Anniversary of Chilon Community Council, November, 2021 @SIPAZ
On November 19th, the online International Conference “Right to Self-determination of Indigenous Peoples: The struggle of the Tseltal People of Chilon and Sitala (Chiapas)” was held, organized by the Foundation for Due Process (DPLF) and the Indigenous Rights Center CA (CEDIAC).
It had the participation of Dania Martinez (CEDIAC), Guillermo Fernandez Maldonado, Representative in Mexico of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Juana Hernandez and Tiburcio Feliciano, Tseltal Councilors of the Community Government of Chilon; Manuel Gomez and Sebastian Hurtado, Tseltal Councilors of the Community Government of Sitala; Leonardo Alvarado, Lawyer of the Rapporteurship on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the IACHR and David Lovaton (DPLF).
During her intervention, Dania Martinez spoke about the struggle that the Tseltal peoples have sustained since they began with the legal processes to be able to exercise their right to self-determination; as well as how the context of ungovernability, violence, political leadership and lack of attention from the authorities that led them to make the decision to seek self-government in 2015, continues and has intensified. She also pointed out that, as a result of this decision, the residents of municipalities such as Chilon and Sitala have faced reprisals and harassment from both state and municipal authorities.
For their part, the councilors of these municipalities indicated that they have not followed up their processes by local or state authorities, that the conditions do not exist to exercise the right to self-determination, that they continue to work for a community government as a way for the reconstruction of social peace in their communities and that they hope to have answers about their processes soon.
For more information in Spanish:
Enlace a la conferencia en su integralidad (19 de noviembre de 2021)
Intervención de Guillermo Fernández-Maldonado en la Conferencia (ONU-DH, 19 de noviembre de 2021)
For more information from SIPAZ:
Chiapas: Presentan a los nuevos encargados del Concejo de Gobierno Comunitario de Chilón (May 24, 2021)
Chiapas: “We Haven’t Received a Positive Response – Press Conference on Situation in Chilon(May 20, 2021)
Chiapas: Gobierno Comunitario de Chilón exige justicia para 59 familias desplazadas. (June 9, 2020)
Chiapas: Gobierno comunitario de Chilón denuncia el desplazamiento forzado de dos comunidades y el hostigamiento y extorsión a tres otras por parte de un mismo grupo civil armado. (December 19, 2019)
Chiapas: Gobiernos Comunitarios de Chilón y Sitalá denuncian obstaculización de su derecho a la libre determinación (November 21, 2019)
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