Last night, about 100 “porros” (urban paramilitaries) and plain clothed police officers violently took over the facilities of the newspaper NOTICIAS and forced out the 31 workers who have been sequestered for the last month, and denounced the reporter Ignacio Velasquez Zarate.

The operation occurred at 8:10 pm at the facilities of the daily publication NOTICIAS, located on 407 Libres St. in downtown Oaxaca. In order to do so, they parked dump- trucks, trucks, and buses blocking and surrounding an entire city block.

Many of the 31 workers that were sequestered for 30 days, as well as their neighbors, considered the operation to be openly sanctioned by the governor of the state because starting at 5 in the evening, they started to block passage of neighboring property owners from the daily publication NOTICIAS, while traffic cops diverted the flow of traffic, militarized police secured the area, and the assistant attorney general, Wilfredo Almaraz Santibàñez, oversaw this violent act.

The assistant attorney general, Wilfedo Almaraz, denied having participated in the operation. Regardless, he was seen a block away from the newspaper two hours after the violent siege, waiting for “my chauffeur”.

As well, Ulises Bravo, who is part of CROC´s leadership, was seen escorting men with covered faces, carrying bottles, sticks, and some even had guns on their belts, to forcefully remove the workers of NOTICIAS to demonstrate that they had not been sequestered.

Regardless, some of the 31 workers who had visible blows on parts of their bodies and those who had their cell phones and portfolios stolen, gave accounts of the way the participants in the supposed strike forcefully took over and entered the newspaper’s facilities.

It was around 8:10 in the evening, this Monday on the 18th of July, when some 70 men with covered faces, carrying sticks and firearms, climbed up the stairs that they had been occupying, entered the through the terrace, where they fired two shots, destroyed two glass doors that had been locked, and entered the editing office.

While some smashed the computers and destroyed other equipment, the 31 workers piled in the director of the newspapers office, until the urban paramilitaries and plain clothed officers arrived.

“Alright now little sons of bitches, You said you were sequestered, well now we came to fuck you up!” , they told the workers and immediately began hitting them and forcing them to go down into the reception area of the newspaper, where they threw them on the floor with their hands on their necks and mouths down.

Later, they kicked them out by the garage and made them run because if they had resisted they “were going to kill them”, they yelled.

According to the workers who had been struck, the operation was coordinated by Carlos Monjaraz, who is part of CROC’s leader’s, David Robles, assault group.

It is evident that before and after the operation, there were traffic cops present who diverted the flow of traffic so that CROC strikers could act freely, while the militarized police chose to protect the urban paramilitaries and the police.

The assistant attorney general, who was witness to all of these acts, denied that there were, in fact, workers who had been struck who went before the public ministry to present their cases.

The governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz declared that neither the state nor the federal government had anything to do with the NOTICIAS case because this is between the labor courts, the union, and the company. Thus, this is the way this case must be solved.

Moreover, “I am not used to making litigations though the media, nor am I going to do it now, and profoundly respect union life. We are going to respect what the federal judges have said, bails that have been requested, and we are going to leave this issue to the labor courts as it should be done.”

Nevertheless, when asked about the call that was recently made to President Vicente Fox to solve the problem with the periodical NOTICIAS, he stated, “I respect the opinion of President Fox, I repeat, this is a labor issue between the union and the company and that is how it will be resolved, between the union and the company, taking the management before the Meeting of Conciliation and Arbitration.”

When insisting to him that it was differed to the federal chief executive, he indicated that “this is eminently a labor issue, we have coincidences in the development of Oaxaca and many differences in the way we think”, he ended.

Ruiz Ortiz ironically kicked off the ceremony for the 133 anniversary of Benito Juarez serving the Americas by proclaiming his faith, respect, and admiration for the hero.

Unos cien ``porros y policías vestidos de civil tomaron por asalto anoche las instalaciones del periódico NOTICIAS y desalojaron violentamente a los 31 trabajadores que se encontraban secuestrados desde hace un mes, denuncio el periodista Luís Ignacio Velásquez Zarate.

El operativo ocurrió a las 20:10 horas en las instalaciones del diario NOTICIAS, ubicado en la calle de Libres 407 centro Oaxaca, aunque para ello ´´sitiaron´´ toda la manzana con camiones de volteo, autobuses, y camionetas.

