The Office in Mexico of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) condemned the murder of priest Marcelo Pérez Pérez in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, and urged authorities to carry out a prompt, thorough, and effective investigation.
According to information gathered by the OHCHR, the father and indigenous human rights defender was attacked after officiating a mass in the Barrio de Cuxtilali, when individuals on motorcycles repeatedly shot at his vehicle. Chiapas authorities confirmed that he lost his life immediately.
Since 2015, Father Marcelo had been a beneficiary of precautionary measures from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), due to the constant risk he faced to his life and personal integrity for his work in defending human rights in Simojovel and other locations in Chiapas.
Various national and international organizations had publicly warned about the increasing number of threats, assaults, and acts of criminalization against him, which intensified in recent years due to his tireless work in favor of justice and the rights of indigenous peoples.
The deputy representative in Mexico of the OHCHR, Jesús Peña Palacios, emphasized: "The murder of Father Marcelo is absolutely unacceptable. Despite having protection measures and the constant reports of the assaults he faced, they were insufficient to prevent his murder."
Since 2021, Father Marcelo led marches and pilgrimages for peace, denouncing the increase of violence in various areas of the state of Chiapas. So far this year, at least seven defenders have been murdered in Mexico.
The Office expressed its deep solidarity with the Catholic people of Simojovel, with the Diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas, with the towns and communities with which Father Marcelo walked, as well as with his family, friends, and the human rights community that accompanied him. His work was widely recognized by the indigenous peoples in Chiapas, as well as at the international level.
From 2017 to date, the OHCHR has documented at least 134 murders of human rights defenders possibly related to their work.
