies the accusations.

Union chief Enrique Rueda said following the vote that Oaxaca's teachers would return to work by the end of October, a move that could weaken the alliance of teachers and various leftist groups who joined the demonstrations after Ruiz sent police to try to dislodge the protests.

Many remain convinced the protests should continue, however, and leftists who have taken over private radio stations in Oaxaca broadcast diatribes on Friday calling Rueda a "traitor" and a "sellout."

Oaxaca city residents, meanwhile, welcomed the news of a possible end to the conflict.

"It's gone on too long," said Joel Ayala Dominguez, the owner of a tortilla shop near the city's occupied main square.

The federal government has been loath to intervene, fearing bloodshed, but Ruiz said it was a simple matter of enforcing the law.

"It's not about evicting people or engaging in repression, it's a question of enforcing order, because we've reached the limit," said Ruiz.

Also Friday, Mexico's Interior Secretary Carlos Abascal repeated an earlier offer to have local police under federal command patrol the city.

Both the teachers and the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca, or APPO, which is overseeing the protests, are to hold meetings to analyze their next move.

Rueda said, however, that the union would continue to support the assembly in pressing for Ruiz's resignation; how it would do so or whether that meant pulling teachers out of the protest camps would be decided at the groups' meetings

The protesters and teachers had previously vowed not to consider any other offers from government negotiators including wage raises for teachers, and federal control of the widely distrusted local police until Ruiz left office.

Federal officials have said they want a peaceful, negotiated end to the conflict. But pressure is mounting for a rapid solution, because the dispute has scared off tourists and hurt businesses in the state, as well as keeping 1.3 million schoolchildren in Oaxaca out of classes.

October 17, 2006: Activists block government buildings in southern Mexico state

2007-01-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

Leftist activists blockaded government offices across the southern state of Oaxaca on Tuesday to pressure federal senators to remove the state's embattled governor.

The protests came as lawmakers in Mexico City met to consider sending a bill to the Senate that could remove Gov. Ulises Ruiz on the grounds that he has lost control of his state.

More than 2,000 protesters from the Oaxaca People's Assembly have blocked Oaxaca's colonial state capital for months, building barricades, burning buses and taking over radio stations. The police have effectively been run out of town.

Oaxaca activists have camped out in Mexico City to support their demands and on Monday about 20 of them began a hunger strike.

Tuesday's blockades in seven Oaxaca towns were carried out by hundreds of activists from the assembly, a mix of trade unionists and leftists. The protesters accuse Ruiz of rigging his 2004 election and sending groups of thugs against opponents.

The senate is divided along party lines over the issue.

Members of Ruiz's Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, oppose removing their governor, saying it would set a precedent that violent protests can overthrow elected officials.

Senators from the leftist Democratic Revolution Party, however, argue that Ruiz is provoking bloodshed and has to be removed.

Three protesters have been killed in clashes with police, soldiers or armed gangs.

Ruiz's fate likely rests with Mexico's third major political party, the conservative National Action Party of President Vicente Fox. National Action senators on Tuesday said they needed more to time to determine their position.

The protests have scared most tourists away from Oaxaca popular for its colonial architecture and unique cuisine costing the city hundreds of millions of dollars (euros) in lost earnings.

Ruiz has called for the federal government to send troops to forcibly remove the protesters, a demand that has been refused so far.

"The government's actions will never leave out dialogue," Abascal said Monday.

The Oaxaca protests began with a teachers strike to demand higher pay in May but expanded into a broad-based movement after police attacked one of the strikers' demonstrations.

The strike has stopped 1.3 million children from going to classes for months.

National teachers union president Elba Esther Gordillo has criticized the protests and threatened to expel the Oaxaca section.

Presidential spokesman Ruben Aguilar said Tuesday that Fox supports granting the teachers' demand for wage increases, not just for Oaxaca, but for all educators in poor states. However, the administration believes a raise should be phased in over six years, and it's not clear whether protesters would accept that.

October 15, 2006: Mexico arrests soldier in killing of protester

2007-01-08T14:26:00.000-08:00

Authorities on Sunday arrested a soldier accused of opening fire on a street barricade in this protest-besieged southern Mexican city, killing one demonstrator and wounding another.

The soldier identified as Jonathan Rios, assigned to a state army barracks, was detained and questioned before dawn for the shooting, which investigators blame on a drunken argument that had nothing to do with the political dispute that has paralyzed Oaxaca for months.

But protesters who have blockaded streets to call for the ouster of state Gov. Ulises Ruiz said Rios' alleged involvement was proof that state authorities have sent undercover police and soldiers to attack them.

According to a police report, Rios and three other men were driving away from a bar around 2 a.m. Saturday when they came across one of the roadblocks. After demonstrators refused to let them pass, investigator say, Rios climbed from the car and began shooting.

Alejandro Garcia, 41, was shot in the head and died that afternoon in a hospital, while 19-year-old Marco Antonio Joaquin was treated for a gunshot wound to the shoulder and released.

Protest leaders blamed the shootings on Ruiz's government and vowed further unrest if Garcia died. But the streets of Oaxaca were quiet Sunday afternoon, even after news of Garcia's death and the arrest of a soldier spread.

Friends, family members and fellow protesters held a candlelight vigil in the city's central plaza late Saturday and planned a massive funeral for late Sunday.

Garcia was at least the fourth person killed in the five-month-old disturbances in Oaxaca. Two protesters have been shot to death in clashes with police, and last week a teacher was killed by attackers wielding an ice pick. Colleagues said they believed he was slain because he opposed the strike.

Oaxaca, the capital city of the state of the same name, has been on the verge of chaos since May, when striking teachers seized the central plaza to demand wage increases.

After police tried and failed retake the heart of the city the following month, the teachers were joined by various groups of leftists, students and anarchists, building street barricades, burning buses and taking over radio and television stations.

They accuse Ruiz of rigging his 2004 election and using paramilitary gangs to attack dissidents. Negotiations between protesters and Mexico's federal government have so far failed to end the standoff.

Ruiz denies the charges and has called for federal troops to restore order.

