SIPAZ Activities (November 1999 – February 2000)

Visits and Contacts

• Several visits to the northern region (communities in the county of Tila) to speak with peasants, recently returned internal refugees, representatives of various churches and social organizations, leaders of Development Peace and Justice, and local authorities.
• Visits to the Chiapas highlands to meet with Evangelical and Catholic church leaders.
• Attendance at the anniversary of the founding of the Bees in Tzajalchen and at the anniversary of the Acteal massacre of which they were victims.
• Visit to the Palenque jungle to attend the ceremony in which the indigenous peasant organization Xi Nich received a human rights prize from the government of France.
• Organization of the itinerary and accompaniment of an international delegation of religious leaders from five countries to Mexico City, San Cristobal and the Chiapas highlands.
• Organization of the itinerary and accompaniment of Rev. Paul Rutgers, Presbyterian Church leader from the US, who visited Chiapas to deliver the statement “Choose Life,” issued by SIPAZ in recognition of the work of Bishop Samuel Ruiz and in support of the Diocese of San Cristobal de Las Casas and signed by nearly 300 religious leaders from 27 countries.
• Visits to Mexico City for meetings with non-governmental organizations, diplomats, the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), religious leaders, and political candidates.
• Organization of the program, accompaniment, and/or interviews with diplomats from the governments of Great Britain, Germany and the US in their visits to Chiapas.

Information

• Production and distribution of an Urgent Action regarding the threats and harassment of the Miguel Agustin Pro Human Rights Center in Mexico City.
• A tour of Germany by one member of the SIPAZ team in which she was awarded the Weimar Human Rights Prize for her accompaniment work in Latin America, including Chiapas.

Education

• Meetings with non-governmental organizations in Chiapas to assist with their planning of several series of workshops on Conflict Transformation; follow-up work with them.
• Initiation of a series of Conflict Transformation workshops with educators in the Casa de la ciencia in San Cristobal.
• Participation in the First Conference of Mental Health Promoters in Chiapas.

Miscellaneous

• Meeting of the SIPAZ Steering Committee in Chiapas; visits/meetings in the northern region, the highlands and Mexico City.