Gunmen in Mexico have killed a Catholic priest known for his vocal advocacy of indigenous rights and his condemnation of the violence affecting his community.
Father Marcelo Pérez was shot after celebrating Mass in the southern state of Chiapas on Sunday, according to the prosecutor’s office.
As a member of the Tzotzil indigenous group, the Jesuit priest dedicated nearly two decades to fighting for their rights.
The Jesuit Order stated that his murder should not be viewed as an isolated incident, emphasizing that it is part of the broader wave of violence perpetrated by organized crime groups in Chiapas.
“Father Marcelo has been a symbol of resistance and support in Chiapas, defencing the dignity, the rights of the people, and the construction of an authentic peace,” the Jesuit Order said.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said his murder was being investigated and would not go unpunished.
Mexico’s bishops’ conference described Father Marcelo as one of the “prophetic voices” that had fought for peace, and said justice in Chiapas had been silenced.
The priest was killed by two men on a motorcycle, who opened fire on his vehicle in the city of San Cristóbal de Las Casas.
The incident happened early on Sunday as Father Marcelo was returning to his parish after saying Mass in the Cuxtitali neighbourhood of the city.
He had been transferred to San Cristóbal de Las Casas after receiving death threats in the rural parish where he had previously worked.
The priest had tried to negotiate an end to the violence caused by clashes between a criminal gang and a vigilante group.
In an interview last month, he had described the southern state of Chiapas as “a time bomb”.
“There are many [people who have] disappeared, many who have been kidnapped, many who have been murdered because of the presence of organised crime here,” he said as he was leading a protest march he described as a “pilgrimage”.
Chiapas has experienced a surge in violence over the past year, with the Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel vying for control of the region.
These criminal groups extort migrants traveling through the southern state on their way to the U.S. border.
Local communities have been severely affected by the violence, often forced to stay indoors for days while gunfire erupts outside.
However, the targeted assassination of an outspoken human rights advocate is viewed as a troubling escalation of the ongoing violence that has been tormenting the community for months.