The diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas, in the state of Chiapas, southeastern Mexico, demanded peace and justice from the authorities this Sunday after the shooting of the priest and defender of human rights and indigenous peoples, Marcelo Pérez Pérez.
Bishop Rodrigo Aguilar Martínez urged the Government to establish peace in the region, with the criteria of “authentic” truth and justice in the crime against Pérez, known as Father Marcelo.
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Likewise, Aguilar expressed that the diocese is willing to forgive the material and intellectual authors of the attack committed this morning against the parish priest of the Guadalupe church.
At the end of the Sunday homily, just when the priest’s remains were delivered to his father and brother, the bishop urged the inhabitants and those who pass through the state to “reconsider because true peace has to come in unity to the truth and the justice”.
He denounced insecurity
The bishop pointed out that despite Father Marcelo’s constant complaints about his safety and that of the citizens, his requests were not heard, and despite this, they continued to advocate for justice.
After Father Marcelo’s body was handed over to his relatives, hundreds of white people received the coffin with flags and walked behind it about two kilometers to the Guadalupe church, shouting “justice” throughout the journey.
The priest’s body will be transferred to the municipality of San Andrés Larráinzar to be buried in the land of his ancestors.
Father Marcelo, a Tzotzil indigenous person and defender of the native peoples, was shot inside his vehicle after celebrating a mass in the Cuxtitali neighborhood, municipality of San Cristóbal de Las Casas.
Faced with this crime, the Office in Mexico of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN-DH) condemned the events and joined the call for the authorities to carry out “a prompt, exhaustive and effective investigation.”
It had protective measures
Since 2015, Father Marcelo had precautionary measures from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), due to the constant risk that his life and personal integrity faced due to his work in defense of human rights.
Various national and international organizations had publicly warned about the growing threats, attacks and acts of criminalization against them, which intensified in recent years due to their work in favor of justice and the rights of indigenous peoples, the organization indicated. . .
Father Marcelo led marches and pilgrimages for peace, denouncing the increase in violence in Chiapas since 2021.
He spoke out on several occasions against organized crime and demanded justice for the murder of defender Simón Pedro.
In addition, he accompanied displaced Tzotzil and Tzeltal communities and acted as a mediator in conflicts.
From 2017 to date, the UN-DH has documented at least 134 murders of human rights defenders, of which seven have occurred in 2024.