October 13, 2006: Senators meet with governor, protesters during tour of embattled Mexican city

2007-01-08T14:24:00.000-08:00

Protesters commandeered a bus and tried to ram it through the gates of Oaxaca's state congress, in an apparent bid to show visiting federal senators inside that the rule of law has broken down in this picturesque colonial city.

The delegation of five senators from Mexico's three main parties arrived earlier Thursday to meet with Oaxacan officials, protesters and community groups over two days on a fact-finding tour to assess the situation in the embattled city, which has been paralyzed since May by protests and violence.

If they determine that the government has ceased to function, the Senate could vote to remove Oaxaca state Gov. Ulises Ruiz the key demand of the demonstrators, made up of a coalition of leftists and striking teachers.

The demonstrators were unsuccessful in their attempt to ram the bus into congress but did spray paint on the Senate commission's vehicle as it left, a day after protesters blockaded highways and tried to storm a government security agency, drawing scattered gunfire from police.

Officials said the resurgence in radical actions was an attempt to project an image of lawlessness and spark the ouster of Ruiz, whom they accuse of rigging his own election and using violence against demonstrators.

"We see yesterday's events as being orchestrated, but that isn't going to frighten us off," said Sen. Alejandro Gonzalez of the conservative National Action Party, referring to the Wednesday clash.

The senators met at a local airport with Ruiz and his cabinet, who have largely been displaced from their offices by the protests but claim the state government is still functioning.

More than 1 million school children have been shut out of classes in Oaxaca since the beginning of the teacher's strike five months ago, and many private schools have also closed their doors.

Also Thursday, at least 8,000 teachers in the neighboring state of Chiapas went on a three-day sympathy strike, leaving about 1 million students 40 percent of the state's enrollment without classes.

Most of the Chiapas' 40,000 teachers did show up for work, but the strike raised fears that the Oaxaca conflict could spread.

LOAD-DATE:

October 12, 2006:Gunfire Erupts in Embattled Mexican City

2007-01-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

Striking teachers rejected a proposal to allow police back in this embattled colonial city and gunfire erupted when leftist protesters tried to seize a government building, dimming hopes for a quick resolution to five months of turmoil.

The teachers and leftists have taken over large parts of Oaxaca and driven police out of much of downtown, scaring away tourists and costing businesses millions of dollars in lost revenue. The national government had proposed allowing police to resume patrols under federal command, trying to ease protesters' fear of reprisals by state officials.

But the teachers said they would not consider the plan until Mexico's Senate rules on their main demand: the resignation of Oaxaca state. Gov. Ulises Ruiz. They accuse the governor of rigging his 2004 election and setting armed gangs against his opponent.

Since late May, the protesters have set up barricades, seized media outlets, burned buses and essentially run police out of Oaxaca's picturesque, arch-ringed main plaza.

On Wednesday, protesters tried to seize or block more state government offices ahead of a visit by a Senate commission trying to assess the conflict.

Gunfire erupted when a band of strike enforcers tried to take over the offices of a public safety agency, carrying clubs and rocks. The hooded protesters, known as the "mobile brigade," had seized the same building weeks ago, beating one official inside.

This time, they were met with gunfire from police inside the building. Ministerial Police Director Manuel Moreno Rivas said police fired into the air, but there were no injuries. Protesters said two of their group were grazed by bullets.

Protesters also blocked most of the highways leading in and out of Oaxaca.

The senators were expected to arrive Thursday to determine if the state government had lost control, a situation that could allow the Senate to remove Ruiz from office. Ruiz has called for the army to act against the protesters, a request that has so far been denied.

October 12, 2006: Mexican senators begin investigation that could lead to removal of southern governor

2007-01-08T14:21:00.000-08:00

Mexican senators considering whether to remove the Oaxaca governor in the face of protests accusing him of vote-rigging and using armed gangs against his opponents arrived in the region Thursday to determine firsthand whether the government had ceased to function.

Striking teachers and leftist activists have been camped out in the city since May, building barricades, burning buses and taking over radio stations. The protesters are demanding the ouster of Gov. Ulises Ruiz.

On Wednesday, protesters refused to allow police to take control of the center they have occupied for five months, saying they first wanted a Senate ruling on Ruiz's future in this southern colonial city.

Sen. Alejandro Gonzalez, of the ruling National Action Party, said the violence would not intimidate lawmakers. He said their mission was necessary for the "benefit of the people of Oaxaca."

Gunfire erupted Wednesday when strike enforcers known as the "mobile brigade," wearing hoods and carrying clubs and rocks, tried to take over the offices of a public safety agency in Oaxaca. They had seized the same building weeks ago, beating one of the officials they found inside.

This time they were greeted by gunshots from police inside. Police Chief Manuel Moreno said officers fired into the air, and that there were no injuries. Protesters said two of their colleagues were grazed by bullets.

Earlier in the day, strikers broadcast appeals over a radio station, calling on protesters to step up disruptive activities to prove to the visiting senators that the rule of law had broken down.

"This appears orchestrated," said Gonzalez, adding that the strikers apparently "wanted to create a different appearance" prior to the visit.

If the senators judge that all three branches of the Oaxaca state government the executive, legislative and judicial branches have ceased to function, a Senate committee can call for the removal of the governor.

The Oaxaca state congress, dominated by the governor's Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, vehemently denies this has happened. Ruiz has called for the army to act against the protesters, a request that so far has been denied.

LOAD-DATE:

October 8, 2006: Teachers in besieged Mexican city reject government offer to end strike

2007-01-08T14:19:00.000-08:00

Striking teachers Saturday rejected a federal government offer aimed at ending a nearly five-month strike and protests that have paralyzed much of the colonial Mexican city of Oaxaca.

The teachers said they would insist on their principal demand, the resignation of Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz. Federal officials have said only the Senate can remove a governor.

The rejection of the government proposal is likely to increase tensions in Oaxaca, where leftist protesters have joined striking teachers in erecting barricades, running off police, scaring away tourists and seizing radio and television stations.

Details of the offer have not been made public, but reportedly included the wage increases that originally motivated the strike.

The teachers also demanded that thousands of army and navy personnel posted in Oaxaca leave. The protesters claim the troops are preparing to forcibly retake the city's center.

