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.
Monday, January 8, 2007
November 14, 2006: In Mexican city of Oaxaca, classes briefly resume at university wracked by protests
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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