@ El Heraldo de Chiapas
On February 5th, alleged supporters of Hugo Gomez Santiz set fire to several houses located in the town of Oxchuc. President Oscar Gomez Lopez, president of the Community Front for the Defense of Free Determination of the People denounced that the events took place on Saturday afternoon after Gomez Santiz “called his supporters to a meeting and roused them to burn houses.”
According to the Fray Bartolome de Las Casas Center for Human Rights, the report received indicates that several people were shooting in various directions, which is why the residents fear for their lives, safety and personal integrity since “the bullets are already going over the houses, it is feared that a stray bullet will injure an innocent person.”
Frayba expressed its concern about the escalation of violence that is being experienced in the town for putting the integrity of people at risk and demanded that the Mexican State intervene “to protect the life, safety and integrity of the Tseltal inhabitants of the municipal seat of Oxchuc and its communities through the implementation of precautionary measures to avoid acts of difficult reparation.”
It should be remembered that in other municipalities extraordinary elections are being prepared for which people fear that a climate of insecurity and violence will be unleashed due to the dispute over political power “where communities are hostage to the lack of agreements, insecurity and highway blockades”, mentions Heraldo de Chiapas.
For more information in Spanish:
Simpatizantes de alcalde de Oxchuc, Chiapas incendian 10 casas (La Jornada, 5 de febrero de 2022)
Disturbios en Oxchuc, queman casas y saquean negocios (El Heraldo de Chiapas, 5 de febrero de 2022)
Riesgo a la vida, seguridad e integridad personal de los habitantes tseltales de la cabecera municipal de Oxchuc y sus comunidades (Frayba, 5 de febrero de 2022)
Preocupa a Frayba escalada de violencia en Oxchuc, Chiapas (La Jornada, 6 de febrero de 2022)
Aumenta la tensión en municipios indígenas de Chiapas (El Heraldo de Chiapas, 8 de febrero de 2022)
For more information from SIPAZ:
Chiapas: Climate of Violence Continues in Oxchuc – Local Congress Assures Municipal Council Is Provisional (January 10, 2022)
Chiapas: En un clima de violencia se suspenden las elecciones por usos y costumbres en Oxchuc (October 16, 2021)
Chiapas: Bloqueo carretero total en el municipio de Oxchuc (December 30, 2020)
Chiapas: Manifestación para exigir al gobierno a frenar la destrucción de los humedales en San Cristóbal de Las Casas (February 4, 2022)
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