OAXACA: The Mexican authorities investigated Monday whether police were responsible for any deaths in weekend violence that killed 10 people amid protests by teachers opposed to the government's education reform.
The investigation came as thousands of people led by the radical CNTE teachers union marched in the capital of the southern state of Oaxaca to denounce Sunday's deaths as a "massacre."
The unrest followed months of protests by teachers who reject President Enrique Pena Nieto's landmark reform, which requires educators to undergo performance evaluations.
Eight people died in Asuncion Nochixtlan, where police said they were ambushed by an unidentified armed group after officers removed barricades set up by teachers.
Two other people, including a journalist, were killed in another town by unknown gunmen.
Pena Nieto said he "lamented" the deaths and that the attorney general's office would help state prosecutors investigate the violence "and punish those responsible."
The agency overseeing the federal police said its internal affairs department would also investigate the clashes in Asuncion Nochixtlan.
Interior Minister Miguel Osorio Chong said Sunday's violence was "grave" and that the investigation would determine whether the "use of weapons the state and federal police was adequate or not" in Asuncion Nochixtlan.
Comments
Comments are closed.