Andrés Domínguez
“Las Abejas de Acteal” Civil Society and the environmentalist organization Otro Mundos A.C./Friends of the Earth asked the three levels of government to continue the investigation into the murder of activist Simón Pedro, in order to find the intellectual authors.
Both organizations, along with other more allies, within the framework of the first anniversary of the sentencing of the perpetrator of the murder, reiterated their commitment to continue in the search for justice until the intellectual authors are found and punished.
A year ago, the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Center for Human Rights communicated what the judge said at the hearing to determine the sentence. There, he described Pedro’s murder as an “isolated” case. Therefore, they considered said trial as distinct by not considering the framework of violence that exists in the region; and the participation of Simón Pedro as a human rights defender in favor of the affected population.
The Control Judge of Pichucalco adjusted the sentence to 25 years in prison against the material author of the murder of the human rights defender, and economic “reparation” for the families, which, for Frayba reflects how narrow and limited the justice of the State is, which denies access to the truth and true justice.
Murder
Simón Pedro, together with community authorities from Pantelhó, met to formally denounce to the Government Secretariat of the state of Chiapas the situation experienced by the communities of that municipality, as well as Simojovel and Chenalhó, due to their isolation by armed groups linked to organized crime that controlled the region and had committed a series of murders, forced disappearances, kidnappings and displacement of people.
The defender’s social life developed in his community environment, in ejidal life, as well as in his activities as a member of Las Abejas de Acteal and in religious life, immersed in the process of the III Diocesan Synod, in which he was appointed general coordinator of the Children’s Synod of the Diocese of San Cristóbal de Las Casas.
A large part of his development was spent participating in religious activities, sharing the word of God and the experiences of what happened in his region, such as the Acteal Massacre, which was an event that impacted him and his family, and that led him to rethink his life and work for solidarity, justice and peace.
In 2014, he was appointed a member of the Board of Directors and in 2020, president of the organization, due to his accurate word and his life testimony as a defender of human rights and for his commitment to guiding Las Abejas de Acteal in decision making.
Original article published in Chiapas Paralelo on April 1st, 2024.
Translated by Schools for Chiapas.