The ongoing struggle against Fortuna Silver's Trinidad/Cuzcatlán Mine in Oaxaca has taken another unfortunate turn. On June 16, 2012, a small group of men opened fire on crowd that was gathered by the Municipal Palace of San José del Progreso. A total of two people were injured during the unprovoked attack. This is the third such attack against mine opponents in San José del Progreso since January 2012.

The Oaxaca Collective in Defense of the Lands, an umbrella organization made up of prominent human rights and civil society organizations, has denounced the attack and reiterated international concerns about the safety of defenders in Oaxaca.

We demand justice for the aggression against the Coordinating Committee of United Peoples Of the Valley of Ocotlán (Pueblos Unidos del Valle de Ocotlán)

Once again members of the Coordinating Committee of United Peoples Of the Valley of Ocotlán (CPUVO) have been attacked by members of the municipal council de San José del Progreso, Ocotlán, Oaxaca. The attack took place on Saturday, June 16 at about 8:40 P.M.

Among the aggressors were Evaristo Gonzáles (alleged worker for the mining company Cuzcatlán and hired gun for the present municipal president), Edgar Vásquez Hernández (son of the municipal president who signed permissions for the mining company in the period from 2004-2007) and Aarón Pérez Vásquez (Deputy for the Works Councillor), who fired at members of CPUVO in front of the municipal building. In this latest assault Bertín Vásquez Ruiz and Guadalupe Andrés Vásquez Ruiz were gravely wounded.

From January to June of 2012 three attacks against the members of CPUVO took place in San José del Progreso, resulting in the assassination of two defenders of human rights: Bernardo Méndez Vásquez (January 18, 2012) and Bernardo Vásquez Sánchez (March 15, 2012), in addition to others wounded by gunshots: Abigail Vásquez Sánchez, Rosalinda Dionisio Canseco and Andrés Vásquez Sánchez. According to accusations by CPUVO, these assassinations were perpetrated by members of the municipal authority and employees of the mining company.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: More agression against mine opponents in San José del Progreso, Oaxaca.