@Abejas de Acteal
On July 22nd, the Abejas de Acteal Civil Society Organization reacted to the Friendly Settlement Agreement that will be signed by the group “Las Abejas Pacifist Council” and the Mexican State on September 3rd. That same group is made up of family members and survivors of the massacre who decided to leave the Organization of Las Abejas some years ago. On that date, an act of acknowledgment of responsibility of the Mexican State for the massacre will also be held.
In their statement, Las Abejas reiterated that “under no circumstances are we accepting a friendly solution with the Mexican State” but are asking “respect for the memory of our massacred brothers.” They continue to demand that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) present a report on the merits of Case 12,790 Manuel Santiz Culebra et al. (Acteal Massacre) so that the intellectual authors are investigated and punished accordingly.
They strongly criticized the confusion of the two groups of survivors in the media: “This group of survivors who are negotiating with the government are no longer members of Las Abejas de Acteal, a situation that we have clarified several times” and “we respectfully ask journalists, the media and all those who have an interest in addressing this issue, to have the capacity and ethics to timely and truthfully inform national and international civil society.”
Regarding the act of recognition, they questioned whether “in that act, the Mexican Army will also be present, to assume its responsibility in the creation, training, provision of weapons to the paramilitaries for the exclusive use of the Mexican Army and the design of the Chiapas Campaign Plan ‘94.” “For us, the survivors and relatives of the victims of the Acteal Massacre, the aforementioned “act of acknowledgment” of responsibility of the Mexican State in the Acteal Massacre, is nothing more than a false promise”, they stressed.
They also pointed out that the fact that the Mexican State signs an agreement with only one group of survivors will be the cause of more conflict in the community and not, as indicated by Patrocinio Hernando Gomez, “the reconstitution of the community social fabric in Chenalho.”
“They do not realize that this friendly settlement between the Mexican State and the group “Pacifist Council or Council of Las Abejas” will create more division among the survivors as did the PRI and PAN governments”, they concluded.
For more information in Spanish:
Reafirmamos que los sobrevivientes de la Masacre de Acteal no estamos pidiendo una solución amistosa, pedimos respeto a la memoria de nuestros hermanos masacrados. (Comunicado de Las Abejas de Acteal el 22 de julio de 2020)
Acuerdo con el gobierno por masacre de Acteal genera división: Las Abejas (La Jornada el 22 de julio de 2020)
”Las Abejas” celebran acuerdo con víctimas de masacre en Acteal (El Sol de México el 19 de julio de 2020)
For more information from SIPAZ:
Chiapas “Nos indigna que los desplazamientos forzados sean métodos de ‘castigo’ a las minorías”, Abejas de Acteal (el 23 de julio de 2020)
Chiapas: “Not Only COVID Threatens Life” – Las Abejas de Acteal Civil Society (April 25, 2020)
Chiapas: Frayba Denounces Threats and Harassment of Simojovel Parish Priest Marcelo Perez Perez (April 20, 2020)
Chiapas: Las Abejas Civil Society Denounces Persecution and Murder of Human Rights Defenders and Protectors of Mother Earth and other Violent Situations (February 25, 2020)
Chiapas: “This year begins with a lot of violence and it is increasing” – Las Abejas de Acteal Civil Society (January 28, 2020)
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