Please take action now! Send an email to the Mexican authorities today, demanding protection for human rights defenders, journalists and civil society representatives providing humanitarian assistance to the besieged Triqui community and to monitor the human rights situation there.

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Your Message: Lic. Felipe de Jesus Calderon Hinojosa Presidente Constitucional de la República Mexicana Residencia Oficial de los Pinos, Casa Miguel Alemán Col. San Miguel Chapultepec, C.P. 11850 México Re: April 27 paramilitary attack on the Solidarity Caravan in Oaxaca CC: Secretario General de Gobernación, Lic. Fernando Gómez-Mont Urueta; Procurador General de la República, Lic. Arturo Chávez Chávez; Gobernador del Estado de Oaxaca, Lic. Ulises Ruiz Ortiz; Dr. José Antonio Guevara Bermúdez, Unidad para la promoción y defensa de los derechos humanos, SEGOB; Ambassador of Canada in Mexico, Mr. Guillermo E. Rishchynski; Ambassador of Mexico in Canada, Mr. Francisco J. Barrio Terrazas Honourable Mr. Calderon Hinojosa: I am writing to express my serious concern regarding the April 27 armed assault by paramilitaries on the members of an international aid caravan near the community of La Sabana, Oaxaca. In this armed attack, which was reportedly carried out by the PRI-affiliated paramilitary organization, UBISORT, two human rights defenders were murdered and several others injured. Alberta (“Bety”) Cariño, leader of the Oaxacan human rights organization, CACTUS, was reportedly shot in the head at close range. Jyri Antero Jaakkola, a Finnish human rights observer, was also reportedly shot and killed by the assailants. The caravan, made up of more than 30 national and international human rights observers, was on its way to deliver food, clothing and medical supplies to members of the Triqui indigenous community in San Juan Copala who have been under siege by paramilitaries for several months. Oaxaca authorities reportedly did not arrive on the scene of the crime until the day after the attack, and there have been reports of numerous prior acts of violence in the region, with little action taken on the part of state government authorities, which has led to a climate of impunity. I strongly urge your government to take immediate action to do the following: • Guarantee the full physical and psychological integrity of the human rights defenders, journalists and civil society representatives who remain in the area to provide humanitarian assistance to the besieged Triqui community and to monitor the human rights situation. • Carry out an urgent, thorough and impartial investigation into this attack, in order to bring those responsible to justice. • Provide adequate reparation for the victims and their families. • Open the appropriate channels for dialogue in order to reduce tensions in the zone, while respecting the rights of indigenous peoples recognized in international human rights instruments ratified and adopted by Mexico, such as ILO Convention 169 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. • Insist that the Oaxaca state government assume its full responsibility to protect the lives of human rights defenders. I look forward to receiving information on the actions your government is taking to address the above recommendations. I will continue to monitor the situation closely. Respectfully,