- Conferencia de Prensa en Acteal @SIPAZ
On 12 August, the Las Abejas Civil Society of Acteal held a day of Action for Justice and Truth: “Acteal 2 years after the release of the paramilitaries by the Supreme Court of Injustice in the Nation; our memory lives; struggle against impunity,” which was carried out in Acteal, Chenalhó.
At 10am began a pilgrimage from Majomut toward Acteal, where at 11am Las Abejas and the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Center for Human Rights (CDHFBC) held a press-conference in which they expressed that the decision by the SCJN once again victimized the survivors and relatives of those murdered in December 1997, in addition to having violated their rights to physical and psychological integrity by exposing them to a climate of insecurity and risk. They stressed furthermore that the pain has not been repaired or concluded with the investigations that have been carried out to date, this despite the fact that they have spent 14 years demanding justice, truth, and peace with dignity.
According to the CDHFBC communiqué, the aforementioned led the survivors and relatives to a situation of distrust as regards the Mexican government, a system in which the the corresponding institutions do not observe their obligations of guaranteeing justice and repairing damages, which increases impunity and the vulnerability of persons.
Finally, the CDHFBC saluted the actions of permanent construction of justice and autonomy that has been maintained by the Las Abejas Civil Society during the length of its existence as an active subject within this context as well as the efforts of thousands of men and women who will on Sunday 14 August be manifesting their rejection of this official war by participating in the Citizens’ Mobilization Steps toward Peace with Justice and Dignity.
It should be remembered that on 12 August 2009, the Supreme Court of Justice in the Nation (SCJN) voted in favor of releasing 20 prisoners accused as being authors of the massacre of 45 Tsotsil indigenous persons in Acteal, a crime committed on 22 December 1997. Following this decision by the SCJN, another 9 were released on 4 November 2009 and 14 more in October 2010. Of the 87 material authors who have processed, 54 have already been released.
For more information (in Spanish):
Se cumplen dos años en que la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación libera a los autores materiales de la Masacre de Acteal (Boletin de Prensa Centro de DDHH Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, 12 August 2011)
12 de agosto: Jornadas de Acción por la Justicia y la Verdad(Invitación a la Jornada de Acción: Organización de la Sociedad Civil Las Abejas de Acteal)
Comunicado de La Sociedad Civil las Abejas (12 August)
For more information from SIPAZ (in English):
Chiapas: Electricity-cut to 10 families that belong to the Las Abejas civil Society. Tension in community (24 July 2011)
Chiapas: Las Abejas of Acteal welcome Javier Sicilia’s Pact for Peace (1 July 2011)
Chiapas: Communiqué by Las Abejas Civil Society distances itself from Las Abejas Chiapas (4 May 2011)
Chiapas: the Civil Society Las Abejas carries out day of fasting and prayer for peace (25 February 2011)
Chiapas: communiqué of Las Abejas in observation of the monthly celebration of the Acteal massacre (26 January 2011)
Chiapas: Thirteenth Anniversary of the Acteal Massacre (27 December 2010)
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