On November 22, in observation of the monthly commemoration of the 1997 massacre, the organization “Sociedad Civil Las Abejas” expressed their satisfaction for the decision of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to take the Acteal case, nearly six years after the petition was submitted. They stressed: “This decision means that the Commission found elements to consider that the Mexican State violated rights recognized in the American Convention on Human Rights during the events of December 22, 1997 in the refugees’ camp of Acteal, municipality of Chenalho, Chiapas. “ They added: “Despite the fact that the bad Mexican government denied that the massacre of Acteal is a state crime, it won’t be able to keep its lies alive against the force of truth and conscience of the people. We will keep on walking in the search and in the building of a worthy and true justice for the 45 persons, plus 4 unborn children who were killed, our brothers, sisters and little brothers. The political and economic strategy of the bad government to wear down the Abejas and the process we maintain looking for justice in the Acteal case won’t work out in an organized people like ours. “ Finally, they reiterated: “Mexico and the world knows that the massacre of Acteal was the result of a counterinsurgency war designed by the Mexican government against organized peoples of Chiapas.”
In previous days, Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Human Rights Center, legal advice to the families of the victims, had also considered that “the decision of the Commission is an important step to support the road towards truth, memory and repair for what happened in Acteal. “
For more information (in Spanish):
Confían Las Abejas en dictamen de la CIDH (La Jornada, 23 de noviembre de 2010)
Esperan que declaren un crimen de Estado y lesa humanidad (Cuarto Poder, 23 de noviembre de 2010)
Comunicado de Las Abejas del 22 de noviembre de 2010
Pronunciamiento de las Abejas y del Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas (16 de noviembre de 2010)
For more information from SIPAZ (in English)
Chiapas: Las Abejas indignant over the release of 15 of those responsible for the Acteal massacre (October 26, 2010)
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