Narrow escape for Finnish woman in attack in Mexico

People still missing in Oaxaca ambush

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Some people are still reported missing in the aftermath of an ambush in the Mexican state of Oaxaca in which a Finnish human rights activist was killed.
      Jyri Jaakkola, 33, died on Wednesday when a paramilitary force attacked a caravan of aid vehicles delivering supplies to an isolated village. Another Finnish peace activist, Meri Montonen, 42, narrowly escaped.
      The Finnish Embassy in Mexico reports that Mononen was in the same car as Jaakkola. She fled the shooters, but they captured her and a few other activists. Some hours later they were released.
      At least two Mexican journalists and two activists were still missing on Thursday evening.
     
Finnish Ambassador Ulla Väistö says that Finland is demanding that the crime be thoroughly investigated, and the perpetrators brought to trial.
      “We condemn this shocking crime in the strongest of terms”, Väistö says.
      The Ambassador also said that the countries of the European Union are preparing a statement condemning the events in Oaxaca and demanding that civic organisations be guaranteed safe working conditions.
      Embassy officials were in Oaxaca on Thursday making preparations for the repatriation of Jaakkola’s body.
     
It has been confirmed that the attack was the work of the paramilitary Ubisort organisation.
      “Ubisort is a typical paramilitary group in Mexico. Both the federal government and local government use paramilitary forces to break up Indian communities”, says researcher Hanna Laako, who is studying indigenous affairs in the state of Chiapas, which borders Oaxaca.
      Laako says that there are many local groups in different parts of Mexico. Officials provide them with weapons, money, land, and military training.
     
Oaxaca Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz denied on Thursday that the state administration would have had anything to do with the attack.
      “It is strange that foreigners were going to a village where there are problems. I don’t know what role they have here”, he said to the newspaper La Jornada.

More on this subject:
 Statement by the Mexican Embassy in Helsinki concerning the death of Finnish human rights activist

Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish human rights activist killed in Mexico ambush (29.4.2010)

Helsingin Sanomat