In announcing the rejection, union leader Enrique Rueda Pacheco said "we have decided to open ourselves to negotiation, but that does not mean we're taking off the table our demand that Mr. Ulises Ruiz resign."

On Saturday, relatives buried a teacher who had been stabbed two days earlier by assailants with an ice pick. The victim, Jaime Rene Calva Aragon, 53, belonged to a group that opposed the strike, and other dissident teachers have accused militant leftists of being behind the killing.

Calva Aragon had apparently angered strike supporters by teaching students at his home during the work stoppage.

"It's not right because he was a good man," Calva Aragon's sister, Marilu, told reporters Saturday.

The violence raised fears that the strikers' intransigence could lead to a wider confrontation. Oaxaca businessmen and others who have lost millions of dollars during the protests have pressed the federal government to restore order.

The protesters detained three police officers on the city's outskirts Friday before releasing them.

Thousands of state police have gathered outside the city in recent days, and helicopters and military planes have flown over the demonstrators.

The teachers also rejected a government invitation for a meeting Sunday in Oaxaca; the main talks have been held in Mexico City. Strike leaders said the government also asked that they return to classes and allow federal police to patrol the city, but the teachers said they would only consider those requests after their demand for the governor's resignation is resolved.

The protesters claim Ruiz won his post in a rigged election and used violence against them in a previous attempt to break up protest camps in the city's picturesque, arch-ringed main plaza.

Both the U.S. and British embassies in Mexico have warned their citizens about visiting Oaxaca, which is normally popular for its colonial architecture and ancient pyramids.

October 7, 2006: Tensions grow in besieged Mexican city, raisings fear of bloody confrontation

2007-01-08T14:18:00.000-08:00

Tensions grew in this besieged Mexican city Friday with police saying three officers were beaten by protesters a day after a teacher was hacked to death.

The violence raised fears the four-month-old standoff between protesters and Oaxaca state government could lead to a wider confrontation.

Thousands of state police have gathered outside the city in recent days, and helicopters and military planes have flown over the demonstrators.

About 2,000 leftists, labor activists and Indian groups have occupied the center of this historic city since May. They are demanding the resignation of Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz, whom they accuse of rigging the 2004 election.

The standoff began when teachers went on strike for higher wages, but it quickly mushroomed into a broad-based movement. Ruiz and local business groups have asked the army to intervene to end the standoff.

About 60 protest sympathizers seized the three policemen in Zaachila, a village six miles outside Oaxaca city, state police said Friday. They said the officers were kicked and beaten for about two hours before being released.

On Thursday, a teacher belonging to a group opposed to the strike was killed by two assailants who stabbed him in the neck with an ice pick, said Oaxaca state police official Victor Alonso Altamirano. Protesters deny they were involved.

Clashes involving protesters, police and armed gangs have left two people dead, and both the U.S. and British embassies in Mexico have issued advisories warning their citizens about going to Oaxaca.

The unrest has scared most tourists away from the city, which is normally popular for its colonial architecture and ancient pyramids. Business leaders put losses at more than $300 million.

October 2, 2006: Protesters throw explosives at banks in southern Mexican city

2007-01-08T14:14:00.000-08:00

Protesters threw explosives at two banks in Oaxaca on Monday, shattering windows and further raising tensions in this once-charming colonial city.

The attacks on the banks by the previously unknown group called the Armed Revolutionary Organization for the People of Oaxaca follow months of violence in Oaxaca city, where protesters have set up street barricades and taken the city center. The explosions damaged the banks' facades, but caused little other damage, city official Eliodoro Diaz said.

Protesters and news media speculated that federal forces were planning to retake the city after navy helicopters flew over the area this weekend. But Interior Secretary Carlos Abascal insisted the helicopters and military planes were on routine supply runs that had nothing to do with the more than four months of unrest.

In response to the flyovers, protesters reinforced barricades with bags of cement and tree trunks. They have vowed to beat back any police and soldiers who moved on the city.

President Vicente Fox said Monday that "as long as there is the possibility of reaching an agreement we're going to insist on it ... that things be resolved in this manner."

But if an agreement is not possible, "breaking the law must always be impeded and should be punished," Fox said.

"This government is ready to fulfill its responsibility in both ways."

Fearing violence, tourists have shunned the city, which is normally popular for its exotic cuisine, colorful culture and nearby pre-Hispanic ruins. Local business associations estimate the protests have cost the city more than US$300 million (euro235 million).

The unrest began in May, when tens of thousands of teachers seized the capital's leafy central plaza to demand wage increases.

The following month, Gov. Ulises Ruiz sent police to attempt to retake the heart of the city. Since then, thousands of leftists, students and anarchists have joined striking teachers, building street barricades, burning buses and taking over radio and television stations.

They demand that Ruiz resign, alleging that he rigged the 2004 election and has used paramilitary gangs to attack dissidents.

At least two people have been shot to death and dozens more injured in clashes between protesters and police. On Saturday, a motorcyclist was decapitated when he ran into a wire strung across a street as part of a blockade.

Late Sunday, nearby residents and authorities clashed with protesters who had seized a tractor-trailer and were unloading its cargo.

Abascal has overseen negotiations to end the standoff, but the federal government has said it will not force Ruiz to resign. Protesters maintain their demand that he leave office.

October 1, 2006: Helicopters hover over Mexico's protest-torn Oaxaca, sparking rumors troops may move in

2006-11-15T18:57:00.000-08:00

Protesters fortified street barricades and readied gasoline bombs Sunday as navy helicopters buzzed over this southern Mexican city for a second straight day, sparking rampant rumors that federal forces were planning to retake the area.

But President Vicente Fox's top Cabinet member, Interior Secretary Carlos Abascal, insisted the helicopters and military plane seen during the weekend were running routine supply runs that had nothing to do with the more than four months of unrest gripping this usually charming colonial city.

His comments came after national news media gave heavy coverage to the flyovers.

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.

An official who answered the phone at the Defense Department in Mexico City on Sunday said he had no details about the flyovers or the reported buildup of forces in Huatulco.

Protesters responded to the flights by detonating hundreds of powerful firecrackers, which shook streets and historic buildings and further frayed nerves. Reinforcing barricades with bags of cement and tree trunks, they vowed to beat back any police and soldiers who moved on the city.

