By: Elio Henríquez

San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas

Lorenzo Gómez Ruiz, an indigenous resident of Aldama municipality, was shot to death this Monday by paramilitary groups in Santa Martha community, Chenalhó municipality, the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Human Rights Center (Frayba) reported.

In a communication, it announced that, according to the report from representatives of the 15 communal members of Aldama: “one of the projectiles that came from the point called Chalontic around 11:30 am, impacted Gómez Ruiz in the ribs when he was returning to his village, Juxton, after having been in the municipal seat.”

Due to the gravity of his injury, the Tsotsil man was moved to the Hospital of the Cultures, in San Cristóbal, where he died. [1] The Frayba pointed out that, according to said reports, the “new armed attacks come from different points in the Santa Martha sector.”

The Frayba recalled that just on Sunday, Javier Hernández de la Torre, a Zapatista support base, was shot and wounded by members of the same groups, and is convalescing in the Hospital of the Cultures. The indigenous man was injured by a bullet that entered “below his left eye; the bullet exited behind his left ear.”

It stated its concern about: “the constant armed attacks that the population experiences and it has the record that at 3.30 pm yesterday the residents of Chivit, Stzelejpotobtik, Yeton, Xuxchen, Tabac, Juxton, Coco’ and Stselej Potov communities, as well as the municipal seat of Aldama have received 49 armed attacks.”

The CNDH condemns the violence

The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH, Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos) energetically condemned Sunday’s events in Aldama, [2] where Hernández de la Torre was injured.

The CNDH reiterated its concern about the violence in that zone and exhorted the Chiapas government, headed by Morena member Rutilio Escandón: “to guarantee the human right to life of individuals in the communities of Aldama and Chenalhó, to preserve the rule of law and to carry out with efficiency, opportunity and impartiality investigations that allow locating and prosecuting those responsible.”

The CNDH recalled that through the agreement of December 10, 2021, signed by the national body’s president, Rosario Piedra Ibarra, it exercised its power to attract the case of armed conflict in both municipalities, because of which it is conducting investigations to protect the rights of the victims.

[1] To support the Zapatistas and others in Aldama, please see our Emergency Appeal. It was written before we knew about the above murder, but it’s even more important now that we all take action!!

[2] See the letter from European collectives sent to federal and state officials in Mexico regarding the violence in Aldama!

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Originally Published in Spanish by La Jornada

Tuesday, January 11, 21022

https://www.jornada.com.mx/2022/01/11/estados/021n3est

Re-Published with English interpretation by the Chiapas Support Committee