The United Nations human rights office called on Tuesday for an impartial investigation into deadly demonstrations in Mexico as the government announced talks with protesting teachers to prevent more violence.
Ten people died and more than 100 were injured in Sunday's unrest in the southern state of Oaxaca, where the radical CNTE teachers union has blocked roads in protest against President Enrique Pena Nieto's education reform.
The Mexico office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the violence and called for an "independent, swift, exhaustive and impartial" investigation into the clashes.
"My office makes a call to avoid violence and for the involved parties to favor dialogue over confrontation in order to prevent a repeat of the situations that occurred," the UN body's Mexico representative, Jan Jarab, said in a statement.
Authorities say that eight people died in Asuncion Nochixtlan, where police were ambushed by an unidentified armed group after officers removed barricades set up by teachers.
Federal police chief Enrique Galindo said officers were not armed when they were deployed to break up the protest, but that a unit carrying weapons was sent after the gunmen appeared.
Seven of the victims had bullet wounds. The other died while handling a makeshift explosive that detonated. Autopsies are being conducted to determine the caliber of the bullets.
The other two Sunday deaths occurred in Juchitan, where unknown gunmen fatally shot a photojournalist and another man after the photographer took pictures of looting amid protests.
State and federal prosecutors have teamed up to investigate the clashes in Asuncion Nochixtlan, while the federal police's internal affairs office opened its own probe.
Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said Monday that the violence was "grave" and that the investigation would determine whether the "use of weapons by the state and federal police was adequate or not" in Asuncion Nochixtlan.
The radical CNTE union, which has led the protests, blamed the violence on "infiltrators" and accused police of firing "without pity."
The interior ministry announced that Osorio Chong will hold talks Wednesday with the national teachers union, the SNTE, and its dissident branch, the CNTE.
The goal of the meeting is to listen to the union and "move forward in building solutions that allow a return to tranquility in regions of the country that have been affected by its recent demonstrations," the ministry said in a statement.
Unionized teachers have also held protests in the southern states of Guerrero and Chiapas as well as Michoacan in the west.
Education Minister Aurelio Nuno said Wednesday's meeting will be a "political dialogue" to "defuse" the tensions and will not involve discussions about education.
Nuno warned at a news conference that the reform "is a process that continues and will not be stopped."
The United Nations human rights office called on Tuesday for an impartial investigation into deadly demonstrations in Mexico as the government announced talks with protesting teachers to prevent more violence.
Ten people died and more than 100 were injured in Sunday’s unrest in the southern state of Oaxaca, where the radical CNTE teachers union has blocked roads in protest against President Enrique Pena Nieto’s education reform.
The Mexico office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the violence and called for an “independent, swift, exhaustive and impartial” investigation into the clashes.
“My office makes a call to avoid violence and for the involved parties to favor dialogue over confrontation in order to prevent a repeat of the situations that occurred,” the UN body’s Mexico representative, Jan Jarab, said in a statement.
Authorities say that eight people died in Asuncion Nochixtlan, where police were ambushed by an unidentified armed group after officers removed barricades set up by teachers.
Federal police chief Enrique Galindo said officers were not armed when they were deployed to break up the protest, but that a unit carrying weapons was sent after the gunmen appeared.
Seven of the victims had bullet wounds. The other died while handling a makeshift explosive that detonated. Autopsies are being conducted to determine the caliber of the bullets.
The other two Sunday deaths occurred in Juchitan, where unknown gunmen fatally shot a photojournalist and another man after the photographer took pictures of looting amid protests.
State and federal prosecutors have teamed up to investigate the clashes in Asuncion Nochixtlan, while the federal police’s internal affairs office opened its own probe.
Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said Monday that the violence was “grave” and that the investigation would determine whether the “use of weapons by the state and federal police was adequate or not” in Asuncion Nochixtlan.
The radical CNTE union, which has led the protests, blamed the violence on “infiltrators” and accused police of firing “without pity.”
The interior ministry announced that Osorio Chong will hold talks Wednesday with the national teachers union, the SNTE, and its dissident branch, the CNTE.
The goal of the meeting is to listen to the union and “move forward in building solutions that allow a return to tranquility in regions of the country that have been affected by its recent demonstrations,” the ministry said in a statement.
Unionized teachers have also held protests in the southern states of Guerrero and Chiapas as well as Michoacan in the west.
Education Minister Aurelio Nuno said Wednesday’s meeting will be a “political dialogue” to “defuse” the tensions and will not involve discussions about education.
Nuno warned at a news conference that the reform “is a process that continues and will not be stopped.”
