News from Chiapas: Zapatista supporter murdered

In yet another depressing example of paramilitary violence against the Zapatistas, a Zapatista supporter, Jose Arias Santis, was murdered by paramilitaries in the community of Pechiquil on August the 12^th.

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Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 23:00:46 -0500 (CDT)
From: Mary Ann Tenuto

Alleged paramilitaries shot to death an indigenous support base of the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) in the community of Pechiquil, municipality of Chenalho, reported government sources.

They explained that last Thursday the Tzotzil, Jose Arias Santis, who several years ago fled from Pechiquil to the community of Polho -headquarters of the autonomous municipality of the same name- for fear of being attacked by the paramilitaries, arrived in his community of origen to work his parcel of land.

At noon, they added, alleged paramilitaries arrived at the site, shot at him with firearms and murdered him. Some neighbors of Pechiquil who heard the shots gave the community and municipal authorities warning.

They pointed out that Chenalho's indigenous peace and conciliation judge,

Miguel Gomez Perez, went to the place hours later, but supposedly did not find or look for the body, because of which he left accepted as fact that nothing had happened.

Information about the murder of Arias Santis arrived in Polho, where dozens of indigenous people organized themselves and went out to Pechiquil in three vehicles, where around 6:00PM on Thursday they raised up the body of their companero to take it to their community -located a few kilometers from where the acts occurred-, where he was buried on Friday.

Personnel from the assistant indigenous justice prosecutor has tried to investigate the case, but apparently has not obtained the information necessary to open the corresponding preliminary investigation, because the municipal authorities of Chenalho insist on denying the homocide.

One of the versions which both residents and authorities ofPechiquil have given is that the gunshots which they heard that day were made by people who were hunting.

The murder or Arias Santis has provoked a climate of tension in Chenalho, and concern in state authorities, which, based on versions of the zone's residents and on the warning of the rebel commanders one years ago, that in case of suffering paramilitary aggression they wouldn't remain with their arms folded, they fear that the EZLN supporters will take justice into their own hands.

For this reason the Secretary of Indigenous Peoples, Juan Vazquez, and the assistant prosecutor for indigenous justice, Mariano Lopez Perez, today went to the community of Oventic to talk with members of the Good Government Junta Central Heart of the Zapatistas Before the World, to which the autonomous municipality (county) of Polho belongs.

Both officials left the community (of Oventic) this noon, but it was not reported whether they were received by the members of the Junta. One state government source said that the autonomous authorities have assured personnel of the assistant attorney general that they do not have information about the case.

Since several days ago the Fray Bartolome de Las Casas Human Rights Center, over which presides the Bishop Emeritus of San Cristo'bal, Samuel Ruiz Garcia, and the civil society organization Las Abejas denounced that the paramilitaries were preparing attacks in Los Altos and the Northern Zone of Chiapas.

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Translation: Chiapas Support Committee

P.O. Box 3421

Oakland, CA 94609

Tel: (510) 654-9587

email: cezmat@igc.org

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