Streets were largely deserted on Sunday. Elsa Siguenza, a 73-year-old who ventured from her home to watch a helicopter speed by, said she hopes federal troops move in.

"Of course it's scary to see helicopters," she said. "But we need peace."

Oaxaca normally attracts tourists the world over because of its exotic cuisine, colorful culture and nearby Pre-Hispanic ruins.

But in May, tens of thousands of teachers seized the capital's leafy central plaza to demand wage increases.

The following month, Gov. Ulises Ruiz sent police to attempt to retake the heart of the city. Since then, thousands of leftists, students and anarchists have joined striking teachers, building street barricades, burning buses and taking over radio and television stations.

They demand that Ruiz resign, alleging that he rigged the 2004 election and uses paramilitary gangs to attack dissidents.

At least two people have been shot to death and dozens more injured in clashes between protesters and police. At night, protesters burn tires and stop and search vehicles for plainclothes state agents they say are sent to attack them.

Abascal has personally overseen negotiations to end the standoff, but the federal government has said it will not force Ruiz to resign. Protesters maintain their demand that he leave office.

On Friday, Abascal indicated the situation was nearing a breaking point, saying "everything has its limit and the limit is close."

"It is urgent that (the protesters) stop kidnapping the heart of Oaxaca and its inhabitants," Abascal said.

Meanwhile, the city continues to slide toward chaos. Before dawn on Sunday, a man suspected of driving drunk crashed through a number of street barricades. Protesters hurled dozens of rocks at his vehicle and punched out all four tires. They detained him for hours before turning him over to authorities.

Nearby, gunshots could be heard, though their origin was unknown.

September 28, 2006: Leftist protesters threaten to burn businesses in besieged Mexican city

2006-11-15T18:52:00.000-08:00

Leftist protesters have threatened to burn restaurants, gas stations and other businesses that are on a two-day strike to call for federal police to restore order in this historic Mexican city, business lobbies said Thursday.

Javier Chavarria, director of the Oaxaca Restaurants Chamber, said protesters have made the threats in phone calls.

"They have threatened us, saying that if we close they will burn our businesses and many have opened out of fear," Chavarria said.

Protesters also broadcast threats from a radio station they have taken over, saying they were making a "black list" of pro-government business.

Nevertheless, more than 3,000 Oaxaca businesses locked their doors Thursday, according to the Oaxaca Chamber of Commerce.

Leftist protesters have been camped out in Oaxaca since May, building barricades, burning buses and clashing with local police and opponents of their movement. The protest movement began with a teachers strike but has evolved into a broader movement of leftist sympathizers demanding the resignation of Oaxaca state Gov. Ulises Ruiz.

Two people have been killed and dozens more injured in clashes between the protesters and police or armed gangs.

Interior Secretary Carlos Abascal said the federal government would consider using "measured" force only as a last resort to end the unrest in Oaxaca.

"The use of public force is not a whim," Abascal said in the interview published in the newspaper El Universal on Thursday.

President Vicente Fox has waved aside numerous calls from business leaders and Ruiz for federal troops to restore order, noting through his spokesman that the government wants to resolve the situation with dialogue. Abascal is mediating negotiations between the protesters and state officials.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico has issued a travel advisory warning U.S. citizens of unrest in Oaxaca and many tourists have avoided the picturesque city, known for its colonial architecture and nearby pre-Hispanic ruins. Local business associations estimate the protests have cost the city more than US$300 million (euro235 million) in lost earnings.

The protesters, a mix of trade unionists, leftists, anarchists and students, accuse Ruiz of rigging his 2004 election and violently repressing dissent. The movement gained force in June, when police attacked a demonstration of striking teachers demanding a wage increase.

On Wednesday, the Oaxaca teachers' union voted to continue their strike and support of the protests until Ruiz resigns.

Also Wednesday, thousands of protesters in the city center reinforced barricades made of tires and corrugated iron and piled up dozens of Molotov cocktails, apparently anticipating some sort of police action.

September 26, 2006: Gunmen exchange fire with protesters outside hotel in historic Mexican city

2006-11-15T18:51:00.002-08:00

Gunmen exchanged fire with leftist protesters outside Oaxaca's Camino Real hotel, injuring two men and forcing dozens of tourists, residents and journalists to run for cover.

On Monday, a day after the gunfire, President Vicente Fox's spokesman Ruben Aguilar said officials "absolutely promise that the problem in Oaxaca will be resolved before this administration ends" on Dec. 1.

The clash at the hotel came hours after the U.S. Embassy in Mexico renewed a warning to U.S. citizens traveling to Oaxaca, where protesters have camped out for months, burned buses and fought pitched battles with police.

About 300 demonstrators armed with machetes, knives and pipes descended on the Camino Real searching for Oaxaca state Gov. Ulises Ruiz, whose resignation they demand. They accuse him of rigging the 2004 election to win office and violently repressing dissent.

Thirty protesters searched room by room for the governor, who later said he had been at a nearby restaurant but never went inside the hotel.

A group of about 40 men armed with sticks and guns then attacked and fired at the protesters outside the hotel's front door. Some protesters drew guns and returned fire, creating panic among dozens of people in the street.

Zenen Bravo, a spokesman for the Oaxaca People's Assembly, which is coordinating the protests, said one demonstrator was shot in the elbow and another had been beaten with sticks. Bravo accused the governor of being behind the armed group.

Ruiz denied that and condemned the violence.

"We cannot tolerate these acts of vandalism and aggression against Oaxacan citizens," he said.

Hours before the confrontation Sunday, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico extended an existing advisory for U.S. citizens heading to Oaxaca city, saying they should "consider carefully the risk of travel at this time due to the recent increase in violence there."

The embassy also said it had received reports of robberies and assaults in the city, which normally has a low crime rate and is popular with tourists for its cobblestoned streets, craft markets and cuisine. The advisory warned that protesters might try to close the local airport and that travelers should monitor developments.

Aguilar said at his daily briefing on Monday said the government still encourages tourists "from all over the world to visit Mexico" and added, "There have been no problems with tourists in Oaxaca City or in other parts of the country, despite violence committed by organized crime."

