ARTICLE: International Accompaniment, a Tool that Remains Valid despite Contextual Changes

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SIPAZ Activities (Mid-February to Mid-May 2026)

16/06/2026

INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE AND ACCOMPANIMENT

We attended the presentation of the book “Chicomuselo: The Struggle for Life and Territory,” a systematization that documents the organization and resistance process that the inhabitants of that municipality have carried out for more than two decades to stop mining in their territories.
We attended the forum “Yes to Life! No to Dispossession!” held in San Cristobal de Las Casas. During this forum, residents of Chilón and other municipalities in the northern part of the state affected by the construction of the San Cristóbal-Palenque highway, members of the Movement for the Defense of Life and Territory (MODEVITE), as well as human rights organizations and environmental defenders, reiterated their opposition to the project after conducting a Civil Observation Mission in the construction zone.

We accompanied the Searching Mothers to a meeting with the Bishop of the Diocese of San Cristobal de Las Casas, Monsignor Rodrigo Aguilar Martinez.
We participated in several activities held in San Cristobal de Las Casas in commemoration of International Women’s Day.
We were present as observers at the press conference in Tuxtla Gutierrez where the Fray Bartolome de Las Casas Human Rights Center (Frayba) publicly presented the case of Oscar Trinidad Carbajal, who was arrested without cause in November 2025 and tortured by security agents, particularly the Pakal Immediate Reaction Force (FRIP).
We attended the public presentation of the third report by “El Obse,” an observatory of attacks against human rights defenders and journalists that seeks to highlight the violence and insecurity faced by members of these sectors for their work in Chiapas.
We were present at the event that marked the opening of an office of the Selva Negra Human Rights Center in Rayon.

We attended several sessions of the “The Storm Inside and Out According to the Zapatista Communities and Peoples” Seedbed, convened by the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), which took place in San Cristobal de Las Casas.

We attended the quarterly assembly of Believing People of the Diocese of San Cristobal de Las Casas.
We participated in a multi-sector meeting convened by the International Crisis Group (an organization dedicated to the study of conflicts, war prevention, and the design of policies to reduce their humanitarian, social, and economic consequences), which took place in San Cristobal de Las Casas.
We participated in the First Latin American Meeting on Popular Education in the Context of Human Mobility, held in San Cristobal de Las Casas with the participation of civil society organizations from across the continent.
We accompanied the pilgrimage undertaken by parishioners from Chalchihuitan to demand the implementation of a dry law and to stop the sale and consumption of alcohol and drugs in the area.
We attended the peasant gathering “Educating Ourselves to Transform Ourselves, Transforming Ourselves to Educate Ourselves,” at the invitation of the Tsomanotik Solidarity Center, which took place in Tzimol.
We participated in a meeting with representatives from the pastoral zones that are part of the Monitoring Commission of the Congress of Mother Earth, a component of the Social Ministry of the Diocese of San Cristobal de Las Casas.
We attended the event for mothers searching for their missing children, held in San Cristobal de Las Casas as part of Mother’s Day celebrations, entitled “We don’t want a World Cup, we want our daughters and sons back home!”

We shared an analysis with women artisans participating in the Mujeres de Maíz (Women of Corn) collective, from various municipalities in the Los Altos and Selva Norte regions.

We held a workshop on strengthening the heart with displaced people from the Frontera region, which took place in Tuxtla Gutierrez.
We shared an analysis of the current situation with members of the Pastoral Monitoring Commission for Mother Earth of the Diocese of San Cristobal de Las Casas.
Together with other civil organizations, we facilitated a workshop on various aspects of Positive Conflict Transformation with representatives from Las Margaritas parish.
We shared an analysis of the current situation with nearly one hundred members of the Chalchihuitan Parish Assembly.
We shared an analysis with teenagers and young adults whose mothers participate in the Mujeres de Maíz collective and come from various municipalities in the Los Altos and Selva Norte regions.

We held a workshop on security with peace and reconciliation builders at the invitation of the Commission for Community Unity and Reconciliation (CORECO).

MAY

We held a workshop on women’s participation in society, organized by the parish of Chalchihuitán.

We participated in a workshop on digital espionage facilitated by the Access Foundation.

We attend plenary and committee meetings of the Chiapas Peace Networking (Slamalil Kinal) at least once a month.
Every two weeks, we attend operational meetings of the People’s Movement for Peace and Justice (MPPJ).
We held meetings with organizations collaborating on the project entitled “Strengthening the Self-Protection Capacities of Human Rights Defenders Organizations and Communities in Chiapas,” which we coordinate with Voces Mesoamericanas, SweFOR, and Huridocs. This group published a new report in March.
As members of the Platform for Peacebuilding in Mexico, we participate in monthly meetings for analysis and reflection based on best practices.
In February, we participated in a meeting of partners of the Global Platform for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC). In May, we held a partner workshop introducing the theme of “Climate Change, Peace, and Security.”
In April, we participated in a meeting convened by Pax Christi International that marked the launch of a new project, “Weavers of Hope in Times of Transition Towards a Life in Harmony,” which will take place in Latin America.
Also in April, we participated in an online meeting of the Peace and Human Rights Platform, which included organizations from Mexico and the European Union.