On August 6th, a judge from the Federal Criminal Justice Center of the State of Chiapas issued a 20-year prison sentence against Edgar “M” for the aggravated homicide of human rights defender Marcelo Pérez Pérez. The investigation was carried out by the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), through the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Human Rights (FEMDH), and with legal advice provided by the Minerva Bello Human Rights Center.
This sentence is issued through an abbreviated procedure, which means that the accused admits to the charges against him in exchange for a reduced sentence. The fundamental principle of this mechanism is the avoidance of a trial based on the accused’s self-incrimination, which prevents the presentation of the evidence gathered. Consequently, the evidence offered by the Prosecutor’s Office will not be heard in public, limiting the possibility of accessing a more comprehensive reconstruction of what happened. This aspect has a significant impact on the right to the truth in its collective dimension: society’s right to know what happened in the murder of Father Marcelo.
Furthermore, the fact that Edgar “M” has submitted to an abbreviated procedure does not necessarily determine the situation of the other defendants, as these are individual criminal charges. Therefore, the other defendants still need to face justice. Edgar “M’s” conviction only closes the investigation into the material authorship of the case; however, the responsibility of those who planned, participated in or facilitated the crime remains to be determined.
More than an isolated crime
It is important to note that the priest’s murder, far from being an isolated crime, is part of a long-running conflict in the Chiapas Highlands and a dynamic of widespread violence both in the state of Chiapas and across the country that is cruel to human rights defenders.
Father Marcelo Pérez Pérez, an Indigenous Tsotsil priest of the Guadalupe Parish in San Cristóbal de las Casas and a human rights defender, was shot dead on the morning of Sunday, October 20th, 2024, in front of the church in the Cuxtitali neighborhood, where he was leaving after celebrating Mass. His career in defending human rights in the state of Chiapas earned him mobilizations and statements from national and international public figures such as the then newly elected President of the Republic, Claudia Sheinbaum, the late Pope Francis, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor. From various sources, the Mexican State was publicly requested to investigate the murder thoroughly and effectively, as well as to recognize that the crime was committed in retaliation for the work of defending human rights carried out by Marcelo Pérez Pérez. Just two days after the murder, the now sentenced man was arrested.
The Life of Father Marcelo Pérez Pérez
Father Marcelo was born in San Andrés Larráinzar, in the Highlands of Chiapas, and became the parish priest of San Antonio de Padua in Simojovel in 2011. From then on, he initiated peacebuilding and mediation activities in the Highlands, working closely with authorities, communities, and organizations such as Las Abejas de Acteal. These human rights activities exposed both Father and other stakeholders to a high level of risk, culminating in the murder of human rights defender Simón Pedro, president of Las Abejas de Acteal, in July 2021. On August 10 of the same year, the Indigenous Justice Prosecutor, who was investigating violence in the region, was also shot and killed in San Cristóbal de las Casas.
For Father Marcelo, his intercommunity mediation activities were fundamental tools for peacebuilding. Despite this, he was subjected to harassment and defamation, until an arrest warrant was issued against him in July 2022, which was never carried out, despite being the beneficiary of precautionary measures granted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)[4].
Father Marcelo was born in San Andrés Larráinzar, in the Highlands of Chiapas, and became the parish priest of San Antonio de Padua in Simojovel in 2011. From then on, he initiated peacebuilding and mediation activities in the Highlands, working closely with authorities, communities, and organizations such as Las Abejas de Acteal. These human rights activities exposed both the priest and other stakeholders to a high level of risk, culminating in the murder of human rights defender Simón Pedro, president of Las Abejas de Acteal, in July 2021. On August 10th of the same year, the Indigenous Justice Prosecutor, who was investigating violence in the region, was also shot and killed in San Cristóbal de las Casas.
For Father Marcelo, his intercommunity mediation activities were fundamental tools for peacebuilding. Despite this, he was subjected to harassment and defamation, until an arrest warrant was issued against him in July 2022, which was never carried out, despite being the beneficiary of precautionary measures granted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
SweFOR concerned
While we welcome the sentencing of Edgar “M,” SweFOR believes that only by bringing to justice those who instigated this crime can justice be truly served. As stated by the Attorney General’s Office, and encouraged by international bodies such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the investigation continues to determine the responsibilities of other individuals involved and to comply with the arrest warrants currently in force in the criminal case.
A final element that concerns SweFOR is the lack of recognition of his role as a human rights defender, as well as the lack of consideration that his murder was motivated by this work. Although it was not considered an aggravating factor in the sentence, his homicide has been judged as ordinary murder.
Marcelo Pérez Pérez has been accompanied by SweFOR since 2015. In his 23 years of priestly work, he has been a key player in the defense of human rights and peacebuilding in Chiapas, accompanying movements and peoples in their struggle for land, territory, and access to truth and justice. SweFOR urges that the investigation into his murder continue, taking into account his history of defending human rights, as well as his history of multiple attacks over more than a decade.
Original article by SweFOR, September 17th, 2025.
Translated by Schools for Chiapas.