Marichuy and supporters.

By: Elio Henríquez

San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas

The Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Human Rights Center (Frayba) and the International Service for Peace (Sipaz) reported that they would accompany the caravan that starting from this Friday, October 13 until October 19 will be effectuated in Chiapas, organized within the context of the tour of the National Indigenous Congress and the Indigenous Government Council.

The contingent departed from this city towards the town of Guadalupe Tepeyac; the itinerary includes Morelia, La Garrucha, Roberto Barrios, Palenque and Oventik.

Separately, the Secretary of Gobierno of Chiapas, Juan Carlos Gómez Aranda, offered “all guaranties of free transit and security, “to the caravan of the Indigenous Government Council and its spokesperson, María de Jesús Patricio Martínez, through Zapatista Zones.” He said that: “on instructions from Governor Manuel Velasco Coello he has readied an operation for guarantying the security and free transit in the events and deployments that they are to carry out within the state.”

In a communiqué, Frayba and Sipaz reported that: “the objective of the accompaniment will consist of providing an observation and documentation presence for the respect of human rights on the passage of the caravan and in the convoked events.

“We consider it important that these activities be carried out peacefully, al ser parte de un peaceful organizational effort that aims at the defense of the rights of the country’s indigenous peoples,” they added.

They pointed out that: “the present communication is to inform the Mexican authorities and international human rights bodies, in order that within their ambit of jurisdiction, they provide guaranties of protection to the caravan, which we reiterate, is a civilian and peaceful action.”

Frayba and Sipaz requested that: “guaranties are fulfilled with respect to protecting the integrity and security of the caravan’s members, the right to life, and the individual and collective rights and freedoms, immediately guarantying the conditions necessary for the caravan’s development, without considering police accompaniment in the activities.

“Sipaz members will be present in the activities wearing vests with the organization’s logo and the words ‘International Observer,’” they expressed, while Frayba members will be accompanying the caravan in the role of human rights observers.

———————————————————–

Originally Published in Spanish by La Jornada

Saturday, October 14, 2017

http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2017/10/14/politica/010n2pol

Re-Published with English interpretation by the Chiapas Support Committee