MEXICO CITY -- The man who led a five-month-long takeover of the Mexican city of Oaxaca by leftist protesters was freed from jail on Saturday, state officials said. Flavio Sosa led thousands of protesters who sealed off Oaxaca with barricades and battled police in late 2006 to demand the resignation of Gov. Ulises Ruiz, who protesters claim rigged his electoral victory and repressed opponents. Sosa was arrested in December 2006 and charged with kidnapping, robbery, and causing damages and injuries related to the takeover of the southern Mexican city. The Oaxaca state government said in a statement Saturday that Ruiz will respect the court's decision to free Sosa. Ruiz, who stayed in office despite the protests, denies he rigged his election win. The statement did not say why the court released Sosa, but prosecutors had failed to convict him of any of the charges. While buses and other properties were hijacked and burned during the protests, Sosa said his supporters acted peacefully and that any violence was the work of infiltrators or police. Federal police raided the city and regained control of it in October 2006. Most of the protesters arrested following that raid have since been released.
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