Aguilar said negotiations led by Fox's top Cabinet member, Interior Secretary Carlos Abascal, were ongoing and that federal authorities will not forcibly intervene to restore order.

Asked if Fox would defend Ruiz, Aguilar replied, "He who has been elected by voters cannot be fired by street protests."

Oaxaca teachers went on strike in May to seek higher wages. Protests exploded a month later when police tried to evict teachers from the city's main plaza. Joined by leftists, anarchists and students, the teachers have since taken over government buildings, as well as radio stations to broadcast calls for revolt.

Police and armed gangs have shot at demonstrators on several occasions, leaving at least two dead.

On Saturday, Ruiz warned the teachers that they would be replaced by substitutes and lose their pay unless they immediately returned to work.

Associated Press writers Will Weissert and Ioan Grillo in Mexico City contributed to this report.

August 28, 2006: Oaxaca protesters suggest attack on Mexico City embassies if talks fail

2006-11-15T18:51:00.001-08:00

Striking teachers and leftist sympathizers said Sunday they might try to seize foreign embassies in Mexico City if federally mediated negotiations fail to make substantial progress toward ending months of unrest and violence in this colonial city.

The teachers union has led an increasingly chaotic three-month strike that has paralyzed the state capital but which until now has been limited to the impoverished state in southern Mexico.

On Sunday, the union issued a declaration that if talks fail, "it is necessary to carry out actions in Mexico City such as the taking of embassies, pressuring the interior ministry and the Senate."

Rosendo Ramirez, general secretary of a university workers union, said such actions "will allow the Oaxaca movement to overcome its obstacles and become a national movement."

But a top teachers' union leader, Enrique Rueda, was less emphatic, saying only that his colleagues agreed "not to rule out at this time" the seizure of embassies. He did not indicate which might be targeted.

At least 40,000 teachers occupied the leafy central plaza in Oaxaca city in May, demanding pay raises. After state Gov. Ulises Ruiz sent police to evict the strikers, thousands of leftists, anarchists and students joined the protest burning city buses, seizing radio and television stations, erecting hundreds of street barricades and covering buildings with graffiti.

Protesters are now demanding Ruiz's ouster, and two people have been killed and dozens more injured.

President Vicente Fox's top Cabinet member, Interior Secretary Carlos Abascal, said last week that federal officials in Mexico City would mediate negotiations to end the standoff.

Union leaders and a citizen's assembly created to oversee the strike have agreed to talks, but only if Abascal participates and Ruiz is not present. The protesters plan to send negotiators to the capital, 220 miles (350 kilometers) northwest of Oaxaca, though Abascal has yet to announce when talks might begin.

Rueda did not say what the protesters might consider positive results.

"If the interior secretary had acted months ago in a real and formal way, the conflict in Oaxaca would have been resolved," Rueda said.

Fox's government sent two sets of envoys to Oaxaca in recent months, but negotiations stalled after protesters declined to give up their insistence that Ruiz resign something they say they will continue to demand in the Mexico City talks.

Oaxaca is normally one of Mexico's top tourist destinations, but thousands of would-be visitors have shied away since the protests began.

August 22, 2006: Protesters in southern Mexico seize 12 radio stations, block highways, bus terminals

2006-11-15T18:50:00.000-08:00

The picturesque colonial city of Oaxaca sank further into chaos on Monday as protesters armed with machetes, pipes and clubs seized 12 private radio stations, cut off highways, and blockaded bus terminals and newspaper offices.

The smell of uncollected garbage and tires burning at barricades hung over the city, a popular tourist destination, and some businesses ran short of water after demonstrators refused to allow water trucks into central Oaxaca.

About 3,000 leftists and striking teachers wielding machetes and clubs marched through the city, demanding punishment for an early morning assault in which unidentified gunmen shot up a state-owned radio station that has been occupied since Aug. 1.

Protesters said a male teacher was wounded and taken to a hospital, but the extent of his injuries was not immediately known

The state government denied it had anything to do with the attack, which also damaged equipment. Protesters have used the facility to broadcast their demands for the resignation of Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz.

Some 70,000 public school teachers went on strike May 22 to demand salary increases totaling about US$125 million (euro97 million), but the government said it couldn't afford that and counter-offered with less than a tenth of that amount.

The protesters have since expanded their demands to include the resignation of Ruiz, whom they accuse of rigging the state election in 2004 and of using force to repress dissent. Ruiz belongs to the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which has governed the state since 1929.

The teachers refused to halt their three-month-old strike to allow 1.3 million students to return to classes Monday, the start of the new school year.

Private schools remained closed too, after one of the stations broadcast a warning to parents over a seized FM frequency: "You are running a risk by taking your children to school, to all the private schools."

"For the safety of your children, it would be better not to take them to school," the female voice continued.

The morning attack apparently prompted protesters to seize the other stations, all privately owned. The protesters still controlled all 12 stations late Monday, airing live speeches carrying leftist themes.

Radio station owners urged the Mexican government to send federal police to restore order.

"We consider (the takeovers) an action aimed at silencing the media in Oaxaca," said Oaxaca Media Association spokesman Jose Manuel Angel Villareal. "There cannot be just one voice, one truth in the media."

President Vicente Fox's spokesman, Ruben Aguilar, said the federal government is monitoring the situation but did not plan to intervene, leaving the issue up to the state.

The government of Oaxaca issued a statement expressing "concern about the attacks on news media and journalists," and saying it had handed relevant information to state prosecutors. Ruiz's government has taken little action in recent weeks as protesters seized buses, blocked businesses and shut down roads and highways.

Also Monday, the demonstrators a mix of striking teachers trade unionists and leftists cut off all the main avenues in Oaxaca's center, burned several vehicles and blockaded the offices of two newspapers, two bus companies and a television station.

Teachers took to the airwaves to denounce officials, intellectuals, the news media and others they say have refused to support their cause.

"We're fed up with neoliberalism," one said, using a term for free-market economics. "We are fed up with gringo ecotourism."

