SHOTS FIRED BY MEXICAN FEDERAL ARMY AND PRI SUPPORTERS IN CHIAPAS
Excerpts from Preliminary Report on Human Rights Violations in
Chiapas from February 9, 1995 through April 9, 1995, published by
Frey Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center
TANIPERLA
Members of the Federal Army intimidated and threatened
various residents. The Army occupied this village with
tanks, jeeps, trucks and helicopters, including its school.
Three men working in their fields were shot at by soldiers;
the whereabouts of two men are unknown.
LA GRANDEZA February 18, 1995
GILBERTO JIMENEZ HERNANDEZ was murdered, and SEBASTIAN MENA
LOPEZ, RAMIRO ALFONSO HERNANDEZ AND MANUEL JIMENEZ GOMEZ
were detained by the Federal Army. According to the widow,
Elena Gomez Encin and other witnesses present, the abuses
occurred after the villagers had fled from La Grandeza for
fear of the Federal Army. The Army caught with these, tied
up some of them, and shot Gilberto Jimenez.
TAPACHULA February 11, 1995
HIPOLITO HERNANDEZ VELAZQUEZ was assasinated as part of the
persecution against the coffee production and marketing
cooperative, ISMAM, in the coastal and sierra areas of the
state. It is assumed that cattlemen are involved in this
murder. The Attorney General has not conducted any
investigation, and the responsible people remain at-large.
TILA. March 4, 1995
PASCUAL SANCHEZ, A twenty-five year old chol indigenous
community member, was shot and killed by Jesus Celis
Guillen, town mayor, using a high-powered weapon exclusively
used by the Armed Forces, according to various witnesses.
The Mayor and his family are now fugitives.
IBARRA
The Army invaded the village with helicopters and firing
shots. They detained and tortured two men and a thirteen-
year old boy. They ransacked homes, the clinic, the church,
and the school.
SANTA ELENA
The Army occupied this village with helicopters and firing
shots. They established a permanent base camp with cannons,
trenches and tents in the village, and barbed wire
surrounding the village. Villagers are required to seek
permission from the Army to leave the village. Soldiers
contaminated the village water supply and ate up all the
village's food supplies. Soldiers forced women villagers to
do their laundry and make them tortillas.
LOTE OCHO, SALTO DE AGUA, MARCH 14
In the communal farm, Lote 8, connected with Teoquipa,
Bascan, in the municipality of Salto de Agua, there was a
confrontation between members of the PRI and the PRD, which
resulted in 4 people being killed and various people
injured. During the gunfire, no one could enter the
community since the road was blocked. The dead are: Juan
Mendez Torres, Pedro Mendez Torres, Pedro Mendez Arcos,
Jorge Alfonso Arcos Alvaro. The bodies remained in the
street for two days until the rural judge and other people
moved them indoors, waiting for the competent authorities to
arrive. In the face of possibly being attacked, the
families of the murdered peoples, along with others, took
refuge in another community.
RIO BLANCO BETWEEN PUJILTIC AND VENUSTIANO CARRANZA,
VENUSTIANO CARRANZA, MARCH 27, 1995
On March 27 members of the public security, presumibly
accompanied by the white guards from the municipality of
Venustiano Carranza, killed two members of the Campesino
Coordinator of Popular Struggle (CCLP) and injured four
others when they tried to take back the lands that had been
given by presidential decree in 1985. The events took place
between the villages of Pujiltic and Carranza in the middle
of a bridge known as Rio Blanco. Nine patrols of the Public
Security were posted there, preventing the passage of the
campesinos. According to members of CCLP, they tried to go
by on foot, but they were attacked by the police.
At night tension remained high in Venustiano Carranza, and
as a result members of the Federal Army came in with tanks
and weapons to restore public order. Up until 7:30pm
shooting could be heard in the areas near the lands in
conflict.
VICENTE GUERRERO, ALTAMIRANO REPORTED MARCH 21
Members of the Federal Army arrived in this community with
helicopters, tanks and planes shooting bullets and grenades
to scare the residents. The soldiers told them that they
had to ask for forgiveness from them to save their lives;
the soldiers said that they were going to take away the
children. They searched the village's houses, stealing
their belongings and killing chickens. The situation in the
community is precarious; they do not have food nor are they
able to boil water because they do not have any dishes. The
men do not go to work in the cornfields because they are
afraid.
(translated by Cindy Arnold, National Commission for Democracy in
Mexico)
Source: Chiapas95 List