The Montes Azules region in the state of Chiapas has for a long time been a place of controversy and conflict. In 1971 this area, located on the border with Guatemala which is marked by the Usumacinta River, was declared a “nature preserve” expelling the majority of the region’s indigenous inhabitants. This designation has allowed the Mexican government and many national and transnational companies nearly unrestricted exploitation of the rich natural resources of the area, including precious hardwoods and fresh drinking water. The accumulation of different neoliberal treaties in the Plan Puebla Panama contemplates the construction of different hydroelectric dams in the region. Additionally, Yaxchilan, a Mayan archeological site, is located in the region and there are interests in further developing this area for tourism.
As part of the Montes Azules biosphere designation, some 614,321 hectares of land were granted to 66 Lacandón families who had migrated from the area long time ago giving them exclusive rights to the land. This, the largest land grant in Mexican history, was promoted by the government who claimed that these few families were direct descendants of the Mayans, ignoring the thousands of other indigenous inhabitants of the region. Since then, conflicts between Lacandon people and other farming communities in the area, especially indigenous Tzeltal and Ch´ol communities have occurred. After years of conflict, in 1984, an agreement was reached to create a number of farming communities in the Montes Azules region including Viejo Velasco Suárez. Recently, however, these guarantees that these farming communities were granted after this treaty have been broken. Some non-governmental organizations have declared human right violations in Viejo Velasco and other community. The human rights organization Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas, based in San Cristóbal, has been reporting acts of violence against this community. Additionally, a comprehensive seven-page report was issued by Fray Bar, Global Exchange and Xi' Nich, which gives background information on the situation and human rights reports from Viejo Velasco and also from other three communities with similar cases: Flor de Cacao, San Jacinto Lacanjá and Ojo de Agua el Progreso.
The aggressions started on September 19th, when comuneros from Nueva Palestina came armed with machetes and other weapons to destroy a house in the Viejo Velasco community. Later, on October 4th, two farmers were attacked and their crops destroyed. On October 9th, another attack was carried out in the Viejo Velasco community and a person was kidnapped and seriously wounded. These reports were sent to the independent website media: Narconews
On November 13th, the violence against Viejo Velasco escalated resulting in four people dead and four more disappeared. At 6:00am about forty individuals in civilian clothes and armed with machetes arrived to the community of Viejo Velasco from the community of Nueva Palestina. Later that day, approximately two hundred armed men wearing security force clothing came to the area and perpetuated the aggressions. Since then, many organizations have urged the authorities to identify and recognized those who were killed. They have also asked for a full and impartial forensic examination and secure protection of all evidence found in the community after these killings occurred in order to find and bring to justice those who perpetuated these violent acts.
After the attacks on November 13th, some documents reporting the situation linked the community of Viejo Velasco to the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN, in its Spanish initials). Some reports claimed that this community was a civilian support base of the Zapatista Army. In its website, Enlace Civil, people wrote demanding the EZLN to make declarations about the massacre at Viejo Velasco and also to condemn these violent acts. The EZLN did not make any declaration until November 21st, when it declared that the community of Viejo Velasco did not belong to the support bases of the EZLN. In its communiqué, the EZLN clearly declared that there was no link between them and the community and that the group Xi' Nich lied in claiming that Viejo Velasco was a Zapatista support base. The EZLN did not condemn the killings in its communiqué.
The killings in Viejo Velasco come at a time of increased oppression both directly from the government and from other government-supported groups. The community of Ch´ol de Tumbala in Chiapas has a similar history where people have been evicted from their lands, denying their legitimate right to the land. This, along with the still recent repression in Atenco and the continuing repression in the state of Oaxaca are clear acts of violence against those who speak out or interfere with the plans of the government. These acts are even more worrisome since we are starting a new presidential regime and it is still doubtful that they will stop with a new president in Los Pinos (the president’s office).
