Image of Carlos Herrera’s ransacked home. Photo:@Entiemporeal
On March 25 last Carlos Herrera’s home, the director of Morena in Chiapas, was ransacked. “Things were messed up, thrown around, it was obvious that they had rummaged through the whole place, there were scattered papers”, the victim declared in a statement. There was no theft of objects which was interpreted as “an intimidating message, because we are public servants who belong to the Morena party, upholding the law, standing up for the people, we have shown abuses and denounced irregularities.”
The director attributed this security incident to his struggle in the [party] branch, after its closure by the government of the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (Partido Verde Ecologista de México – PVEM). In the statement he recalled the attack on human rights defenders and reporters that took place on March 16 when citizens demanded their right to participate in the branch, which “caused a group to destroy part of the building which hadn’t even been inaugurated, blaming our group Morena, without any proof.”
It also mentioned the homicide of the teacher and leader of the Independent Confederation of Organizations, Civil Association (Confederación Independiente de Organizaciones, Asociación Civil – CIO-AC), Juan Carlos Jimenez Velasco, who was murdered on March 24. It is worth remembering that the statement released by the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE) confirmed that Jimenez Velasco was attacked by a group of hooded men and that previously he had received threats from members of the Association of Leaseholders of the Traditional Markets of Chiapas (ALMETRACH). The CNTE defined ALMETRACH as a “paramilitary group” at the service of the municipal government of the PVEM.
Carlos Herrera described the situation in which the municipality and the state live as “lamentable” and which “is being aggravated.” This being the case, he asked for cautionary measures to guarantee his safety.
For more information in Spanish:
Allanan domicilio de regidor de Morena en Chiapas; lo atribuye a represalias por sus acciones en el cabildo (Revolución Tres Punto Cero, 26 de marzo de 2016)
Allanan vivienda de Carlos Herrera, regidor de Morena en Chiapas (Vortice, 26 de marzo de 2016)
For more information from SIPAZ:
Chiapas: Asesinaron a líder indígena en San Cristóbal de Las Casas (30 de marzo de 2016)
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