The state capital of Oaxaca City, 520 kilometers (325 miles) southeast of Mexico City, attracts thousands of Mexican and foreign tourists each year with its colonial architecture and local Indian crafts. But tourism has suffered as the city's center remains paralyzed.

The protests have erupted in violence on several occasions, and one demonstrator was shot dead earlier this month.

Media outlets also have been attacked by alleged pro-government sympathizers. Earlier this month, gunmen opened fire inside the offices of a newspaper critical of the state government, wounding at least two people.

August 19, 2006: Protesters, striking teachers block major highways to southern Mexican state

2006-11-15T18:49:00.000-08:00

A coalition of leftists and striking teachers blockaded all four major highways to the colonial city of Oaxaca on Friday the latest escalation of a nearly three-month-long protest aimed at ousting the state governor.

A man witnesses described as an angry motorist shot a teacher in the shoulder at a barricade, prompting a scuffle in which several people suffered minor injuries.

The teacher, Benito Castro, was treated at a local hospital for his wound, which did not appear to be life-threatening.

Some demonstrators claimed Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz was somehow behind the shooting.

They have been demanding his resignation, accusing him using force to repress dissent and of rigging the 2004 election to win office. Ruiz has denied the accusations.

On Friday, motorists sought to enter and leave the city through secondary roads and streets, but traffic was completely choked at points. Some teachers also asked the motorists for donations to support their cause.

The protesters have already seized the city's famous arch-ringed main plaza, state-run media outlets and government buildings, and have forced the cancellation of the state's foremost tourist festival. They have also hijacked city buses and blocked streets in some parts of the city. At other points they have established checkpoints and demanded visitors show identification before being allowed to pass.

The demonstrators recently also blocked the entrances to banks and businesses.

The teachers have said they will not lift their strike, which began on May 22, to allow the state's 1.3 million public school students to begin the school year on Monday.

The 70,000 teachers originally went on strike to demand salary increases totaling about US$125 million (euro97.6 million), but the government said it couldn't afford that and instead offered the teachers less than one-tenth of that amount.

Tourism revenues have suffered in Oaxaca City, a colorful state capital about 520 kilometers (325 miles) southeast of Mexico City that attracts Mexican and foreign tourists.

Negotiations between the state government and protesters have broken down. Oaxacan artist and community leader Francisco Toledo has proposed a civic mediation team, a leader of which would be former Chiapas Bishop Samuel Ruiz, an outspoken advocate of Indian rights and other social causes.

August 16, 2006: Protesters take 2 police officers hostage in southern Mexico

2006-11-15T18:46:00.000-08:00

Two police officers who had been searching for a protest leader were taken hostage Tuesday by demonstrators armed with machetes, the police chief said.

The officers were being held in the jail of the small town of San Bartolo Coyotepec, south of Oaxaca City, and the demonstrators planned to "exhibit" them later in the central plaza of the state capital of Oaxaca.

The hostage-taking was the latest sign of unrest in the southern state of Oaxaca, where protesters have besieged the picturesque capital since June, occasionally clashing with police.

The officers had been searching for protest leader Flavio Villavicencio earlier Tuesday, Police Chief Manuel Moreno said.

But the officers, Jose Luis Diaz and Joaquin Jimenez Ogarrio, told reporters that they were off duty Tuesday and were passing by Villavicencio's house when angry townspeople detained them.

And Villavicencio's wife, who was not identified, said the officers entered her house and pointed a gun at her and her children.

Police officials did not comment on any plans to rescue the officers. Federal officials have thus far refused to intervene.

The unrest began when state police attacked striking teachers who were pressing for a wage increase, and has since escalated to an occupation by thousands of teachers, unionists and leftists out in the historic central plaza. The protesters have repeatedly clashed with police, spray-painted buildings with revolutionary slogans, smashed hotel windows and erected makeshift barricades. Most businesses remain closed and police have pledged not to enter the plaza.

In addition to a raise, the teachers have pushed for the resignation of state Gov. Ulises Ruiz, whom they accuse of using force to repress dissent and of rigging the 2004 election to win office. Ruiz has denied the accusations and refuses to step down.

Also Tuesday, the Mexican Association of Newspaper Editors in a news release condemned the teachers' decision a day earlier to block the national Mexican television network Azteca and two daily Oaxacan newspapers from covering their events, due to the media outlets' alleged alliance with Ortiz.

August 10, 2006: Gunmen attack newspaper in southern Mexico, injuring at least 2

2006-11-15T18:45:00.000-08:00

Gunmen attacked a newspaper critical of the Oaxaca state government Wednesday, injuring at least two people in the latest incident in a wave of violence that has driven many tourists from this quaint Mexican city.

Police said one worker suffered a minor gunshot wound in the raid on the Noticias newspaper while another had been beaten. No arrests were made and a motive had not been determined.

Reporter Octavio Velez Ascencio said two assailants barged into the newspaper and attacked employees. Velez said four people were injured but did not provide further details.

In March, a federal judge ordered a union dominated by the state's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party to disband pickets that had shuttered the newspaper's main offices for nine months.

Lino Celaya, a spokeswoman for Oaxaca state security, said Wednesday that the state had since smoothed over its relations with Noticias, and would fully investigate the attack.

Tensions in the city have been on the rise since June, when state police attacked a demonstration of striking teachers occupying the historic central plaza and demanding a wage increase.

Since then, thousands of teachers, unionists and leftists have camped out in the plaza, spray-painting buildings with revolutionary slogans, smashing hotel windows and erecting makeshift barricades. Most businesses remain closed.

The number in the camp varies periodically. There were more than 2,000 Monday, but some events during the protest have drawn several thousand more.

The unrest has paralyzed one of Mexico's top cultural attractions, where visitors to the southern city normally browse traditional markets for Indian handicrafts, hike ancient pyramids and stroll cobblestone streets to sample mole dishes.

August 3, 2006: Protesters who seized Mexican TV station broadcast messages against local government

2006-11-15T18:44:00.000-08:00

About 500 women banging spoons against pots and pans seized a state-run television station and broadcast a homemade video Wednesday that showed police kicking protesters out of Oaxaca's main square last month.

The women took control of Oaxaca's Channel 9 station Tuesday and held employees for about six hours before releasing them. It was unclear how long the siege would last and police were nowhere to be seen near the station Wednesday.

