Mexico City | Desinformémonos. The “pacification” strategy promoted by the Chiapas state government through militarization and containment in the territory “has not reduced violence.” And, on the contrary, the state “shows alarming challenges in terms of security and human rights,” with cases of harassment, criminalization, murders, and disappearances against defenders, journalists, and Zapatista communities, denounced Espacio OSC (Civil Society Organization Space for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists).
In a statement, the organizations that make up the Espacio OSC pointed out that between January 2024 and mid-2025 alone, 156 attacks against defenders in Chiapas were documented, of which four were murders, including that of Father Marcelo Pérez, and 131 were direct attacks, perpetrated by organized crime groups or state security forces. In addition, between 2021 and 2024, the murders of journalists Víctor Alfonso Culebro Morelos and Fredy López Arévalo were recorded, as well as 21 attacks against women journalists perpetrated between 2024 and 2025.
The context of violence, explained the group of organizations, “is intertwined with public accusations made by Zapatista communities, who have denounced land dispossession and harassment against indigenous communities, carried out in collusion with federal armed forces, state police, and private agents.”
“These actions not only threaten the integrity of indigenous peoples, but also reveal the collusion between state actors and local power structures that seek to impose economic and territorial control projects at the expense of the lives and rights of communities,” he said.
The organizations criticized the fact that while the Chiapas government maintains an official discourse of reconciliation and dialogue, attacks against those who defend human rights and practice journalism persist. “Thus, the so-called ‘pacification’ contrasts starkly with the persistent climate of violence, displacement, and criminalization. Far from building conditions for peace, current policies have normalized military presence and repression, while neglecting the structural causes of conflict: poverty, dispossession, impunity, and the absence of a state that guarantees justice,” they pointed out.
In response to this problem, the Espacio OSC demanded that the government and institutions of Chiapas protect and guarantee the lives of defenders, journalists, and residents of communities in the state, as well as seek justice in cases of violence and strengthen measures to protect vulnerable groups and individuals.
The full statement is as follows:
The organizations that make up the CSO Space for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists express our deep concern about the violence, harassment, and criminalization against human rights defenders and journalists in the state of Chiapas.
Between January 2024 and mid-2025, 156 attacks against human rights defenders were documented in the state, including four murders and 131 direct attacks in retaliation for their work. These attacks include intimidation, defamation, surveillance, and armed attacks, such as the Nueva Morelia massacre, the murder of priest Marcelo Pérez Pérez, and attacks against members of the civil organization Las Abejas de Acteal. The perpetrators have included both organized crime groups and state security forces.
Recently, the raid on the home of Dora Roblero, director of the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Human Rights Center (CDH Frayba), once again highlighted the systematic harassment faced by this organization, a key reference point in the defense of indigenous communities and vulnerable populations. Since 2024, CDH Frayba has suffered at least 46 attacks, including surveillance, raids, and defamatory statements by authorities. It should be noted that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has granted precautionary measures since 2010, recognizing the sustained threats against its staff.
In a parallel pattern, on August 5, 2025, Luis García Villagrán, founder of the Centro de Dignificación Humana A.C., was arbitrarily detained shortly before the departure of a migrant caravan. Despite the lack of evidence, he was charged with organized crime and human trafficking. A judge determined the legitimacy of his work in defense of migrants’ rights and overturned the arrest warrant; however, federal authorities publicly stigmatized him, contributing to a climate of criminalization and intimidation toward those who defend migrants’ rights.
The situation of journalists is also alarming. Between 2021 and 2024, the murders of Víctor Alfonso Culebro Morelos (June 28, 2024) and Fredy López Arévalo (October 28, 2021) were recorded. In addition, CIMAC has documented 21 attacks against women journalists between 2024 and 2025, with the latter year being the most violent, with 16 reported cases, including two raids.
Despite the official discourse of “pacification” promoted by the state government since it took office on December 8, 2024, the reality in Chiapas shows alarming challenges in terms of security and human rights. While there is talk of reconciliation and dialogue, attacks against those who defend human rights and practice journalism persist. The state strategy, focused on containment and militarization of the territory, has not reduced violence.
This context is intertwined with public accusations made by Zapatista communities, which have denounced land dispossession and harassment against indigenous communities, carried out in collusion with federal armed forces, state police, and private agents. These actions not only threaten the integrity of indigenous peoples, but also reveal the collusion between state actors and local power structures that seek to impose economic and territorial control projects at the expense of the lives and rights of communities.
Thus, the so-called “pacification” contrasts starkly with the persistent climate of violence, displacement, and criminalization. Far from building conditions for peace, current policies have normalized military presence and repression, while neglecting the structural causes of conflict: poverty, dispossession, impunity, and the absence of a state that guarantees justice. Instead of protecting, the authorities have closed spaces for participation and weakened civil society action, as clearly exemplified by the groups of relatives searching for missing persons, directly affecting those who defend the rights and accompany the most vulnerable communities.
Chiapas remains one of the poorest states in the country, with deep structural inequalities that disproportionately affect indigenous peoples, women, and children. Violence, forced displacement, disappearances, and human trafficking exacerbate these conditions, while the state’s actions are insufficient to guarantee protection and justice.
In addition to this, there is concern about financial cuts to international cooperation for human rights organizations and organizations that provide assistance to migrants, which has reduced their capacity to provide support and left victims and communities that currently face serious risks even more vulnerable.
Given this situation, we at Espacio OSC urgently call for:
- To the Government of the State of Chiapas, to respect and not limit the work of defending human rights, searching for missing persons, and journalism, as well as to establish immediate and effective actions to protect the life and integrity of human rights defenders and journalists, guaranteeing public recognition and the non-criminalization of their work.
- The Chiapas State Prosecutor’s Office to report on the progress of investigations into crimes committed against defenders and journalists, and to expedite the corresponding judicial proceedings.
- The State Human Rights Commission to issue a special report on the situation of defenders and journalists in Chiapas and to report on the status of complaints filed against public officials involved in attacks or human rights violations.
- The Federal Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists to strengthen protection measures for beneficiaries and expedite the process of incorporating those who request protection in the current context of risk.
- The international community should continue to monitor and accompany the human rights situation in Chiapas, and guarantee the necessary financial and political support so that civil society organizations can continue their advocacy work.
We reiterate that the defense of human rights and freedom of the press should not be limited or criminalized, but rather recognized as fundamental pillars of democracy and social justice.
Civil Society Organizations Space for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists (Espacio CSO).
The organizations that make up the Espacio OSC:
ARTICLE 19 México y Centroamérica; Casa del Migrante Saltillo; Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña Tlachinollan; Centro de Derechos Humanos Zeferino Ladrillero (CDHZL); Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental (CEMDA); Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social (Cencos); Comunicación e Información de la Mujer A.C. (CIMAC); Consorcio para el Diálogo Parlamentario y la Equidad Oaxaca (Consorcio Oaxaca); Instituto de Derecho Ambiental (IDEA), Red Nacional de Organismos Civiles de Derechos Humanos Todos los Derechos para Todas, Todos y todes (RedTDT); SMR: Scalabrinianas, Misión con Migrantes y Refugiados; Servicios y Asesoría para la Paz (Serapaz), Proyecto de Derechos Económicos Sociales y Culturales (PRODESC). El Espacio OSC está acompañado por Brigadas Internacionales de Paz (PBI) – Proyecto México
Original text published in Desinformémonos on October 14th, 2025.
Translated by Schools for Chiapas.