Mexico CNTE Leaders Imprisoned for No Reason: Attorneys

Relatives and lawyers of two of the main leaders of the dissident CNTE teachers’ union said a judge in Mexico City has granted them bail over charges related to illegally obtaining funds, after they were arbitrarily arrested on June 12.

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Ruben Nunez Gines, secretary general of Section 22 of the CNTE in Oaxaca, and Aciel Sibaja Mendoza, his secretary of finance, were arrested in Mexico City by agents dressed as civilians, in what eyewitnesses have described as a “violent action.” The teachers were then transported to prisons in Northern Mexico, far from their home state of Oaxaca.

The arrests were likely seen by the government as a small victory against the teachers movement, which has been conducting strikes since last May against the education reform of President Enrique Peña Nieto.

However, the arrest of the leaders along with a dozen other teachers has led to mass mobilizations in the southern states of Mexico and the nation's capital.

On June 19 protests turned violent when authorities deployed tens of thousands of riot police. At least 10 people were killed due to the repression, according to Mexican authorities, although eyewitnesses including teleSUR correspondent's in Oaxaca report 12 people have been killed. Nine people have lost their lives in the municipality of Nochixtlan.

The two CNTE leaders, Nuñez and Sibaja, have not yet been released and according to a judge they are still facing “other charges under state jurisdiction.” However, according to their defense, authorities have not revealed the additional charges and attorneys are urging they release the teachers immediately.

Meanwhile, teachers have promised to continue their protests and are demanding the immediate release of Nuñez and Sibaja as well as an end to the reforms, which they argue is intended to privatize education and will result in the dismissal of tens of thousands of teachers.

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In the wake of international condemnation, after more than three years the government of Peña Nieto has opened up a dialogue with the dissident teachers.

But after an initial meeting between the teachers and Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, the former left empty handed and Education Minister Aurelio Nuño has vowed to contunue the implementation of neoliberal policies in the education sector.

The teachers’ cause has been endorsed by thousands of local and international social organizations and grassroots movements, like the progressive Morena Party, however Mexico's mainstream media has been criticized for narrowly representing the teachers as violent.