Father Marcelo Pérez Pérez, founder of the Indigenous Movement of the Zoque Believing People in Defence of Life and Territory (ZODEVITE), was killed.
Two hooded individuals on a motorbike shot the priest who was in his van, having just finished mass in the Cuxtitali Church in San Cristóbal de las Casas and was on his way to the 8.00 a.m. service in the Guadalupe Church.
He actively supported organisations and groups in the movement to defend the rights of indigenous peoples, in particular their autonomy, religious freedom and collective rights, including in the face of dispossession by megaprojects.
Due to multiple death threats, intimidation, physical attacks and defamation, Father Marcelo Pérez Pérez had been the beneficiary of precautionary measures from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) since 2015.