Flavio Sosa
Encyclopedia
Flavio Sosa Villavicencio (born 1964 in San Bartolo Coyotepec, Oaxaca
), is a Mexican
activist
and a member of the provisional collective council of the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca
(APPO).
During the 2000 elections
, his organization Nueva Izquierda de Oaxaca ("the New Left of Oaxaca") supported Vicente Fox
(now ex-President).
Sosa was an activist with the Democratic Revolution Party
(PRD) and the Popular Unity Party in Oaxaca
. Sosa also worked with the Democratic Peasants Union (UCD), which was later integrated into the PRD.
Currently, Sosa is a member of the "provisional collective council" of APPO.
from the beginning. On November 26, his office in the Oaxacan capital City was burned by paramilitaries and his brother Eric was detained and sent to a prison in Tamaulipas.
On December 4, 2006, Sosa was arrested on charges including kidnapping
and destruction of property. Sosa was arrested in Mexico City
along with two of his brothers Horacio and Ignacio Sosa, and Marcelino Coache. The four had traveled to Mexico's capital to speak out against government repression
in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Sosa has since been moved to a prison facility in Tamaulipas
. While Sosa denounces the idea of leadership within the APPO, stating "ours is a movement of the grassroots, not leaders", he has become a prominent figure within the Oaxaca protests.
Sosa was released from prison on April 19, 2008 after a judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to continue holding him. He was not convicted of any crimes.
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
), is a Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
activist
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
and a member of the provisional collective council of the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca
Asamblea popular de los pueblos de Oaxaca
The Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca , or simply the APPO, is an organization that was assembled in response to the political situation in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, first meeting in June 2006.-History:A public demonstration and a teacher's strike in May of every year had occurred every...
(APPO).
Political career
Sosa, a father of three, has been a notable leader in Mexico since 2000.During the 2000 elections
Mexican general election, 2000
General elections were held in Mexico on 6 July 2000. The presidential elections were won by Vicente Fox of the Alliance for Change, who received 43.4% of the vote, the first time the opposition had won an election since the Mexican Revolution...
, his organization Nueva Izquierda de Oaxaca ("the New Left of Oaxaca") supported Vicente Fox
Vicente Fox
Vicente Fox Quesada is a Mexican former politician who served as President of Mexico from 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2006 and currently serves as co-President of the Centrist Democrat International, an international organization of Christian democratic political parties.Fox was elected...
(now ex-President).
Sosa was an activist with the Democratic Revolution Party
Party of the Democratic Revolution
The Party of the Democratic Revolution is a democratic socialist party in Mexico and one of 2 Mexican affiliates of the Socialist International...
(PRD) and the Popular Unity Party in Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
. Sosa also worked with the Democratic Peasants Union (UCD), which was later integrated into the PRD.
Currently, Sosa is a member of the "provisional collective council" of APPO.
Role in 2006 Oaxaca protests
As a member of APPO, Sosa has been involved in the Oaxacan conflict2006 Oaxaca protests
The Mexican state of Oaxaca was embroiled in a conflict that lasted more than seven months and resulted in at least seventeen deaths and the occupation of the capital city of Oaxaca by the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca . The conflict emerged in May 2006 with the police responding to a...
from the beginning. On November 26, his office in the Oaxacan capital City was burned by paramilitaries and his brother Eric was detained and sent to a prison in Tamaulipas.
On December 4, 2006, Sosa was arrested on charges including kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
and destruction of property. Sosa was arrested in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
along with two of his brothers Horacio and Ignacio Sosa, and Marcelino Coache. The four had traveled to Mexico's capital to speak out against government repression
2006 Oaxaca protests
The Mexican state of Oaxaca was embroiled in a conflict that lasted more than seven months and resulted in at least seventeen deaths and the occupation of the capital city of Oaxaca by the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca . The conflict emerged in May 2006 with the police responding to a...
in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Sosa has since been moved to a prison facility in Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
. While Sosa denounces the idea of leadership within the APPO, stating "ours is a movement of the grassroots, not leaders", he has become a prominent figure within the Oaxaca protests.
Recent Solidarity Actions
On Wed. Jan. 16th, 2008 Mexican prison authorities denied U.S. farm activists the right to see Flavio Sosa in prison. The eighteen U.S. farm activists from three states - Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Maine - were in Oaxaca, Mexico from Jan. 10th - 17th as part of a solidarity delegation organized by Family Farm Defenders. This incident was publicly denounced by the FFD delegation at a press conference in Oaxaca City, which received coverage in Noticias, as well as upon their return to the U.S.Sosa was released from prison on April 19, 2008 after a judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to continue holding him. He was not convicted of any crimes.