On March 15, the United Nations General Assembly voted 170–4 to create a new Human Rights Council, effectively dissolving the oft-criticized Commission on Human Rights. Candidates for the Council will need to be elected by an absolute majority of 96 votes in order to secure a position, and once elected members can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms.
The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), an indigenous movement based in Chiapas, Mexico, released a new mission statement on July 1, resolving to increase the group's political activity to fight for the rights of the nation's poor and indigenous peoples.
On the first day of the New Year, indigenous supporters of the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) of Chiapas staged a symbolic and peaceful “retaking” of the city of San Cristobal de la Casas. This huge nighttime march drew between 15,000 and 20,000 supporters, gathered to mark the ninth anniversary of the rebel group’s surprise overtaking of San Cristobal and several other towns on January 1, 1994.
In the last two months a new wave of violence has begun in Chiapas. Several indigenous communities have been attacked by paramilitary militias with handguns and machetes, leaving four dead, dozens wounded, and forcing the population to flee into the mountains without the resources necessary for survival. Simultaneously, the Supreme Court of Mexico has thrown out more than 300 constitutional complaints against an indigenous rights bill that directly undermines the San Andres Accords, which were the fruits of years of peace negotiations.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are headquartered on Massachusett land, in Cambridge, MA, and we thank the past, current, and future Indigenous stewards of this territory.