Indigenous people of Pantelhó, Chiapas, will not participate in 2024 elections
Another municipality in Chiapas chooses not to participate in elections, citing violence and disorder. They will opt for governance by Municipal Council.
Pantelhó
Group Accused of Links to Crime Attempts to Take Back Pantelhó, Chiapas
Last week, Pantelhó was shuttered as organized crime group returned to the municipal seat claiming its motives of “protecting” the population from Los Machetes, a local self-defense group that emerged two years ago.
Fearing an onslaught of violence, residents gather en masse to demand that government authorities intervene to protect them.
Municipal Councils in Chiapas: Between Pacification of Municipalities and Intervention in Autonomous Processes
Almost three decades later, the municipalities are today once again in the throes of violence, but now with the aggravating factor of the presence of organized crime as new actors. For two decades now, criminal violence has entered the state and progressively taken over the municipalities. Its presence as a political actor in the territories has complicated the performance of electoral processes and public administration, but also undermines the autonomy of indigenous peoples, day by day penetrating deeper.
Simón Pedro, Indigenous Leader Assassinated in Chiapas, Evidenced the Progression of Criminal Violence
However, he left a seed of hope, commitment, action and struggle through peaceful means…On July 5, one year after his murder, members of different parishes of the Diocese of San Cristobal and Las Abejas de Acteal held public demonstrations to vindicate the struggle for life and justice through peaceful means.
Arrest Warrant Issued for Chiapas Priest Marcelo Perez, Who Worked for Peace in the Communities
As the situation in Pantelhó becomes increasingly unclear, the State has issued a warrant for the arrest of Father Marcelo Perez Perez, who has long accompanied the communities in their struggle against organized crime. With this development, solidarity and human rights organizations express their concern for his life and well being.