More than 500 indigenous Tzeltales and Choles held on Friday a “viacrucis” in the Lacandon jungle, located in the state of Chiapas, for “the life, justice, unity and dignity of mother earth and indigenous peoples” and to call for the “absolute” release of two comrades who were arrested in 2020 in a protest .
José Luis Gutiérrez and Cesar Hernández were prosecuted for the crime of mutiny since October 15, 2020, detailed the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Human Rights Center (Frayba).
Although they are no longer in prison, they have to comply with the obligation to go and sign every 15 days.
“They were arbitrarily arrested with violence and subsequently tortured by elements of the armed forces, in the framework of the mobilization against the construction of the National Guard barracks on the territory of the Tzeltal indigenous people of Chilón,” Frayba explained.
The inhabitants, from the Believing People organization of the Jet Ha' Pastoral Center, also demonstrated against the militarization of the region - where the National Guard inaugurated a barracks - and for the right to autonomy of the indigenous peoples.
Due to the bad weather, the 15 stations of the cross were represented inside the San Pedro church, in the Pamal Nahbil community, municipality of Chilón, where they prayed to ask for an end to “injustice and corrupt governments that want to walk without the voice of the indigenous people,” they said.
In this procession, the indigenous Catholic faithful expressed their complaints by carrying banners with legends such as “absolute freedom to José Luis Gutiérrez Hernández and Cesar Hernández (imprisoned defenders of the territory)” or “We denounce all kinds of violence”.
Others said: “We want to be free, without harassment, without mistreatment, without discrimination”, “For the defense of life and territory”, “Land is not sold, it is defended”, “with respect to our traditions and culture, not to militarization”.
Indigenous women expressed concern that social programs are poorly distributed, the budget cuts for mothers and children affect the land, since it only allows them to feed daily and does not allow infants to study primary school.
Martha, a Tzeltal indigenous from Chilón, told Efe that she will consider whether she goes out this Sunday to vote in favor of the Revocation of the Mandate that will define whether the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, remains in power.
“The state of Chiapas hasn't changed for the better, nothing has changed with this government of Morena (Movimiento Nacional Regeneration) and Andrés Manuel, that's why I'm thinking of canceling my vote, most likely,” he shared.
Artemio, also Tzeltal, said in an interview with Efe that the Morena government does not respect the poor and manufactures crimes against indigenous people. “What Jesus lived through centuries ago continues to be repeated to this day,” he considered.
At the end of the Way of the Cross, the protesters set their stance and said: “No to violence, no to the dispossession of natural resources, respect for our language and culture, not to megaprojects that seek to appropriate indigenous territory and destroy the environment.”
EFE
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