Priest active in human rights work killed in Mexico

MEXICO CITY: Father Marcelo Perez, a prominent human rights activist in Mexico, was shot to death on Sunday in an attack in southeastern Chiapas state, local authorities said.

Perez had just celebrated Mass and was returning to his parish in the city of San Cristobal de las Casas when two men on a motorcycle fired at his vehicle, the prosecutor´s office said in a statement.

Perez´s work on human rights has been recognized by international organizations. He was also a leading voice in denouncing the drug trafficking that is rife in the region.

Chiapas governor Rutilio Escandon posted on social network X that the killing is being investigated, “so that his death does not go unpunished.”

In a message, diocesan bishop Rodrigo Aguilar Martinez lamented the murder of the Indigenous priest and said the church would continue to seek “peace with truth and justice.”

In 2021, Perez supported the El Machete People´s Self-Defense Group, formed in rural communities to defend against attacks by organized crime gangs. He served as a mediator between the government and the group.