Casto Hernandez
Hernandez and Fidel Lopez Hernandez will meet with US policymakers in
Washington DC this week to share their testimonies as the victims of forced
displacement from their homes because of their religious beliefs, the first
time victims of similar offences in Mexico have done so first-hand.
The two men arrive
in Washington today accompanied by the directors of two Mexican organisations
working on the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), Dr. Jorge Lee Galindo of Impulso 18 and Luis Herrera of the
Coordination of Christian Organisations (COOC).
As part of an
advocacy visit organised by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW),
the delegation will raise concerns about ongoing FoRB violations in Mexico
which include the forced displacement of religious minorities, the removal of
basic services such as water and electricity from them and attempted forced
conversion. CSW has documented 18 cases of FoRB violations in Mexico in 2016,
including four mass forced displacements. The most recent displacement took
place in Mitzitón, Chiapas on 12 May and resulted in 86 families from three protestant
churches being forcibly expelled from their village after they refused to make
financial contributions to Roman Catholic festivals. CSW estimates that there
are currently 150 open cases across the country.
Fidel Lopez Hernandez was forcibly
displaced from his community of Buenavista Bahuitz in Chiapas state in 2012
along with 47 other Protestant Christians after local authorities failed to
force them to renounce their faith, illegally imprisoning and then physically
attacking them. The State Government only negotiated the displaced
community’s return to their village in early 2015, but they still are subject
to illegal restrictions on their right to FoRB, including a prohibition on
their children’s right to speak openly about their religious beliefs outside
their homes.
Casto Hernandez Hernandez and his cousin were forcibly
displaced from their community of Chichiltepec in Hidalgo state in March
2015 after they were illegally
imprisoned for 30 hours in an effort to force them to renounce their
religious beliefs. Casto pursued his legal case with representation from Impulso
18 and a grant facilitated by CSW. After an 11-month legal battle, he was
allowed to return
to his village with his right to FoRB guaranteed but local authorities have
failed to uphold the agreement and their right to FoRB continues to be
violated.
Impunity is an ongoing concern in FoRB violations in Mexico. In both of
these cases, the government did not prosecute those responsible.
CSW’s Chief
Executive Mervyn Thomas, said, "CSW is privileged to facilitate this visit to Washington DC for these four
men, who bring valuable first-hand testimonies and research from Mexico about
violations of their right to freedom of religion or belief and that of their
communities. We trust that their presentations will give US policy makers a
clearer picture of the reality for religious minorities in Mexico and inspire
them to make representations to the Mexican government about ongoing human
rights concerns. We continue to call on the Mexican government to make
systematic changes at both the state and federal levels that will strengthen
the rule of law and protect the right freedom of religion and belief for
all."