Plaque in honor of Antonio González Méndez. Photo: Frayba
In compliance with a ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), a plaque was unveiled at the Law School of the Autonomous University of Chiapas (UNACH) in honor of Antonio González Méndez, a Chol indigenous support base for the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) who disappeared in the municipality of Sabanilla on January 18th, 1999.
The event was attended by Antonio’s family, who was known for “his public commitment to the organization and dignity of the people (which) made him a target of counterinsurgency strategies designed by the Ministry of National Defense (SEDENA), in complicity with the presidency of the Republic, and executed by a broad network of federal, state, and municipal authorities,” said Dora Robledo, director of the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Center for Human Rights.
Antonio González Méndez v. Mexico Case: a state crime before the Inter-American Court. Courtesy of Frayba
Frayba’s statement:
Antonio González Méndez, his name will not be erased from history.
Justice remains a duty that is far from being fulfilled.
Today we gather at this Faculty of Law of the Autonomous University of Chiapas (UNACH) to remember Antonio González Méndez, a Zapatista forcibly disappeared on January 18th, 1999, by the Mexican State, here in Chiapas, specifically in the municipality of Sabanilla.
Antonio, a human rights defender and member of the Support Bases of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (BAEZLN), fought tirelessly to improve the living conditions of the indigenous communities in the north of the state. He assumed responsibility for the Arroyo Frío cooperative store, a project that sought to ensure that communities could market their products fairly and access them at affordable prices. His public commitment to the organization and dignity of the people made him a target of counterinsurgency strategies designed by the Ministry of National Defense (SEDENA), in complicity with the Presidency of the Republic, and executed by a broad network of federal, state, and municipal authorities.
His disappearance led the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) to condemn the Mexican State as being responsible on August 22nd, 2024. This court determined that there was sufficient evidence to prove that Antonio was disappeared by the paramilitary group Desarrollo Paz y Justicia (Development, Peace and Justice), an organization created, financed, and trained under the protection of the Mexican State, which also guaranteed its impunity.
The unveiling of this plaque seeks to honor the memory of Antonio González Méndez, his struggle, and his collective dreams. It also aims to record on this wall that his disappearance was a state crime, committed against Antonio, his family, his organization, and all of Mexican society. May this truth be recorded so that no one will forget it.
We also denounce that justice remains a duty that is far from fulfilled. The Special Prosecutor’s Office for Disappeared Persons in Chiapas, currently responsible for the case, has proposed an investigation protocol that does not prioritize the investigation into the paramilitary group responsible, reveals its lack of expertise, and disregards the contributions of the family and their representatives. It is noteworthy that none of the investigation proposals considers the responsibility of the Mexican Army. This negligence perpetuates impunity and limits the possibilities of searching.
We also remember that Antonio is one of the thousands of victims of the Mexican government’s counterinsurgency strategy, sustained by impunity for six-year term after six-year term of office. His story embodies that of the displaced, murdered, and massacred, like our 45 sisters and brothers from Acteal, and the hundreds of thousands who remain missing. In her name, we also remember Minerva Guadalupe Pérez Torres, who was disappeared at the age of 19 by members of the paramilitary group Paz y Justicia. Almost 30 years have passed since that horror, and the wound remains open.
All the victims of this dark period in Chiapas’ history deserve truth and justice, facing a wound that has been open for decades, with no authority showing any real interest in bringing justice, rewriting history, and naming their executioners.
We entrust the student community with the task of reclaiming this space, turning it into a symbol and a permanent call to fight for justice for the crimes the State has committed and continues to endure in impunity.
May this plaque be a symbol of the dignified memory that this Law School building will carry with it. May it evoke in its essence the fight for Truth, Justice, and Non-Repetition, reminding us that there is a deep, historic debt that will only be settled when we manage to find them all.
We embrace with respect and affection Antonio’s family present here: his daughters Magdalena, Thalía, and Ana; his son Gerardo; and to Sonia, a fundamental pillar in this fight for dignity. This act is a gesture of justice toward them, toward their tireless and persistent search, which inspires us all to continue believing in the impossible.
Original article at Chiapas Paralelo, October 10th, 2025.
Translated by Schools for Chiapas.