Support families fighting torture in Mexico

In October 2020, the agreement between the Secretary of National Defense (SEDENA) of Mexico, and state and municipal authorities was announced;where it determined the construction of military complex in the municipality of Chilón, Chiapas.

On October 15 of that same year, the Tseltal Mayan people of Chilón exercised their right to peaceful protest against the construction of the complex; The government's response was the deployment of 300 elements that belonged to different local and national public entities; This not only violated their right to defend their land and territory or their constitutional right as an indigenous people and community to self-determination and autonomy, but also, through the excessive use of violence, their human rights were severely repressed.

As a result of this repression, several people were injured, in addition to the arbitrary detention of José and César who, after a sequence of violence and torture, were taken to the Ocosingo court;and it´s here that they went from being community defenders to being accused of the crime of mutiny.

After the illegal detention, torture and the indictment, they were released on bail, under the obigation to present themselves every 15 days in front of the court and restricted to going beyond the municipalities of Chilón and Ocosingo. Three months later, in March 2021, a judge from the State of Chiapas dismissed the arguments of human rights violations and torture, admitting evidence obtained with rights violations. These public entities maintained that the injuries that César and José presented had been self-inflicted.

18 months have passed since the indigenous community of Chilón raised their voice, who already live the ravages of a system that discriminates against them and a State that ignores them; 18 months have passed since the arbitrary detention, torture, irregularities in their process, and an unjust but possible conviction for Cesar and José, 18 months living in fear and uncertainty.

We walk with the united Tzeltal people of Chilón and their demands for the release and acquittal of Cesar and José, we demand the non-criminalization of human rights defenders;and the stop to the strategy of militarization of the territories of indigenous peoples, such as the National Guard complex in the municipality of Chilón.

Links:

• Tsetal people of Chilon: we are defending our Mother Earth and o
• Cesar and Jose Luis Community defenders criminalized for defend