AP 26-Nov-1999 21:33 EST REF5750
Copyright 1999. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

By ALEJANDRO RUIZ Associated Press Writer
SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS, Mexico (AP) –

The militarization of Chiapas has allowed soldiers to get away with human rights abuses against civilians, a top U.N. official said Friday during a visit to the southern Mexican state.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson visited Chiapas state as part of a five-day fact-finding mission to Mexico. She met with Gov. Roberto Albores Guillen, state Supreme Court President Noe Castanon Leon and with survivors of the December 1997 massacre in Acteal, in which 45 Indian villagers were killed by a paramilitary gang.

Robinson said she was moved by the survivors' accounts.

"Their story is one that, sadly, points to a major difficulty in Mexico, namely the failure in too many cases to punish rights violators," she said.

She said the problem stems from several factors, including having soldiers serve in public security functions and failing to hold soldiers responsible in civilian courts for abuses against civilians.

Among the abuses she noted were arbitrary detentions, disappearances, torture, violence against women and harassment.

She also said the government wasn't doing enough to stop paramilitary groups.

"It would appear that some of these groups enjoy a degree of official indulgence," she said.

The militarization of Chiapas and the rise of paramilitary groups followed the brief uprising by Zapatista rebels in January 1994. Peace talks have been stalled since 1996, and though a cease-fire mostly has held, there have been frequent clashes between supporters of the Zapatistas and those of the government.

Robinson met Wednesday with President Ernesto Zedillo, and she said he recognized Mexico has serious human rights problems. Mexican officials signed a letter of understanding on rights promotion.

"From my discussions so far, I believe there is the intention on the part of authorities at the highest level to achieve progress in the human rights situation," she said Friday. "But the reality up to now is that serious problems persist, as the will to move forward with human rights is not seeping down to all levels."

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