Emergency Delegation to Chiapas

Emergency Delegation to Chiapas
September 21-28, 2002
Sponsored by Mexico Solidarity Network
Information: 773-583-7728 Fax: 773-583-7728
Email: msn [at] mexicosolidarity.org

Zapatista communities in Chiapas are suffering a wave of paramilitary violence, unprecedented since the 1997 Acteal massacre. The communities are calling on the international community to send emergency human rights delegations to Chiapas. In response the Mexico Solidarity Network is organizing a delegation from September 21-28. Delegates will visit communities under threat, providing an international presence that will offer a level of security and heightened visibility. At least one US Congressional office will likely accompany the delegation.

Scholarships are available, especially for representatives of local solidarity committees and youth of color. Please contact the Mexico Solidarity Network for more information.

Schedule:
September 21: Travel to San Cristobal de las Casas,
Chiapas and general orientation.
September 22: Meetings with human rights organizations and background orientation on the current situation in Chiapas. September 23-26: Travel to threatened autonomous Zapatista communities.
September 27: Return to San Cristobal and participate in press work, strategy discussions and debriefing. September 28: Return to U.S.

The cost of the delegation is $250, covering ground transportation, meals in the communities, hotels, translation, background materials, and program. Delegates are responsible for their own flight arrangements. We encourage you to use our travel agent, Scott, 800.328.1332

Travel stipends are available for representatives of local solidarity groups and youth of color under age 30. Click to http://www.mexicosolidarity.org/delegationform.html to
sign up.



Below is an overview of the current situation in Chiapas.
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A strategic, well-coordinated campaign of paramilitary
attacks has reached alarming levels in Chiapas, Mexico. Since mid-August 2002, new paramilitary attacks have taken the lives of four Zapatista leaders, wounded 20 supporters and displaced hundreds of indigenous community members. President Fox claims peace in Chiapas, but the paramilitary campaign--in close coordination with local police and the Mexican Army - represents a new initiative directed against autonomous indigenous (Zapatista) communities. Anyone holding authority in a Zapatista community stands in the cross hairs. Zapatista communities have called on the international community--once again--to stand with them and resist the violence.

Antonio Mejia, a Zapatista leader from the community of K'an Akil, was the most recent victim. As Antonio's wife escaped from the scene under fire, she was able to identify the killers as paramilitaries from with the
PRI-affiliated “Los Aguilares." So far, none of the memebers of this group have been arrested. Unfortunately, this kind of impunity is all to common in Chiapas, where PRI-affiliated paramilitaries often coordinate with local police and the army.

The current conflict centers around control of land. Much of the land in areas of Zapatista influence is communally held and governed by autonomous authorities. Tensions increased in recent months as the state government offered financial assistance to individuals with land titles. In response, paramilitary groups are trying to claim the land for private use. Chiapas Governor Pablo Salazar was elected in 2000 on a platform of peace and negotiation, though Zapatista communities largely refused to participate in the election. Salazar appears to have abandoned his commitment to reconciliation in favor of bowing to his new constituency. Salazar was elected under a multi-party banner led by the PAN, but he was a PRI official for most of his political career.

The federal government also has a hand in increasing tensions. Autonomous communities report increases in troop movements in recent weeks and there appears to be support, if not outright cooperation, between the military and paramilitary groups. Zapatista supporters report paramilitary groups are often armed with AR-15s, a military weapon whose use is strictly limited to the army.

The recent attacks betray campaign promises by President Fox to comply with the three Zapatista demands that would re-start peace talks: release of Zapatista political prisoners, de-militarization of seven Zapatista-held areas, and passage of an indigenous rights bill based on the San Andres Accords. Fox initially paid lip service to a lasting and dignified peace in Chiapas. Now he shows his true colors by sending in more troops and turning a blind eye to paramilitary violence. The current paramilitary attacks also reveal the failures of Fox's so-called Federal Indigenous Law to resolve the root causes of the conflict in Chiapas. Indigenous communities and organizations rejected the law because it gutted the provisions of the previously signed San Andres Accords.


The United States also shares responsibility through the training of Mexican military personnel, and the supplying of arms and military equipment. In the four years between 1996-2000, the US government provided more than $141 million in grants.
(http://www.ciponline.org/facts/mx.htm#Overview)

The Zapatistas captured the attention of the world in 1994, and have been successful in developing autonomous governing structures, in large part because of globalized grassroots solidarity. However, international attention has waned somewhat over the past two years, though the Zapatistas maintain a high level of moral authority among international activists. The current situation in Chiapas is the most dangerous since 1997 when paramilitaries murdered 44 members of Las Abejas. International attention focused on Chiapas AFTER the killings – too late to prevent one of the worst massacres in Mexico’s history.

In an effort that demonstrates both foresight and political clarity, a coalition of Chiapas-based communities and NGOs have joined together to call for international delegations and human rights observers. In this time of crisis, the international community can play an important role. Mexico Solidarity Network staff members know from previous experience the kind of impact that well-organized and coordinated delegations can have in this context. In February of 1995, our director, Tom Hansen, organized a delegation to Chiapas at the beginning of the military invasion of the state. In a matter of three days, nearly 50,000 troops occupied the furthest reaches of the Chiapas jungle. The army initially prevented the delegation from entering the jungle. Delegates regrouped, organized a massive delegation of over 50 journalists, Europeans and Mexicans in addition to our own delegation of 15, and entered the area of highest troop concentration the following day – the first delegation of any kind to enter the region. The presence likely prevented military abuses and our press work over the following weeks helped tell the story to the world.

The Mexico Solidarity Network proposes an emergency delegation of 15 to 20 people to travel to Chiapas from September 21-28. The delegation will include activists and recognizable personalities. We will also work to include several Congressional offices as a means of protection against possible expulsion and to lift the visibility of the delegation. The delegation will:

- provide an international presence in communities that are under threat of attack by paramilitary groups. The protection offered by international delegations extends well beyond the actual presence in the communities by putting paramilitary groups on notice that the communities can count on international support.
- meet with state and federal officials. The delegation
will encourage officials to end impunity for paramilitary
groups, demilitarize autonomous communities, and pass a genuine indigenous rights law consistent with the San Andres peace accords.
- interact with the national and international press. The
delegation will help to raise consciousness around the
world through extensive press work.
- develop strategies for continual solidarity work in the
US. Delegates will use first hand experiences and direct contact with sister organizations in Chiapas to develop short and long term strategies for confronting low intensity warfare and paramilitary violence upon return to the US.