Between 500 and 700 families were in the plot of land of Ingenio Ledesma, a sugar refinery company that belongs to the Blaquiers, a family that owns 130,000 hectares of land in that province. The families had settled in the 15-hectare plot of land, known as El Triangulo.

Argentinean newspaper Pagina 12 reports that police officers threw tear gases and fired at the families, they burned down their belongings and destroyed the houses they had began to build in the occupied land.

Occupants Felix Reyes, Ariel Farfan and Juan Jose Velasquez died during the repression, as well as police officer Alejandro Farfan, while tens of people were injured and some dozen were arrested.

The organization Corriente Clasista y Combativa (CCC) had been having conversations with the company for the past four years in order to find a housing solution to the families. Since Ledesma failed to provide an answer, they decided to take the lands.

In an interview with Pulsar news agency, Oscar Delgado, of the Popular Action Center Olga Marquez de Aredez (CAPOMA), said that the occupation had taken place because “there was no other choice” and the repression had been “too brutal”.

“They came at night with the infantry to repress” Delgado told Púlsar. He also said that Ledesma’s private security forces had acted with the police guiding their actions.

After the operative, the provincial chief of police, Jorge Ayarde, and the Minister of Government and Justice, Pablo La Villa resigned. However, the provincial government continues to claim that the occupants fired at the police, something the occupants deny.

The Indigenous National Movement issued a statement of solidarity with the people of Jujuy province, the family of the victims, the injured and repressed by the provincial police and the paramilitary guards of Ledesma company. They repudiated the repression and violence used by the state in coordination with businessman against the people who were demanding the enforcement of their fundamental rights.

In the Argentinean capital, Buenos Aires, there are demonstrations against the Jujuy violent incidents. One of them was led by the trade union central CTA, which marched to Ingenio Ledesma’s headquarters to protest against what happened.

This is not the first time Ledesma is associated with human rights abuses. On July 27, 1976, in what was dubbed as Blackout night, the power was cut in Ledesma department, Jujuy, while police officers of the company plundered houses and kidnapped over 400 workers, students and professionals, who were taken to the sugar refinery’s warehouses, where they were tortured. Some of them are still missing.

Photo: http://www.contraledesma.org.ar/