Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Will arrest of UBISORT leader quell Oaxaca violence?

Amnesty International praised the recent arrest of UBISORT leader Rufino Juárez Hernández in Oaxaca. UBISORT, or the Unión de Bienestar Social de la Región Triqui, is a paramilitary organization reportedly set up by the PRI in 1994 and protected by the state government, and has been involved in much violence and assassinations, including the high-profile murder of the Finnish activist Jyri Jaakkola.

UBISORT has also faced resistance from Movimiento de Unificación y Lucha Triqui Independiente (MULTI-I), of the Triqui indigenous people, many of which have been victim of UBISORT and of MULT, or Movimiento de Unificación y Lucha Triqui, also affiliated with the PRI.

What the US really thinks of Enrique Peña Nieto

For critics of Mexico State's governor and likely 2012 PRI presidential candidate, the most recent Wikileaks revelations from La Jornada on the subject of Enrique Peña Nieto are pure gold. This is what the U.S. embassy thinks of him [from Spanish, not from the orginal]:
"Godson of ex president Carlos Salinas"
"Cut from the same cloth as the old PRI"
"Made in the same mold of the stale Mexico State PRI, he is not exactly recognized for his transparency when it comes to friends and allies"
And also,
"pays pollster companies to make them give results favorable  to him"
One cable, in an absolutely marvelous reference, calls Mexico State a "Potemkin Village."

Now if only Mexico's voters will reach the same damning conclusions as the U.S. embassy.