Chiapas: 26th Anniversary of Acteal Massacre

@SIPAZ

On December 21^st and 22^nd, Las Abejas de Acteal commemorated the 26^th anniversary of the massacre in which 45 adult women, adult men, minor women, children and unborn babies died in a paramilitary attack. On the 21st, the celebrations began with actions such as songs, dances and a mass.

In a statement, the Bees expressed that “in these 26 years of fighting for justice, many have wanted to sow resentment, divisions and disappointments in our hearts, many others have insisted that we no longer look to the past. And yet, we continue to point out those responsible for the massacre in 1997.” They affirmed that the political will of the Mexican State is lacking to advance justice to punish the perpetrators of the crimes of 1997. Those responsible still remain unpunished, they said.

“This is an example of the denialist position and the commitment to oblivion and apathy,” commented the Fray Bartolome de las Casas Center for Human Rights (Frayba) for its part. Furthermore, Frayba declared that “the failure on the issues of social justice, peace and security of the federal government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the state government of Rutilio Escandón Cadenas is overwhelming, who also obstruct justice for Acteal. They have promoted community division through government projects, which represent the continuity of counterinsurgency under forms of manipulation and cooptation. They have chosen to embrace, empower and reward military power and have granted them implicit forgiveness for the political violence unleashed in the 1990s.”

Nevertheless, Las Abejas highlighted the importance of keeping memory alive in a message full of resilience.

For more information in Spanish:

Si nuestras voces se apagaran en medio de un sufrimiento fuerte, entonces estaríamos muertos bajo el sello del silencio eterno (Las Abejas de Acteal, 22 de diciembre de 2023)

Acteal la persistencia de la memoria y la esperanza (CDH Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, 22 de diciembre de 2023)

Acteal: 26 años de impunidad, lucha por la verdad y la justicia (Avispa Midia, 22 de diciembre de 2023)

Con un llamado a la justicia y la paz Las Abejas de Acteal conmemora el 26 Aniversario de la Masacre (Zona Docs, 23 de diciembre de 2023)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Chiapas: Press Conference on 14th Anniversary of Release of Perpetrators of Acteal Massacre (August 26, 2023)

Chiapas: New Call for Justice 25 Years after Acteal Massacre (December 28, 2022)

Chiapas: Members of Las Abejas de Acteal Hold Peaceful Demonstration in Chenalho (November 11, 2022)

Chiapas: Press Conference – 13th Anniversary of Release by Supreme Court of Perpetrators of Acteal Massacre (August 16, 2022)