Reynaldo Pérez Pérez—an activist and member of the Tzotzil Maya Indigenous group, and a well-known human rights defender who supported communities displaced by armed violence in the Chiapas Highlands—was executed this Wednesday afternoon in the municipality of Chenalhó.
The crime took place near the commercial area of the town of Yacteclum. According to initial police reports, two unidentified individuals on a motorcycle intercepted the activist and shot him at point-blank range at least seven times, killing him instantly before fleeing the scene.
Pérez Pérez was a member of the organization “Cuerpo Diplomático Mundial de Paz” (World Diplomatic Peace Corps) and served as an external advisor in the municipality of Pantelhó. He also led the legal representation and support efforts for families displaced from the community of Santa Marta, in Chenalhó—an area marked by violent territorial disputes with residents of the neighboring municipality of Aldama.
The activist had publicly denounced the scourge of armed groups linked to organized crime in the region, as well as the persistent harassment faced by Indigenous populations.
Due to the high level of risk associated with his work, Reynaldo Pérez was enrolled in the Federal Government’s Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists. He had even been provided with a satellite phone and a panic button—both of which proved ineffective in preventing the targeted attack.
Personnel from the Chiapas State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) and the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection arrived at the scene to cordon off the area, recover the body, and initiate an investigation into the homicide.
