Organización Sociedad Civil Las Abejas de Acteal
Tierra Sagrada de los Mártires de Acteal
Acteal, Chenalhó, Chiapas, México.
14 de mayo de 2026.
To the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
To the National Indigenous Congress
To the Indigenous Governing Council
To Human Rights Defenders
To Independent and Alternative Media
To National and International Media
To National and International Civil Society
Sisters and brothers:
The Las Abejas Civil Society Organization of Acteal and the survivors of the Acteal Massacre, with the support of the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Human Rights Center (Frayba), have decided to launch the campaign: “Me oy Chapanel, oy jun O’ntonal” (If there is justice, there is peace).
The objective of this campaign is to remind and urge the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) not to further delay the issuance of the Merits Report in Case 12.790, Manuel Sántiz Culebra et al. (Acteal Massacre). The Mexican State’s responsibility for this crime against humanity is clearly established. The IACHR’s decision will be an important step toward truth, putting an end to 29 years of impunity, and establishing mechanisms to investigate and identify the masterminds behind the Massacre so they can be brought to trial, as well as ensuring full reparations for all damages caused.
The campaign, “Me oy Chapanel, oy jun O’ntonal,” will run for three months, from May 14 to August 12. During this period, we will disseminate information through texts, images, audio, and videos featuring firsthand testimonies from the survivors of Acteal, as well as the participation of the young people who are the grandchildren of the 45 victims of the Acteal Massacre.
In this context, we see that criminal violence perpetrated by organized crime in Mexico continues to tear apart innocent lives, as evidenced by the recent attack on the organized community of Nicolás Ruiz and in Venustiano Carranza, Chiapas; as well as the murders, armed attacks, and forced displacement targeting members of the Indigenous and Popular Council of Guerrero – Emiliano Zapata (CIPOG-EZ) in the community of Xicotlán, in the municipality of Chilapa, and other communities in the lowland mountain region of Guerrero, in the municipality of Chilapa de Álvarez, as well as attacks on towns and communities in other parts of Mexico.
In Chiapas and across Mexico, we are enduring darkness, pain, discrimination, contempt, mockery, and a mockery of justice at the hands of the PRI, PAN, and current MORENA governments. These governments, regardless of party affiliation, have exploited the blood and suffering of organized communities so that those in power can do whatever they want with our lives.
And while women and men across the country raise their voices to demand an end to violence and insecurity, President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo and her government respond with evasive statements—that they have “other data,” that “they are working on it,” that “the poor come first”—even as violence continues to bleed Mexico dry and deepen the suffering of the population.
We embrace the Searching Mothers and all those who tirelessly search for their loved ones under the scorching sun, hungry and in immeasurable pain, while the “4T” government organizes music festivals and the World Cup to obscure reality and lull the consciences of those who still allow themselves to be deceived.
We, the survivors of the Acteal Massacre, are also tired; there are days when we feel exhausted by the scorching heat of lies and the wear and tear caused by governments that foster impunity. We hunger for justice. We thirst for a dignified and lasting peace, but the current bad government, with its policies of farce, humiliation, indifference, and above all, the cover-up of the masterminds behind the Acteal Massacre—just as they do with the criminals operating in the communities of Chiapas and throughout Mexico. Through these actions, they seek to cover up this act of barbarism and aim to consign the State Crime committed here in Acteal to oblivion. Just as they want to consign the cowardly murder of our comrade and brother Simón Pedro and of Father Marcelo to oblivion and impunity.
It is for this reason, and many others, that we left our community to come and speak our truth. Let the corrupt governments of Chiapas and Mexico know that we will always denounce the injustices and violence that stem from their own governments, from their military and police forces—especially the so-called “Pakales.” And in this context of violence and bloodshed in Mexico, we remind you that Acteal will not be forgotten; that our 45 sisters and brothers, plus the four unborn babies—their names and their memory—we will hold them high, and they will walk in our hearts for all eternity.
Today, we remind you once again that since August 12, 2009—the date on which the misnamed Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN), or Supreme Court of the Rich and Criminal, released the PRI paramilitaries from Chenalhó, the perpetrators of the Acteal Massacre— on that day they set a precedent for criminals in Chiapas and Mexico, who can kill, disappear, and massacre an entire town at will, because the Mexican government itself, through the misnamed SCJN, covers for them and releases them from prison, in addition to rewarding them with land, houses, and a monthly pension, just as they did with the Acteal murderers.
In light of this reality, we urge the IACHR to issue its Merits Report without further delay, so as not to hinder the path to justice any longer; otherwise, impunity in the Acteal case will continue to deepen and cause even greater harm than has already been inflicted.
We also wish to report that many survivors of the Acteal massacre are passing away, such as the recent loss of our elder sisters: Juana Arias Pérez and María Pérez Kuin. They were actively fighting for the Lekil Chapanel, tireless in their struggle and perseverance; they left with the hope that the truth would be known and that true justice would be served for their families.
Until the IACHR issues its Merits Report, violence will continue with even greater intensity in the communities surrounding Acteal and in other parts of Chiapas; organized crime groups and the masterminds behind the cowardly murders of our comrade and brother Simón Pedro, Father Marcelo, and the forced displacements will be allowed to continue causing insecurity, violence, and terror.
That is why we see the need to launch this campaign: “Me oy Chapanel, oy jun O’ntonal,” because a state crime cannot go unpunished, and the masterminds behind it cannot continue to enjoy their freedom and keep plotting strategies of death, dispossession, and mockery against the people of Mexico in these times.
Sisters and brothers who also yearn for peace with true justice: we invite you to join your voices with ours and help spread this campaign. May our words resonate, may they walk alongside yours, and may we together demand justice for Acteal. Because if justice is served for Acteal, it must also be served for the other crimes committed by paramilitaries, the military, the police, and criminal groups against the peoples, and against every woman and man in Chiapas and throughout Mexico.
Long live the Martyrs of Acteal!
Long live peace!
Long live active nonviolent struggle!
¡Viva la lucha activa No-violenta!
Atentamente.
La Voz de la Organización Sociedad Civil Las Abejas de Acteal.
For the Board of Directors:
Francisco López Sántiz, President Juan Pérez López, Secretary Carlos Flores Gómez, Treasurer
Por los representantes de l@s sobrevivientes de Acteal:
Diego Pérez Jiménez Marco Antonio Gómez Vázquez
Por la comisión del Caso Acteal:
Sebastián Pérez Vázquez José Pérez Vázquez
Mariana Díaz Pérez Verónica Arias Pérez
Original text and photos by Las Abejas de Acteal on May 14th, 2026.
Translated by Schools for Chiapas