On Monday, hundreds gathered to pay their respects to the Catholic priest Marcelo Pérez, a farm worker and activist for Indigenous Peoples who was murdered in Chiapas state in southern Mexico. AFP reported that the Chiapas Public Prosecutor’s Office announced on Tuesday that it had arrested the suspected murderer.
Many say that this was a murder foretold in a state, where drug cartels forced thousands to flee.
Mourners gathered at San Andres Larrainzar near San Cristobal de las Casas where Perez, who was murdered on Sunday, died.
Perez was born in San Andres Larrainzar. He is a peace activist who has been active for many years. In his honor, a Mass was celebrated in Spanish and Tzotzil – the Indigenous language that he spoke.
Perez, who is 50 years old, has received many threats but continues to be a peace activist. Human rights activists said Perez didn’t receive the protection from the government he needed.
“We have been urging the Mexican government to address threats and aggressions towards him for years. But they never took any measures to ensure his safety, security, and well-being,” the Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center wrote.
The State Prosecutor’s Office said Rev. Perez was killed by two gunmen while he was sitting in his van after celebrating Mass.
The office reported that “Father Marcelo, after officiating at mass in the parish, was on his way to the Guadalupe Church when two motorcycle riders opened fire.”
Although there is no immediate information about the killers, President Claudia Sheinbaum has only stated that “investigations” are underway — Rev. Perez’s efforts to promote peace and mediate may have angered the drug cartel that is currently fighting over control of Chiapas.
The state is a lucrative way to smuggle both migrants and drugs.
According to the Center for Human Rights, “Father Marcelo Perez had been the target of constant aggressions and threats from organized crime groups.” It also said that his death “occurred within the context of an escalation in violence against the general public in all regions of Chiapas.”
“A reflection of the whole country”
Since at least two years ago, the Sinaloa cartel and Jalisco cartel have been fighting a bloody turf war that has resulted in the killings of entire families and forced villagers to choose sides. Chiapas residents were forced to flee into neighboring Guatemala to ensure their safety.
Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi was a former bishop of the area. He said, “They should find a way to disarm these groups intelligently.” “They shouldn’t wait for people who file complaints. People will file complaints because they are in danger.”
The killing of Perez, along with the continued drug violence in Sinaloa and the army’s killings of six migrants this month, was yet another embarrassment to the government.
Sheinbaum, who took office on October 1, has pledged that she will follow the policy of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (her predecessor and mentor), former president, in not confronting drug cartels. The policy has not significantly reduced violence.
“This is a reflection of the whole country,” Cardinal Arizmendi said following the Mass for Pérez. “They shouldn’t say everything is fine in Mexico. Please.” he continued. “This strategy has not worked.”
He was a community leader for over 20 years and was well-known as a mediator in conflict in a mountainous area of Chiapas, where violence, crime, and land disputes are common. Perez has also led marches against violence which have brought him death threats.
According to the U.N. Human Rights Office, Perez is the seventh human rights activist killed in Mexico in 2024.
In 2022, two Jesuit priests were killed inside a church in a remote mountain community in northern Mexico. In 2016, three priests were killed in just one week in Mexico.
