On April 12th, the international organizations Indigenous Peoples Rights International (IPRI) and Front Line Defenders publicly shared the conclusions they drew based on observations they made during a visit to Chiapas at the end of March, the purpose of which was to “document the situation of risk and violence experienced by defenders, organizations and indigenous communities in the state.”
They declared that they had identified “a clear pattern of criminalization against indigenous defenders who defend the rights of the environment, territory, autonomy, and self-determination of their communities.” This pattern includes the use of the penal system against those who “have opposed the militarization of their communities and as part of their struggle in defense of their collective rights.”
Likewise, they observed “the lack of lasting solutions to agrarian and territorial conflicts in the communities, which continues to represent a high risk for defenders and continues to perpetuate the decomposition of the social fabric of the communities. This has been aggravated by the current situation of land dispossession in the context of the militarization of the region and by the dispute over territorial control and the imposition of economic activities by organized crime groups.”
On another note, they noted with concern “the lack of timely interventions by State authorities in the face of threats and the risk faced by defenders of indigenous communities in Chiapas.” This occurs in “a context of proliferation and diversification of armed groups, which has worsened a complex situation inherited from the paramilitary context of the 1990s and the continued impunity connected to this phenomenon.”
More generally, they expressed having noticed “within state government institutions a lack of recognition of the work of defense of human rights carried out by defenders and indigenous communities.”
For more information in Spanish:
Tras Visita Conjunta a Chiapas, Organizaciones Internacionales de Derechos Humanos Manifiestan su Preocupación Sobre el Contexto de Riesgo para Personas Defensoras Indígenas en el Estado (OSC, 12 de abril de 2023)
Documentan situación de riesgo y violencia que viven las personas defensoras, organizaciones y comunidades indígenas en Chiapas (Chiapas Paralelo, 12 de abril de 2023)
Existe un patrón de criminalización contra defensores indígenas en Chiapas: organizaciones internacionales (Avispa, 12 de abril de 2023)
Defensores indígenas en riesgo (Cuarto Poder, 14 de abril de 2023)
For more information from SIPAZ:
sipazen.wordpress.com 