Mexican Supreme Court says Oaxaca governor, Ulises Ruiz, responsible for violent protests in 2006

Free Speech Radio News. — A Supreme Court ruling this week in Mexico may help give some closure to the families of opposition protesters killed in Oaxaca in 2006. During the five months of protests, gunmen killed a dozen people(*), including New York-based journalist Brad Will. Critics hope the decision will force those responsible to resign. FSRN’s Shannon Young reports from Oaxaca City.

The court ruled 7 to 4 that Oaxaca governor Ulises Ruiz and state-level police chiefs are responsible for violating individual guarantees including the right to free movement, free access to information and freedom of expression. The resolution determined the violations stem from the failure of Ruiz and the police to maintain public order during anti-government protests over an 8-month period that began in May 2006.

Reactions to the resolution have been mixed, particularly with regards to the court's decision to absolve former president Vicente Fox and two of his cabinet ministers in the same case. While it does have moral weight, the resolution itself carries no criminal or civil penalty. It's now up to Mexico's Congress and the Attorney General's office to decide how - or if - to act on the findings. Shannon Young, FSRN, Oaxaca.

*In the original version of this story, we stated in the introduction that during five months of protests in Oaxaca in 2006 gunmen killed a dozen people, including New York-based journalist Brad Will. In fact, according to Physicians for Human Rights, at least 18 were killed. FSRN regrets the error.

A Supreme Court ruling this week in Mexico may help give some closure to the families of opposition protesters killed in Oaxaca in 2006. During the five months of protests, gunmen killed at least 18 people, including New York-based journalist Brad Will. Critics hope the decision will force those responsible to resign. FSRN’s Shannon Young reports from Oaxaca City.

Concepto by Hugo Santos is licensed under a Creative Commons 2.5 Mexico License

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