0 Shares

This communique comes from the Popular Indigenous Council of Guerrero-Emiliano Zapata (CIPOG-EZ) after the assassination of two members of the organization. The original in Spanish was published on the National Indigenous Congress site and can be found here.

Around 6:00 pm on May 4th, 2019, our brothers Modesto Verales Sebastián and José Lucio Bartolo Faustino were assassinated. They were both organizers in the Popular Indigenous Council of Guerrero-Emiliano Zapata (CIPOG-EZ). They were active members in our organization, defenders of territory and culture, and above all, autonomous organizers in their communities. They both actively participated in innumerable events of the CNI, in the processes of conformation of the Indigenous Governing Council (CIG). They helped coordinate the collection of signatures for Marichuy in their region and they recently participated in the national mobilization on April 10th.

José Lucio Bartolo Faustino was a state organizer for the CIPOG-EZ and Modesto Verales Sebastián was a regional organizer. On May 4th, 2019, they held a meeting with other members of the organization at 4:00 pm in the city of Chilpancingo, Guerrero. They were organizing for upcoming mobilizations, as various state and federal agencies have refused to address our social and political demands. While returning to their community, they were intercepted by an armed group that followed and executed them in the city of Chilapa.

We, the communities that elected them as councilmen of the CIG-CNI and as delegates of the CNI, have been under siege by criminal organizations tolerated by the three levels of government. We have raised our voices for years, yet the impunity continues. AMLO is fully informed of the grave problem of violence generated by a criminal group in the municipality of Chilapa de Álvarez. He cannot say he did not know. We reiterated the situation of violence again and again to his officials, who only treat us with contempt. It is a lie that impunity is over in Mexico. It is a lie that the poor come first. It is a lie that the country has been transformed. AMLO and his officials are repeating the same treatment of the Indigenous peoples as past administrations. If you are not part of his group, and you do not give them votes, you are out.

By mere technicalities, they have failed to dismiss the unjust arrest warrants against compañer@s of our organization. Our assassinated compañeros struggled for justice for those with arrest warrants, and the bad government closed the doors and shunned us as always.

The CIPOG-EZ will continue walking from below with the Indigenous peoples and against the capitalist system that dispossesses, exploits, loathes and murders us. As Indigenous people, we walk with the principles that we inherited from the struggles of our people, those who walked with Vicente Guerrero and with Emiliano Zapata.

We hold the federal, state and municipal authorities responsible. They know perfectly well of the criminal activities of Celso Ortega, yet they allow impunity for his criminal organization. Furthermore, they allow will allow impunity in the case of the assassination of our brothers, José Lucio Bartolo Faustino and Modesto Verales Sebastián.

We also hold the municipal president of Chilapa de Álvarez, Jesús Parra García, and the state and federal government responsible for the well being of all of the members of CIPOG-EZ.

Punishment to the murderers of José Lucio Bartolo Faustino and Modesto Verales Sebastián!

Immediate justice in the case of the 67 unjust arrest warrants against us!

Enough of the impunity and protection of criminal groups in Guerrero!

Popular Indigenous Council of Guerrero-Emiliano Zapata

Radio Zapata 94.1 FM

CNI-Guerrero