The Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR) was a Marxist revolutionary party formed in Mexico on 28 June 1996. It advocated a socialist peasant revolution against the corrupt government, similar to the EZLN Mayan rebel group.
History[]
The Popular Revolutionary Army was formed on 28 June 1996 a year to the day after the Aguas Blancas massacre, where 17 farmers were ambushed and killed by motorized police while they marched to demand the release of a peasant activist and to demand drinking water. The EPR attacked the government and police many times, and on 28-29 August 1996, they killed 18 security forces and wounded over 24 in Oaxaca, Guerrero, Puebla, and Mexico D.F.. The EPR was said to have been supported by President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, a socialist dictator.
In 2007, they were believed to have kidnapped Eduardo Garcia Valseca, the son of a newspaper baron, while he was in his car; there was a newly-bought hammer left in the back seat, and the EPR used hammers as calling cards. For seven months, kidnappers held him and demanded $8,000,000 US, and the kidnappers blasted loud music so that Eduardo could not listen to them talking about their plans. He was non-lethally shot and contaminated blood was supposedly injected into him, and the kidnappers communicated with his wife through newspapers with code-phrases in the animal and pets section. Eventually, they settled for a six-figure ransom and released Eduardo after two anonymous donors offered to buy his freedom, and although one was kidnapped at the exchange in Mexico, he was released three months later and Eduardo was released two days after the exchange. The criminals were never arrested, although contacts in the EPR said that they would have claimed responsibility immediately afterwards.