News, Land Reports and Analysis
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Another Farmworker Killed and Five more Injured in Polochic Valley
CUC/Fundacion Guillermo Toriello
5/21/2011

Relato de hechos por FGT y el comunicado del CUC en espanol

Today, private security guards from the Chabil Utzaj refinery shot at a group of farmworkers in Canlun while they were working on land owned by the Tzalamila cooperative.

In the attack, Oscar Reyes, 34 years old, died after being shot approximately 25 times.  Also injured were Marcelino Ical Chub, 25 years old, with a bullet wound in the head; and Miguel Choc CuculN, 21 years old,  with fractures in his leg and arm resulting from the bullet wounds, and Arnoldo Caal Rax, 56 years old, with a bullet wound in the head...

This morning, a number of families from Canlun were working on land owned by the Tzalamila cooperative when they noticed that two tractors from the Chabil Utzaj refinery tried to enter the area where their crops were planted.  A few women and children went to ask the drivers of the tractors what they were doing.  People could see they were digging a hole approximately 3 meters deep.

At that time, the private security guards from the refinery, led by Jorge Mario Barrientos and Efrain Garcia, without saying a word, started to shoot at people.  The people who were shot could not protect themselves.  While people fled the bullets, the guards shouted that the hole was to bury the dead. 

The land where the crops were planted and where the people were shot belongs to the Tzalamila Cooperative.  The community has documents to prove property ownership.  Community members have identified the security agents employed by the refinery that participated in the attack: Anastacio CocN resident of the Aldea Teleman and Ricardo Quej, resident of the Aldea Tzalk in the municipality of La Tinta.