Tanto los 31 trabajadores que estuvieron secuestrados durante 30 días como los vecinos denunciaron que el operativo contó con la abierta protección del gobierno del estado porque desde las cinco de la tarde comenzaron a impedir el paso a los propios vecinos del diario NOTICIAS, mientras que Transito desvió la circulación, la policía preventiva resguardó el área y el subprocurador de justicia del estado Wilfredo Alcaraz Santibáñez superviso este allanamiento violento.

El subprocurador Wilfredo Alcaraz negó haber participado en el operativo, sin embargo, desde antes de las seis de la tarde se apersono a una cuadra del periódico y dos horas después de la toma por asalto al periódico NOTICIAS seguía esperando a ´´mi chofer´´.

A su vez, Ulises Bravo, quien forma parte de la directiva de la CROC, escotado por embozados que portaban botellas, palos y algunos hasta con pistola en la cintura, reconoció que sacaron por la fuerza a los trabajadores de NOTICIAS para demostrar que no estaban secuestrados.

Sin embargo, los 31 trabajadores que presentan golpes en algunas partes del cuerpo y a los que les robaron su celular y su cartera, relataron la forma como los esquiroles que abanderan una supuesta huelga tomaron por asalto el periódico.

Eran como los ocho con 10 minutos de la noche de este lunes 18 de julio cuando unos 70 sujetos embozados portando palos, tubos y armas de fuego subieron por unas escaleras que ellos mismos colocaron y entraron por la terraza donde hicieron do disparos, destruyeron dos puertas de vidrio que son controlados con claves de acceso y se metieron a la redacción.

Mientras unos realizaban el saqueo de computadoras y la destrucción de otros aparatos, los 31 trabajadores de NOTICIAS se concentraron en la oficina del director del periódico Ismael Sanmartín Hernández, hasta donde llegaron el ¨porros´´ y el ´´los policías vestidos civil´´.

´´Ahora si putitos hijos de su chingada madre, no que estaban secuestrados, les venimos a sacar y a romperles la madre´´, les dijeron a los trabajadores e inmediatamente los comenzaron a golpear hasta obligarlos a bajar a la recepción del Diario donde los tiraron al piso con la mano en la nuca y boca abajo.

Posteriormente los sacaron a patadas por la cochera y los echaron a correr porque si oponían resistencia los ´´vamos a matar´´, les gritaban.

De acuerdo a los trabajadores golpeados, el operativo lo coordino Carlos Monjaraz, quien forma parte del grupo de choque del líder de la CROC, David Aguilar Robles.

Cabe resaltar que antes y después del operativo estuvieron presentes agentes de transito que desviaron la circulación para que los esquiroles de la CROC actuaran libremente, mientras que la policía preventiva se limito a brindar protección a los ´´porros y policias´´.

En tanto el subprocurador, quien fue testigo de todos estos hechos se limito a decir que si hay trabajadores golpeados que acudieran ante el ministerio publico a presentar la denuncia correspondiente.

El gobernador Ulises Ruiz Ortiz declaro que ´´el gobierno del estado no tiene nada que hacer (en el caso del Periódico NOTICIAS) y por lo mismo el gobierno federal porque este es un asunto de los tribunales laborales, es un asunto entre el sindicato y, la empresa, (entonces) es un asunto eminentemente laboral que se tiene que resolver en esas instancias``.

Además, dijo, ``yo no acostumbro hacer litigios en los medios de comunicación, ni los voy a hacer y respeto profundamente la vida sindical y vamos a respetar lo que han dicho (los) jueces federales, los amparos que hay promovidos y vamos a dejar que este asunto se dirima en los tribunales laborales como debe ser``.

Sin embargo, al preguntarle sobre el llamado que hizo recientemente el Presidente Vicente Fox para que se solucione el caso del Periódico NOTICIAS, manifestó: ``yo respeto la opinión del Presidente Fox, yo repito este es un asunto laboral entre el sindicato y la empresa y así se va a resolver entre el sindicato y la empresa, haciendo sus gestiones ante la Junta de Conciliación y Arbitraje´´.

Al insistirle que entonces difería del mandatario federal señaló que ``este es un asunto eminentemente laboral, tenemos coincidencias en el desarrollo de Oaxaca y muchas diferencias de formas de pensar``, remato.

Antes, Ruiz Ortiz refrendo su fe juarista, respeto y admiración a don Benito Juárez, al encabezar la ceremonia por 133 aniversario luctuoso del Benemérito de las Américas.