Urgent Action VOCAL, July 16, 2007. Arrest of our compañera, VOCAL member. Detention of Silvia Gabriela Hernandez Salinas, of Oaxaca, OAX July 16, 2007 To all of the organizations, collectives, and individuals in Oaxaca, Mexico and the world. To the Otra Campaña. To National and International Human Rights Organizations To the media. Oaxacan Voices Building Autonomy and Liberty (VOCAL) calls for urgent intervention in response to the detention of Silvia Gabriela Hernandez Salinas, arrested during the march of the People's Guelaguetza in Oaxaca City. Details: SILVIA GABRIELA HERNANDEZ SALINAS SILVIA GABRIELA HERNANDEZ SALINA is a member of Oaxacan Voices Building Autonomy and Liberty (VOCAL), student of Sociology at UBAJO, and researcher in that same subject. Furthermore, she is a member of the Otra Campaña. She is from Oaxaca, is 24 years old, is active in the social movement, studied in the Autonomous University Benito Juarez (UBAJO) in Oaxaca. Her friends and professors know her as an exemplary student, who works across media, and a poet, who has undertaken a number of different investigations within her major. She is currently working on VOCAL's agriculture project. Oaxacan Voices Building Autonomy and Liberty (VOCAL) An intentionally diverse and active space, made up of different individuals and collectives, all activists in the Oaxacan social movement. VOCAL works to join together the efforts of the Oaxaca peoples to mobilize, and keep the movement loyal to its principles, autonomous, and independent from political parties, and to support their way of assembly as a the most just and harmonious way of coming to understand, self organize and self govern. VOCAL is a space that works for the construction, strengthening, and connecting of autonomies, that considers the autonomy of communities, groups, collectives, individuals and organizations as a real alternative for opposing the current authoritarian government system. Autonomy is a process of building other realities that show that there is another way of changing things from the root, where communities decide their own ways of living. It is important to mention that Silvia is the second VOCAL member to be detained. David Venegas Reyes was arrested April 13, 2007 and is currently being held in the Central Jail of Santa Maria Ixcotel. Antecedents On the night of the 15th of July, with was decided to meet at the Zocalo at 8 in the morning for the celebration of the Guelaguetza Popular. From there, at 10 am, the celebratory march climbed the street Porfirio Diaz towards the street Niños Héroes, with the intention of celebrating, in a totally peaceful manner, the popular fiesta in the Cerro del Fortin (the public amphitheater where the Guelaguetza is traditionally held). When they arrived at the Hotel Fortín Plaza, hundreds of police, from different police bodies including the military, were waiting for them. The march/celebration arrived with music and dancing, and tried to initiate a dialogue with the officials, to let the celebration take place. The police refused to let them by, and people began the celebration there in the intersection. When the dance of the chinas oaxaqueñas was taking place, the first canister in a rain of teargas fell on the crowd, dispersing the dancers as well as a large portion of the 3 thousand participants, which included teachers, collectives, groups of young folks, the elderly and children. A number of people responded to the aggression with stones.

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