The Campesino Organization Emiliano Zapata (OCEZ)-Casa del Pueblo lifted the sit-in it had maintained in front of UN offices in San Cristóbal de Las Casas and returned the mayor’s offices and other buildings, both public and private, that it had “taken” in Venustiano Carranza following 21 days of pressing for the release of four of its members.
The agreement was had on 1 June, as a result of the meeting held the previous day in Tuxtla Gutiérrez with governor Juan Sabines, who promised to respond to OCEZ-Casa del Pueblo’s petition within a month. In this meeting participated the bishop of the Diocesis of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Felipe Arizmendi, and representatives of the UN.
According to a communiqué released by OCEZ-Casa del Pueblo, this agreement was made “on the condition that within a month our ‘compañeros’ will be released. But if this not come to pass, we will know how to present an organized response to this problem. We hold the government responsible for this, if it does not attend in time to the most-felt demands of our people.”
For more information (in Spanish):
- The mayor’s office and other buildings are returned (Cuarto Poder, 2 June)
For more information from SIPAZ (in English):
Chiapas: OCEZ-Casa del Pueblo protests for release of prisoners (29 May)
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