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Hi Friend,
Our Mexican grantee ally FRAYBA, the Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Human Rights Center, has shared the distressing news of the assassination of a human rights defender who worked tirelessly with Indigenous communities in Chiapas struggling for territorial rights. They’re requesting our solidarity both to seek justice for the assassination and to curb the broader onslaught of violence facing Mexico’s Indigenous communities — will you join their call? [[link removed]]
On October 20, 2024, Father Marcelo Perez, an Indigenous Tzotzil Mayan priest, was murdered. His murder follows years of death threats for his work in defense of human rights and against the violence facing Mexico’s Indigenous communities. Instead of receiving protection from the government in the face of these threats, the state prosecutor's office went to the extreme of criminalizing him with an arrest warrant, thus strengthening the smear campaign against him.
Father Marcelo’s assassination has occurred in a scenario of escalating violence facing Indigenous communities in Chiapas and other parts of Mexico, who are under siege by organized crime, armed groups, and resource extraction. While this act is meant to silence dissent, communities and social movements are raising their voices in calling for justice and for meaningful action to curb the violence. Their demands to the federal, state, and municipal governments include:
* a prompt and adequate investigation to identify those responsible for this murder;
* a comprehensive non-militarized security strategy designed with the broad participation of civil society, especially Indigenous Peoples;
* spaces for reflection, dialogue, and training in peacebuilding, respecting the collective rights of Indigenous Peoples, including their autonomy and self-determination;
* necessary actions to dismantle and disarm the criminal groups that operate in the different areas where Father Marcelo worked, and beyond; and
* other actions needed to guarantee and protect the life, integrity, and personal safety of Indigenous communities, including Autonomous Indigenous Communities, preventing the escalation of the situation of violence and risk that has been denounced in various regions of the state of Chiapas.
We are joining FRAYBA in calling on people around the world to amplify the above demands by writing to municipal, state, and federal officials. Would you take five minutes and sign the letter? [[link removed]]
In solidarity,
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Chung-Wha Hong Sara Mersha
Co-Executive Director Co-Executive Director
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