The standoff is the latest by demonstrators who accuse Gov. Ulises Ruiz of rigging his 2004 election victory and violently repressing opposition groups.

Station director Mercedes Rojas said the state has filed a criminal complaint with the federal attorney general's office, noting that the station has about $54.5 million worth of equipment inside and that the protesters had threatened the 60 employees with violence while holding them captive.

Federal officials have not commented on the standoff.

Tensions have been on the rise since June, when state police attacked a demonstration of striking teachers occupying the historic central plaza and demanding a wage increase.

Since then, thousands of teachers, unionists and leftists have camped out in the plaza, spray-painting buildings with revolutionary slogans, smashing hotel windows and erecting makeshift barricades. Most businesses remain closed.

The unrest has paralyzed one of Mexico's top cultural attractions, where visitors to the southern city normally browse traditional markets for Indian handicrafts, hike ancient pyramids and stroll cobblestone streets to sample mole dishes. Officials recently canceled a prominent cultural festival because of fears that violence could injure tourists and residents.

Tourism is down 75 percent, costing the city more than $45 million, according to the Mexican Employers Federation. Business leaders have asked the federal government to intervene, but aides to President Vicente Fox have said the problem must be resolved at the state level.

July 24, 2006: Gunmen attack student radio station in escalating confrontation in historic Mexican city

2006-11-15T18:43:00.000-08:00

Gunmen attacked a university radio station that has backed efforts to oust the Oaxaca state governor, as violence flared once more in protests that has driven many tourists from this colonial city.

The unidentified assailants fired rounds of gunfire into the station's windows while it was broadcasting late Saturday, the Oaxaca state government said in a news release. Nobody was hurt in the attack.

Witnesses said the attack was carried out by at least 10 assailants wearing ski masks, who drove up in three trucks and used automatic rifles.

The radio station at Oaxaca's university has supported protests aimed at ousting state governor Ulises Ruiz, who is accused of rigging the election to win office in 2004 and violently repressing dissent.

Teachers Union leader Enrique Rueda, who is one of the protest leaders, accused Ruiz of being behind the shooting.

Ruiz "has always responded to popular protests with aggression, threats, repression, and authoritarianism," Rueda said.

In a statement, Ruiz's office condemned the attack and said state government is trying to negotiate with the protesters. Ruiz belongs to the Institutional Revolutionary Party.

Dozens of protesters, including teachers, students and leftist activists, went with sticks and stones to guard the radio station.

With tensions still high on Sunday, an angry crowd abducted and beat two city law enforcement officials after a local radio station broadcast rumors that an activist had been arrested by municipal police.

The officers, who were blindfolded during the incident, were released a few hours later to the Red Cross.

Major protests erupted in Oaxaca in late June after police attacked a demonstration of striking teachers looking for a wage increase of about 20 percent.

Thousands of demonstrators have camped out in the Oaxaca City center, spraying buildings with revolutionary slogans, smashing the windows of a hotel and building makeshift barricades.

Business groups say the protests have reduced tourism by 75 percent and cost them more than US$45 million (euro36 million) in lost earnings. They are asking the federal government to intervene to stop the protests and declare Oaxaca a disaster area so they can get funds normally reserved for areas hit by hurricanes and earthquakes.

Associated Press Writer Ioan Grillo contributed to this report from Mexico City.

July 17, 2006: Striking Mexican teachers force suspension of popular festival

2006-11-15T18:42:00.000-08:00

The governor of Mexico's Oaxaca state said Monday that he was suspending a centuries-old, internationally popular cultural festival because of fears that thousands of striking teachers will threaten tourists.

"I made the decision to reschedule the Guelaguetza to avoid the risk of tourist aggression by radical groups," Gov. Ulises Ruiz said over state radio and television.

He did not say when the festival, which had been scheduled to start Monday, would begin.

Hotels in Oaxaca city, a colorful state capital popular with both Mexican and foreign tourists about 520 kilometers (325 miles) southeast of Mexico City, planned to offer alternative recreation plans to guests who came to attend the festival, government officials said.

The Guelaguetza is a weeklong folkloric event celebrating the music, artisanship and cuisine of local Indian cultures and it dates back to 1700. It draws more than 20,000 people each year.

Striking teachers impeded access to the Guelaguetza theater on the Fortin hill overlooking the city.

The teacher's union also has taken over parts of the city's main central plaza and last weekend blocked the entrances to popular hotels as part of a protest launched on May 22 for a large, one-time salary increase.

The protests have developed into a widespread call by teachers and their sympathizers for Ruiz's resignation. Ruiz has refused.

Union leader Enrique Rueda said Sunday that the teachers' "good will" had disappeared because the federal and state government lacked interest in resolving the problem.

Catholic Archbishop Jose Luis Chavez has called on both sides to find a solution, but acknowledged that chances for quickly resolving the situation are slim.

"Social peace in Oaxaca is in danger because of the refusal to negotiate from both sides," Chavez said.

July 16, 2006: Striking teachers block hotels in colonial city in southern Mexico

2006-11-15T18:41:00.000-08:00

triking teachers blocked four major hotels and the bus station in this tourist-friendly, colonial city Saturday, part of their ongoing battle with authorities as they seek a wage increase.

Protesters flooded the entrances of the Camino Real and three other upscale hotels in Oaxaca city, 325 miles (520 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City and the capital of the state of the same name. While they didn't prohibit guests from coming or going, the blockades prompted some hotel managers to close their doors and turn away potential customers as a precaution.

The hotel protests came as thousands of mostly Mexican tourists flocked to Oaxaca for a festival Monday celebrating La Guelaguetza, a traditional folkloric dance native to the region.

Protest organizers said they targeted hotels in an effort to call attention to the plight of striking teachers, who have staged massive, often violent demonstrations and set up a protest camp in Oaxaca's main plaza since May 22. They demand higher wages and the ouster of state Gov. Ulises Ruiz.

Although teachers did not interfere with balloting during the July 2 presidential election, they did clash with police, block highways and burn buses in the weeks leading up to the vote.

