More than 20,000 people marched this Monday in Chiapas, in memory of Catholic priest Marcelo Pérez Pérez, murdered a year ago, to demand full justice and punishment for the masterminds of a crime that shook the border state amid the country’s ongoing violence.
Amid chants such as: “What do we want? Justice for Father Marcelo!” and “Marcelo lives, the struggle continues!” the protesters—largely members of the Tzotzil, Tzeltal, Tojolabal, and Chol ethnic groups—traveled more than six kilometers to the central plaza of San Andrés Larráinzar, a town near San Cristóbal de las Casas and the parish priest’s hometown.
The 51-year-old priest was shot and killed as he left a Mass in a working-class neighborhood of San Cristóbal de las Casas in October 2024.
Although the perpetrator of the murder, Edgar “M.”, was sentenced to 20 years in prison last August through a summary trial, family members and members of the diocese reported that the investigation remains incomplete, as the masterminds of the crime have not been identified.
“Up to this point, the perpetrator has been arrested. They (the Attorney General’s Office, FGR) have reported that there are other arrests and that they are under investigation, and we have not been provided with further details,” said Miguel Ángel Montoya Moreno, Vicar of Justice and Peace for the Diocese of San Cristóbal.
The diocese maintains that the murder of the priest, who dedicated his life to defending the rights of Indigenous peoples and supporting peace processes in Indigenous communities, was a political and structural crime.
In a joint statement, Catholic Church prelates emphasized that “justice that does not address the masterminds or dismantle criminal networks is mere pretense.”
During the commemorative event, organizations such as the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Human Rights Center (Frayba) and the National Dialogue for Peace recalled Father Marcelo’s commitment to the defense of life, peace, and dignity.
Likewise, the organizers denounced the growing violence and insecurity in Chiapas, especially in indigenous regions near the border with Guatemala.
“On the first anniversary of Father Marcelo’s death, we are witnessing times of darkness, which extend into the reality of war, genocide, and the dispossession of thousands of people,” Guadalupe Lope, a Tzotzil indigenous person who participated in the march, told EFE.
In addition, NGOs demanded the release of indigenous detainees, such as the five brothers from San Juan Cancuc, considered political prisoners by international organizations. They also denounced other cases of repression, forced displacement, and complicity between authorities and criminal groups.
In their message, the organizations also criticized the imposition of megaprojects such as the San Cristóbal-Palenque superhighway without real consultation with the communities, as well as the increase in drug trafficking, alcohol sales, and the presence of clandestine laboratories.
“Father Marcelo’s life reminds us that peace is not decreed: it is built on truth and sustained by justice,” the National Dialogue for Peace stated in a statement.
The collective demand, the NGO added, is that Father Marcelo’s name not become a symbol of impunity.
In less than two years, according to local news reports, at least thirteen people serving in the Catholic Church have been murdered for speaking out against the violence generated by organized crime in marginalized communities in Chiapas.
Source: aristeguinoticias
