MAY 24, 2023
The war that they have declared on the original peoples, guardians of Mother Earth, forces us to act in an organized way in defense of life.
To the peoples and governments of the world
To the media
To the Sixth National and International
To human rights organizations
The original peoples who are the National Indigenous Congress ( CNI) repudiate the cowardly attack that the Ocosingo Regional Coffee Growers Organization (ORCAO) carried out against support bases of the Zapatista National Liberation Army, of the Moisés Gandhi autonomous community, in Ocosingo, Chiapas, in which compañero Gilberto López Sántiz was seriously injured.
The attack, which involved the use of large caliber weapons, caused a wound that perforated Gilberto´s diaphragm, made three holes in his large intestine, then in the stomach and finally in the spleen. This makes the compañero´s health condition serious. This situation is complicated by the insufficient medical care that he has received, since he urgently requires intensive care but he has not been admitted or transferred to where he can receive due care.
Meanwhile, at the time of issuing this statement, the armed attacks against the Moisés Gandhi community continue with complete impunity and indifference from the bad governments.
We express our full support to the Moises Gandhí autonomous community and the EZLN Support Bases, and we take their indignation and rage as our own.
We hold the governments of the three levels responsible for the escalation of violence against the Zapatista support base communities, as well as for the integrity and life of our compañero Gilberto López Sántiz
Therefore, we demand:
- Immediate adequate medical attention to compañero Gilberto López Sántiz.
- Stop the armed attack against the Moisés Gandhi community and respect for its autonomous territory.
- Punishment to the material and intellectual authors of these paramilitary attacks.
- Dismantling of the armed groups through which the war against the Zapatista communities is active and growing.
We warn once again of the war that has been declared against the original peoples, guardians of Mother Earth and that forces us to act in an organized way in defense of life, so that our brothers and sisters from the Zapatista indigenous communities are not alone.
Sincerely
For the Comprehensive Reconstitution of Our Peoples
Never Again A Mexico Without Us
National Indigenous Congress ( CNI)
May 24, 2023
English translation by Sexta Grietas del Norte of the communiqué in Spanish published on the CNI website
