ARTICLE: Violations of Human Rights in Border Region between Guatemala and Mexico

2015

SIPAZ ACTIVITIES (From the beginning of November, 2016 to the end of January, 2017)

14/04/2017

INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE AND ACCOMPANIMENT

In November, we met with members of communities, civil, and social organizations that held a pilgrimage in Palenque to demand justice and clarification of the massacre that occurred in the Viejo Velasco community (municipality of Ocosingo), on November 13, 2006.

In November, we accompanied the displaced families of Banavil (Municipality of Tenejapa) to San Cristobal de Las Casas, coming from a temporary return home to celebrate the Day of the Dead.
On December 21 and 22, we were present at the activities carried out in the context of the 19^thanniversary of the Acteal massacre (municipality of Chenalho).

From November 10 to 16, we participated in the International Mission for the Observation of Human Rights on the Guatemala-Mexico Border (MODH in its Spanish acronym), in order to document and highlight the situation of systematic violations of the human rights of immigrants in that border region.
In November, we accompanied the 12^thCaravan of Central American Mothers in Search of their Missing Children as they passed through Comitan de Dominguez and San Cristobal de Las Casas.
In January, joint and bilateral meetings were held with various civil and religious organizations in the area to discuss the prevailing context in the region. We met with the consul of El Salvador in Comitan de Dominguez.

In the term covered by this report, we visited 3 of the 5 Zapatista Caracoles at least once.
From December 26, 2016 to January 4, 2017, we attended the “Zapatistas and ConSciences for Humanity gathering held at the University of the Earth (CIDECI-UniTierra in its Spanish acronym) in San Cristobal de Las Casas. In Oventik Caracol, we were present at the closing of the second stage of the Fifth National Indigenous Congress (CNI), an event attended by hundreds of delegates, from indigenous peoples of Mexico.

At the beginning of November, we visited Roberto Patiencia, unjustly imprisoned in San Cristobal de Las Casas penitentiary, who was released on the 24^thof the same month.

On November 1, we attended the events held in San Cristobal de Las Casas to highlight the unpunished deaths of girls, adolescents, and women, victims of violence and discrimination in Chiapas and Mexico.
In November, we were at the First National Feminist Encounter and in the third assembly of the Movement in Defense of the Earth, Territory and for the Participation of Women in Decision Making, which took place in San Cristobal de Las Casas.
On 25 November, as observers, we accompanied the march organized in San Cristobal as part of the International Day against Violence against Women.

In November, we attended the press conference convened by the Network for the Rights of Children and Adolescents in Chiapas (REDIAS in its Spanish acronym) that questioned the counterproductive nature of the project “Guadalupe Pedestrian Street” in San Cristobal de las Casas, which aims to eradicate child labor in this part of the city.
On November 25, we accompanied the closing of the 12-day pilgrimage convened by the Movement in Defense of Life and Territory (Modevite in its Spanish acronym) composed of ten parishes from 11 municipalities and an ejido in the Chiapas Highlands.
We participated in the Assembly of representatives of Believing People (Pueblo Creyente).
At the end of November, we attended the Conversation on International Experiences of Civil Society on the Forced Disappearance of Persons convened by the German Cooperation in Mexico City.
In December, we spoke at the presentation of the annual report “The roads of resistance” of the Fray Bartolome de Las Casas Human Rights Center (CDHFBC in its Spanish acronym).
In January, we accompanied the pilgrimage organized by members of the Believing People of the Diocese of San Cristobal de Las Casas on the 5^thanniversary of the death of Bishop Samuel Ruiz (1924-2011) and also for the commemoration of 25^thanniversary of Diocesan Coordination Women (Codimuj in its Spanish acronym).

In January, in Mexico City, we participated in an exchange on “Risk and Protection for Human Rights Defenders in Mexico”, organized by the University of York and International Peace Brigades (PBI) with the presence of Michel Forst, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, which was attended by some 30 human rights defenders from all over the country. We were also present at the table on indigenous defenders held in the facilities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), with the presence of the rapporteur.

In November, we facilitated a workshop on Non-Violent Alternatives in the framework of the 12^thEncounter of Peace and Reconciliation Builders held in San Antonio Ogotzil, municipality of Comitan.
In January, as a member of the Support Network for Mother Earth (RAMAT in its Spanish acronym), we co-facilitated a space of analysis with representatives of all the pastoral zones that are part of the Monitoring Commission of the Congress of Mother Earth, convened by the diocese Of San Cristobal de Las Casas in January 2014.
In January, we provided a training space on Land and Territory with the SweFOR (Swedish Movement for Reconciliation) team.

We attended the bi-monthly meetings of the Peace Network, a space for action and reflection composed of ten organizations that seek to support peace and reconciliation processes in Chiapas.
In January, we participated in the “Recognizing Ourselves on our Path” forum, that brought together individuals, collectives, and organizations that have received the jTatic Samuel jCanan Lum recognition award. Within this framework, the call for the fifth award of this recognition was launched.

We received the visit of delegations, students, journalists, and members of our coalition interested in knowing or deepening their knowledge of the conjuncture of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Guerrero, and the work of SIPAZ.
In December, we visited our colleagues from Non-Violence XXI in Paris, France.

In November, we had a safety workshop with a psychosocial focus facilitated by the ALUNA organization.