Catholic Priest and Indigenous Rights Activist killed in Chiapas

11/14/2024 (written by ecary) – Catholic Priest Marcelo Pérez was killed in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas on October 20th. Two men on a motorcycle opened gunfire as he walked home from giving Sunday mass in the Cuxtitali neighborhood, where he had recently been transferred due to death threats in his prior parish in the town of San Andrés Larráinzar, also in Chiapas. A suspect known as “Edgar N” was arrested by police on October 22nd. Father Pérez was a renowned human rights activist for indigenous peoples, especially his own Tzotzil community, and for the poor throughout southern Mexico. Pérez’s promotion of peace and human rights extended beyond Mexico to have a global reach, as is evident from Pope Francis’ celebration of his efforts from as far away as Rome. This assassination of a religious leader signals a new escalation of violence endangering civilians in Chiapas.

Violence in Chiapas

Reverend Marcelo Pérez is only the most recent victim in a decades-long growing wave of violence in the region. The Mexican state of Chiapas, situated along the southern border with Guatemala, was the birthplace of the Zapatista movement in the 1990s. The far-left political group engaged in 11 days of armed conflict against the Mexican government in January 1994. Although a ceasefire deal was reached, the group has remained active in its continual fight for the rights of the underserved poor and indigenous populations of Chiapas. 

Beyond this lingering socio-political upheaval, increasing flows of northward migration are also disproportionately affecting and destabilizing Chiapas. The Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels compete for control of the Guatemala border in order to secure both drug and migrant trafficking profits. New armed groups, including those known as Los Herrera and El Machete, found their origins amidst this unchecked turmoil in Chiapas. By November 2023, the Zapatistas announced that cartel activity was forcing them to cease their autonomous municipality projects, which provided services to the poor that the state failed to offer or protect from corruption. The complex web of competing armed criminal organizations produced more than 500 homicides in the state between January and August of this year alone according to official statistics. The violence encircling this area reached levels so unbearable that over 550 Mexicans from the state of Chiapas fled to Guatemala in July 2024.

Marcelo “Priest of the Poor” Pérez:

Pérez was born to tzotzil indigenous farmers in the region of Los Altos de Chiapas in 1973 and grew up witnessing the steadily rising violence afflicitng his community. He steadfastly pursued a religious path from his youth and officially became a priest in 2002. He used his stature as a religious leader to advocate for peace and justice not only from the pulpit in mass, but also as a critical mediator in direct engagements with conflicting groups. The death threats following attempted mediation between Los Herrera and El Machete in 2021, ultimately forced Pérez to change parishes and relocate to San Cristóbal de Las Casas. Despite his altruistic aims, various cartels came to regard him as an expendable obstacle to their goals. The Inter American Commission on Human Rights had raised concerns about his safety since 2015 urging the Mexican state to implement precautionary measures. Even without state protection, Pérez continued to organize marches and pilgrimages for peace. Various other groups began raising alarms about the lack of state intervention to ensure his safety, including the Fray Bartolome de las Casas Center of Human Rights and the National Indigenous Congress. Pérez insisted that “we seek peace for the people. And peace is greater than death, greater than threats, greater even than life itself”. The turnout of over 3,000 people at his funeral chanting is a testament to that message and the legacy he leaves behind. 

Conclusion

The assassination of Father Pérez is an indication of heightened risks to civilian security in Chiapas. According to the UN Human Rights Office in Mexico, Pérez is the 6th human rights activist to be assassinated in Mexico this year. A new threshold of violence is breached when those giving voice to the disenfranchised become the targets and victims. The state has a responsibility to protect these individuals, as international calls from human rights organizations and Christian groups emphasize, but Mexico has thus far been unsuccessful in doing so. President Sheinbaum condemned the attack and promised that the implementation of her new security strategy investing in intelligence and professionalizing police will prevent future injustices like Pérez’s death. 

Bibliography

“Lamenta el Papa el homicidio del sacerdote Marcelo Pérez.” La Jornada. Oct. 28, 2024. https://www.jornada.com.mx/noticia/2024/10/28/estados/lamenta-el-papa-el-homicidio-del-sacerdote-marcelo-perez-9371. 

“‘Le pusieron precio a mi vida’: quién era Marcelo Pérez, el sacerdote mexicano asesinado que se enfrentó a las bandas de Chiapas.” BBC Mundo. Oct. 21, 2024. https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/c70w0kw6zn6o. 

Clemente, Edgar. “Asesinan a sacerdote católico y activista de indígenas en el sur de México.” LA Times. Oct. 21, 2024. https://www.latimes.com/espanol/mexico/articulo/2024-10-21/asesinan-a-sacerdote-catolico-y-activista-de-indigenas-en-el-sur-de-mexico#:~:text=M%C3%A9xico-,Asesinan%20a%20sacerdote%20cat%C3%B3lico%20y%20activista%20de%20ind%C3%ADgenas%20en%20el,en%20el%20estado%20de%20Chiapas.. 

“Mexico: Killing of Marcelo Pérez Pérez, renowned indigenous priest and human rights defender.” Indigenous Peoples Rights International. Oct. 21, 2024. https://iprights.org/index.php/en/all-statements/mexico-killing-of-marcelo-perez-perez-renowned-indigenous-priest-and-human-rights-defender. Vela, Gaspar. “Sheinbaum lamenta asesinato de sacerdote Marcelo Pérez en Chiapas; FGR podria atraer caso.” El Milenio. Oct. 21, 2024. https://www.milenio.com/politica/fgr-atraer-asesinato-sacerdote-marcelo-perez-sheinbaum.