Marcelo Perez (Photo@ Red TdT)
On November 4, Simojovel Believing Peoples released a statement announcing the renewal of threats and attacks against the priest Marcelo Perez Perez.
“As community human rights defenders, we also affirm, if anything happens to any member of Believing Peoples, especially the threatened women and their children or our parish priest Marcelo Perez, those immediately responsible will be Ramiro Gomez Dominguez, Juan Gomez Dominguez And Cleopatra Flores del Carpio, in complicity with the State for protecting the Gomez Dominguez brothers,” they argue.
In the statement they say that on November 9, Gilberto Martinez Lara, 52, was kidnapped and found dead before midday.
They point out that on when Juan Gomez was released from prison on January 19 last, gunshots in the neighborhoods increased and “on November 4 and 5 Juan Gomez Dominguez was in Simojovel and five days after Juan Gómez’s visit, the kidnapping and murder of Gilberto Martínez Lara occurred.”
Furthermore, they specify that on November 2, around 12:30 pm, in the middle of the celebration of the mass in the municipal cemetery of Simojovel de Allende, members of the Believing Peoples who were there realized that three people were photographing and recording the priest and his companions.
“Based on this fact and feeling harassed, a member of Believing Peoples approached and questioned one of them saying why do they follow us and take pictures of us? (sic). This person responding nervously: ‘We provide protection on behalf of the Attorney General’s Office and the photographs are to verify our work.'”
“We do not know if these people really are from the government or are from organized crime; in view of the risk situation in which we live, we don’t trust suspicious actions and if these people were from the Attorney General’s Office, as we have said, they are responsible for the impunity, violence and the freedom of the Gomez Dominguez brothers,” they conclude.
For more information in Spanish:
Se reactivan ataques en contra del Pueblo Creyente y del padre Marcelo Pérez en Simojovel, Chiapas Denuncia, 11 de noviembre de 2016
Reviven amenazas contra el párroco Marcelo Pérez, El Heraldo de Chiapas, 12 de noviembre de 2016
For more information from SIPAZ:
Chiapas: Realizaron marcha en Simojovel en respuesta a los ataques violentos de la semana pasada, 12 de mayo de 2016
Chiapas: Pueblo Creyente de Simojovel rechaza diálogo con los hermanos Gómez (22 de marzo de 2016)
Chiapas: Pueblo Creyente de Simojovel sigue en defensa por la “vida, paz, justicia, libertad y democracia” (13 de noviembre de 2015)
Chiapas: Gritos de libertad en el Pueblo Creyente de Simojovel (23 de septiembre de 2015)
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