Tuxtla Gutiérrez – Armed men shot dead an Indigenous activist who defended families displaced by violence in Mexico, authorities said on Wednesday.
Reynaldo Perez was killed in the southern state of Chiapas, where turf wars between powerful cartels involved in drug and people smuggling have intensified.
Two men on a motorcycle “opened fire with a handgun” at Perez, Chiapas Attorney General Jorge Luis Llaven told reporters.
He ruled out a link between the crime and any “political or social conflict.”
Perez joined a government protection programme in 2023 for activists threatened over their work.
Last year, UN rapporteurs denounced alleged attacks against Perez and other Indigenous activists in Chiapas in a letter to the Mexican government.
Perez led diplomacy efforts and mobilizations for families displaced by violence.
He also supported the El Machete People’s Self-Defense Group, formed in rural communities to defend against attacks by gangs.
The group has been involved in the alleged disappearances of 21 people.
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Source: AFP
