INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE AND ACCOMPANIMENT

CHIAPAS

Northern Zone

• On 1 October, we attended the celebration organized in the community of Masojá Shucjá, municipality of Tila, to observe the commemoration of the victims of the conflict in the years ’95 and ’96 in the Northern Zone of Chiapas.
• On 15 and 16 October, we participated in a humanitarian observation mission in the community of San Patricio, autonomous municipality of La Dignidad (official municipality of Sabanilla).

Highlands

• On 22 August, we were present during the activities held to observe the monthly commemoration of the Acteal massacre in Chenalhó, carried out in the same community.
• On 12 October, we attended the press conference organized by the Las Abejas Civil Society in San Cristóbal de Las Casas to present their “Day of Cultural Resistance.“

Jungle

• In September, a member of the team participated for fifteen days in a Civil Brigade of Observation (BRICOS) in Los Mártires, autonomous municipality of Lucio Cabañas, official municipality of Ocosingo.

Caracoles

• Between August and November, we visited all the Zapatista caracoles at least once.

Human-rights defenders

• In September, October, and November, we visited Margarita Martínez and Adolfo Guzmán, human rights defenders who have been victims of several death threats and attacks since 2009; they received a new death threat in October, despite having been given precautionary measures by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
• We have maintained our international accompaniment of the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Center for Human Rights.
• On 8 and 9 October, we attended the “Forum for the defense of human rights defenders” held in Tonalá, Chiapas.

Prisoners

• In September, we attended an assembly called for by the Organization of Relatives of Prisoners of Ocosingo (OFPO), an organizational process in the municipality of the same name.
• We accompanied the hunger strike and fasting of prisoners, visiting those incarcerated in the San Cristóbal de Las Casas prison at least once a week during the more than 4 weeks that these protests lasted. We also visited the sit-in of their relatives in the Cathedral Plaza of that city on several occasions.

Women

• In August and October, we attended the Assembly of Diocese Coordination of Women (CODIMUJ).
• On 29 October, we were present in a meeting regarding the question of feminicide, in which the possibility was raised of opening a Permanent Tribunal of the Peoples-Mexico Chapter.

GUERRERO

• From 6 to 16 October, we carried out a 10-day visit to Guerrero. We met with Radio Ñomndaa in Xochistlahuaca, the Council of Ejidos and Communities Opposed to the La Parota Dam (CECOP), the Collective against Torture and Impunity in Acapulco (CCTI), the Association of Relatives of the Detained, Disappeared, and Victims of Human Rights Violations in Mexico (AFADEM) in Atoyac de Álvarez, the Tlachinollan Mountain Center for Human Rights, and several other counterparts in Chilpacingo. We also attended the XVI Anniversary of the Regional Coordination of Communal Authorities-Communal Police (CRAC-PC) held in Paraje Montero, Malinaltepec.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

• In August and November, we met with members of the State Council on Human Rights in Chiapas (CEDH) to discuss several questions of concern regarding the situation in the state.
• On 14 November, we attended the Forum “Feminicide in the Procuration and Administration of Justice” convened by the State Attorney General’s Office of Chiapas, held in Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

OTHERS

• On 30 August, we attended the event in which the 2010 report “The Earth lives on through resistance” was presented by the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Center for Human Rights.
• From 14 to 16 September, we accompanied the Caravan to the South organized by the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity throughout its journey in Chiapas.
• On 13 September, we were present as observers in some of the protests held in Chiapas against high electricity prices.
• In observation of the commemoration of the 519 years since the arrival of the Spanish to America, sometimes referred to as “Day of La Raza,” we attended the Meeting for Struggles and Resistances held on 11 October in CIDECI-UNITIERRA as well as the protest march carried out the following day in downtown San Cristóbal de Las Casas.
• On 22 October, we attended the Meeting for Peace in light of the National Emergency held in Mexico City; its objectives were to “share analysis and reflections on the situation of national emergency, to assess the consequences that have followed from the war strategy and state policies violating human rights (including economic and social rights) as well as to propose perspectives and possible unified responses.”

PEACE PROMOTION

WORK WITH RELIGIOUS ACTORS

• In September, we participated in an ecumenical space for prayer and reflection called for by the Ecumenical Group for the Analysis of the Current Reality (GEARC), of which we form a part.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE

• In September and October, we facilitated reflection sessions regarding different aspects of Positive transformation of conflicts through the Mayense Intercultural Seminar (SIM).
• In August and October, we carried out workshops with the team of the Commission of Support for Unity and Reconciliation (CORECO).

ARTICULATION

• We participated in the bimonthly meetings of the Peace Network, a space for action and reflection comprised of 10 organizations that seek to support processes of peace and reconciliation in Chiapas. We participated in several activities associated with the realization of the Observation Mission on Sustainable Rural Cities (CRS).
• On 18 August, we participated in the meeting of counterparts based in Mexico of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict in North America (GPPAC-AN, of which we form a part).
• In observation of the International Day for Peace, we attended the XV anniversary of CORECO (Commission of Support for Communal Unity and Reconciliation, A.C.) and we presented a book written by its ex-coordinator, Felipe Toussaint Loera (1957-2011) “Commission of Support for Communal Unity and Reconciliation, Positive Transformation of Conflicts in communities and organizations in Chiapas and peace work 1996-2005.”
• We participated in the preparation and presentation for the Forum on “How do we construct peace during war?” held in San Cristóbal de Las Casas on 29 October.
• On 9 and 10 November, we held a meeting with our counterparts from MM (“People with a Mission,” Holland) in Mexico.

INFORMATION

• We received visits by delegations, students, journalists, and members of our coalition interested in deepening their knowledge of the situation in Chiapas and the work of SIPAZ.
• We continued our process of investigation regarding the subject “Linking gender and peace work,” which has led us to hold meetings with various women’s groups and organizations in Chiapas and Guerrero.
• We released an Urgent Action regarding the situation of prisoners on hunger strike and fasting in Chiapas, and about the transfer to Sinaloa to one of their leaders, Alberto Patishtán.

INTERNAL TRAINING

• In October, we established a workshop for internal training so as to share knowledge regarding the Transformation of Conflicts to work with women’s groups.
• In mid-September, we attended a workshop organized by the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Center for Human Rights facilitated by Carlos Beristain, which had the objective of sharing tools of psycho-social support and measures to confront contexts of political violence.