Justice for Chiapas! Autonomy and human rights in the indigenous communities of Southern Mexico

Pablo Obando, Director of Program Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation will speak on the human rights situation in Chiapas, Mexico, his work with the Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center (frayba.org.mx), and the role of international solidarity.

As popular organizations wage peaceful struggles against paramilitary violence, tourism projects that displace campesinos, and illegal land takeovers, Pablo and his colleagues at the Fray Bartolome Center are at the forefront in defending human rights. The Center has been widely recognized for producing daily reports on human rights, defending cases in court, and supporting indigenous communities under attack, and has itself been increasingly threatened by paramilitary organizations for this work.

Accompanying Pablo will be Tony Nelson who will speak about the US solidarity movement's role in Mexico and the work of Mexico-US Solidarity Network. Tony has worked as a community organizer, teacher, and human rights activist around the issues of immigration, education, prison education, anti-neoliberalism, and US-sponsored torture.Tony will also provide translation and logistical support.

Free and open to the public.