Those camping in the arch-ringed central plaza sprayed buildings with graffiti and blockaded government offices, prompting Ruiz to send in police.

State officials have said they cannot meet the teachers' demands for a large, one-time pay raise and a federal envoy was unable to broker an agreement because teachers' unions refused to drop demands that Ruiz be removed from office.

The strike has left 1.3 million grade- and high-school students in Oaxaca without classes. Damage to the city and its tourism industry led citizens' groups to demand an end to the conflict before the election.

Federal officials estimated the salary increases would cost about US$125 million (euro99 million) and the state government said it doesn't have the money. Teachers are paid on a floating salary scale that hinges on such criteria as education, seniority and assignment.

June 24, 2006: Striking teachers in Mexico say they won't interfere with July 2 election

2006-11-15T18:39:00.000-08:00

The leader of about 70,000 striking teachers in southern Oaxaca state said Friday they won't interfere with Mexico's July 2 presidential election, and promised to meet with a civic commission to try to resolve their pay demands.

The monthlong strike has left 1.3 million children in grade and high schools in Oaxaca without classes.

The strikers demanding increased pay have camped out in the arch-ringed main plaza in Oaxaca the capital of the state of the same name and have at times blockaded the offices of the electoral agency here.

Teachers's union leader Enrique Rueda Pacheco expressed hopes of ending the month-long protest before the vote.

"We are not going to boycott the elections," he said. "The conflict has to have an end date, either on the last hours of July 1, or the first hours of July 2."

Responding to the fear that the ongoing conflict could disrupt voting in Oaxaca, President Vicente Fox said there will be no "there will be a great election for everyone." During the elections, he added, "everything will go well, including the elections in Oaxaca."

The teachers have sprayed historic buildings with graffiti around the main plaza, and have demanded the resignation of the state's governor.

Damage to the city and its important tourism industry have led citizens' groups to demand an end to the conflict.

Federal officials have estimated the total cost of the salary increases being demanded at about $125 million. The government has said it doesn't have the money. Teachers are paid on a floating salary scale that hinges on such criteria as education, senority and assignment.

June 22, 2006: Mexico fears increasingly violent teacher strike could disrupt July 2 elections

2006-11-15T18:35:00.000-08:00

Striking teachers, some armed with machetes and guns, hijacked and burned buses and blocked highways Thursday in their monthlong battle with the government of the Mexican state of Oaxaca.

The increasingly violent clashes threatened to last through Mexico's July 2 presidential election and potentially disrupt voting in the region.

Police officials said teachers blocked most federal and local roadways in an attempt to stop a march in support of Oaxaca state Gov. Ulises Ruiz, who last week ordered police to force protesters from Oaxaca City's main square where they had camped out to demand a salary hike.

Protesters have called for Ruiz's ouster and mounted the blockades to try to turn back buses carrying government supporters, many of whom were believed to have been summoned by the governor himself.

Mexican newspaper Reforma reported on its Web site that the pro-Ruiz march, which was organized by local business groups, took place after only an hour's delay.

Police said the protesters torched at least two buses, and some attended the blockades armed with sticks, machetes, and guns, police said.

On Monday, the teachers broke off negotiations with authorities and blockaded government offices after federal officials said they could not meet their pay demands.

Union leaders representing the teachers said federal officials told them they would have to negotiate their demands with state officials. But state officials say they can't afford a large, one-time pay hike.

In Mexico, the state and federal governments share responsibility for schools.

Teachers on Thursday were also asking Mexico's Roman Catholic Church to help mediate the conflict.

Some have expressed fears that the monthlong conflict could disrupt voting in Oaxaca on July 2, when Mexico will elect a new president and congress.

Ruiz has accused local representatives of presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's leftist Democratic Revolution Party of aiding and provoking the protests.

Ruiz belongs to Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party, which has governed the state since the party was founded in 1929.

Mexican Deputy Interior Secretary Arturo Chavez told reporters in Mexico City on Thursday that federal officials had no confirmation of Ruiz's allegations.

Chavez said the federal government was urging teachers to restart negotiations with state officials and said he could not do anything about the teachers' demands for Ruiz's resignation.

"He was elected by all Oaxacans, he is the constitutional governor of the state," Chavez said. "As a result, we reiterate our call for prudence and an agreement that we can resolve these differences through dialogue.

Dozens of people were slightly injured in last week's raid aimed at moving the teachers from the arch-lined square, a major tourist attraction in this colonial city of 245,000 about 350 kilometers (220 miles) southeast of Mexico City.

Teachers later re-established their tent city in the square.

January 23, 2005: Authorities suspend warrant against former opposition candidate in southern Mexico

2006-11-15T18:32:00.000-08:00

Gabino Cue, an opposition candidate who narrowly lost the governorship election in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca to the ruling PRI party, remained free on Sunday after a theatrical attempt to turn himself over to authorities on embezzlement charges.

The charges relate to Cue's term as mayor of the state capital, also known as Oaxaca, where he and other officials allegedly failed to properly account for millions of dollars in city funds.

"I decided to confront the authorities that are persecuting me and defend my innocence," said Cue, who marched with his wife and more than a thousand supporters from the capital's central square to the state attorney general's office.

A spokesman for the attorney general emerged to say that the arrest warrant had been blocked.

Cue has said the charges against him are part of a campaign by Gov. Ulises Ruiz and former governor Jose Murat to crush his opposition movement.

In the three-way Oaxaca race held Aug. 1, Ruiz beat Cue, who represented a coalition of opposition parties, by a small margin.

But the voting was preceded and followed by a series of odd, violent events.

Prior to the election, Murat said he was the victim of a strange assassination attempt that some say was staged to gain sympathy.

Several days before the election, PRI supporters allegedly killed an opposition activist at a roadblock.

After the Aug. 1 election, peasants stormed and briefly seized a warehouse owned by an opposition newspaper.

Cue spoke only in vague terms on Sunday about the charges he faces, while accusing the governor of protecting Murat from questions about the curious pre-election assassination attempt.

With his term over as mayor, Cue has lost the immunity from prosecution he enjoyed as a public official.

"I thank the political parties that have fought against the political machine of Oaxaca," Cue said. "I will confront those who persecute me politically."