Four campesinos affiliated with the Zapatistas have been killed in the past several weeks, twenty wounded and hundreds displaced as paramilitary violence spins out of control. Antonio Mejia, identified as a Zapatista leader, was the most recent victim. Paramilitaries from with the PRI-affiliated "Los Aguilares" (the Eagles) are responsible for the death of Mejia. While his wife was able to identify the killers, none have been arrested.

The most recent murder follows a worrisome pattern of escalating violence in the region.

On July 31, forty armed men affiliated with the paramilitary group Organization for Defense of Indigenous and Campesino Rights (OPDIC) entered the Culebra Ejido in the autonomous municipality of Ricardo Flores Magon and seriously wounded seven Zapatista supporters who were building a school. While the wounded were able to identify their attackers, no official investigation has been opened.

On August 7, Jose Lopez Santis, an autonomous authority, was assassinated in front of his children. The children identified the killers, but no official action has been taken.

On August 19, 200 people affiliated with OPDIC attacked a Zapatista checkpoint set up to intercept illegally felled trees and stolen vehicles. Four Zapatista supporters suffered gunshots wounds and one was kidnapped. No official investigation has been opened.

On August 25, Lorenzo Martinez Espinosa, a spokesman for the Ricardo Flores Magon autonomous community, and Jacinto Hernandez Gutierrez, an autonomous agrarian expert, were killed by paramilitaries. Authorities have not arrested anyone.

Tensions have been increasing in recent months as the state government offers financial assistance to individuals with land titles. Much of the land in areas of Zapatista influence is communally held and governed by autonomous authorities, but paramilitary groups opposed to the Zapatistas are increasingly claiming the land for individual use. Chiapas Governor Pablo Salazar was elected last year on a platform of peace and negotiation. Zapatista communities largely refused to participate in the election, and Salazar appears to have abandoned his commitment to reconciliation in favor of playing to his constituency. Salazar was elected under a multi-party banner led by the PAN, but he was a PRI official for most of his political career.

The federal government also has a hand in increasing tensions. Autonomous communities report dramatic increases in troop movements in recent weeks and there appears to be support, if not outright cooperation, between the military and paramilitary groups. Zapatista supporters report paramilitary groups are often armed with AR-15s, a military weapon whose use is strictly limited to the army. In addition, at the encouragement of Grupo Pulsar and Conservation International, a US-based group funded mainly by international corporations, the federal government is threatening to displace a number of indigenous communities, including several Zapatista communities, from environmentally protected areas. However, federal troops and state authorities turn a blind eye to extensive illegal logging in the area by paramilitary groups affiliated with the PRI.

Government peace commissioner Luis Alvarez added to the instability by repeating unfounded rumors that Subcomandante Marcos may by ill.

The Mexico Solidarity Network joins a broad coalition of Chiapas-based organizations and communities in calling for an emergency human rights delegation to Chiapas. Travel dates are September 21-28. Please contact the Mexico Solidarity Network at msnmexicosolidarity.org or 773-583-7728 if you can participate in the delegation or if you would like to provide funding.