Mexico: Daily roadblocks on Oaxaca highways

Event

Members and supporters of the Unification Movement for the Triqui Struggle (MULT) have threatened to block highways throughout Oaxaca state (south) daily beginning at 08:00 (local time). On Tuesday, May 27, the first day of the protests, traffic was blocked at 16 different points in the state, including in the state capital, also called Oaxaca. Other affected areas include San Dionisio Ocotepec, San Pablo Huixtepec, Huitzo, Putla Villa de Guerrero, Huajuapan, Nacaltepec, and Soledad Salinas. The roadblocks are expected to be opened every two hours to allow traffic to pass. Clashes between protesters and police are possible, especially if the latter attempt to break up the roadblocks.

Context

The demonstrations are being held to demand justice for the eight people killed during a teacher protest in Nochixtlán in June 2016 and the 43 students from a teacher training college that went missing during a protest in Iguala, Guerrero, in 2014, as well as the 30,000 Mexicans currently reported missing across the country. They are also demanding the release of people arrested during violent protests, who MULT have described as “political prisoners.”

Advice

Individuals in Mexico are advised to avoid all demonstrations due to the potential for violence and to never attempt to cross a roadblock without authorization.