Mexican
Rights Group Sees Military Abuse in Chiapas
MEXICO CITY, April 25 (Reuters) -
Mexican military, police and paramilitary groups committed the
bulk of human rights violations against indigenous people in
troubled Chiapas during 1999, an independent rights organisation
said on Tuesday.
The Fray Bartolome de Las Casas Human Rights Centre in southern
Chiapas state reported 185 cases of violations ranging from
threats to physical attacks, of which 39 were allegedly committed
by the Army, 36 by police and 30 by paramilitary groups.
Paramilitary groups were blamed for terrorising indigenous communities
by making death threats, brandishing arms and firing gunshots
into the air, Rafael Landerreche, analyst and spokesman for
the centre, told Reuters.
"In some regions such as Acteal the people have been traumatized,"
he said. "You must imagine how nervous they feel at hearing
gunshots in the night."
A December 1997 massacre of 45 Indians in the highland village
of Acteal was blamed on a pro-government paramilitary gang.
The massacre was the bloodiest incident since the Zapatista
rebels took up arms on New Year's Day 1994 demanding improved
rights for Mexico's 10 million indigenous citizens.
Last week Mexico created a special police force to investigate
and disband paramilitary groups such as the armed gangs of Chiapas.
In what amounted to a long-awaited official recognition that
paramilitary groups opposed to the Zapatista rebels exist in
Chiapas, the Attorney General's Office (PGR) established the
Special Unit Against Crimes Committed by Possible Armed Civil
Groups.
Rising tension amid a heavy military presence in Chiapas have
recently prompted local activists to seek independent human
rights observers. In some communities, there is one army soldier
for every eight or nine residents, Landerreche said.
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