A group of Baptist Christians who were forcibly displaced from the villages of Coamila and Rancho Nuevo, Hidalgo State in April have moved to the neighbouring state of Veracruz after village authorities failed to honour an agreement allowing for the return of the group and guaranteeing freedom of religion or belief for all.
The group, which numbers approximately 150 members of the Great Commission Fundamental Baptist Church, has moved in stages from Hidalgo to Chalma, Veracruz, where they were offered an opportunity to rent land to buy later and are living in tents while they await government aid.
While members of the displaced group were initially optimistic that they would be able to return to their homes and practice their religion without hindrance following the September signing of an agreement brokered by state and municipal officials with the cooperation of the village authorities and the displaced community, the village leaders quickly reneged on key provisions of the agreement. Contrary to the stipulations of the agreement, those who returned to the villages were informed that they would be obliged to make financial contributions to the local Roman Catholic church, and while they would not be forced to particate in Roman Catholic events, they would be expected to pay associated fees. The village authorities also communicated that they would not be permitted to speak about their religious beliefs and placed a ban on any conversions.
Those who chose to live in Coamila and Rancho Nuevo would have their movements strictly monitored to enforce a prohibition on any contact with their counterparts, many of whom are relatives, who resettled in Veracruz. Finally, the members of the religious minority were informed that that they would not be reinstated on community rolls for another year, meaning they would be barred from accessing health, education and other government benefits, to ensure they complied with the above conditions.
Members of the displaced group told CSW that the fact that municipal and state authorities were unwilling to take any action to enforce the terms of the agreement, or to provide guarantees of security for the group, was a key factor in their decision to resettle in Veracruz.
CSW co-Director of Advocacy Anna Lee Stangl said ‘We are deeply disappointed that yet again the Mexican government at every level - municipal, state and federal - has neglected its responsibility to uphold constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion or belief and has placed the responsibility to resolve the egregious violation of their fundamental rights on the victims. This group’s resettlement in Veracruz was wholly preventable and, in effect, affirms the criminal actions of village authorities in Coamila and Rancho Nuevo in their insistence that religious minority groups will not be tolerated. While we welcomed the municipal and state governments proactiveness in brokering agreement, this means little in the absence of enforcement and accountability measures for village leaders who continue to openly break Mexican law. We call on the Mexican government, once again, to take steps to ensure that freedom of religion or belief is protected for all, including indigenous people, and to combat a culture of impunity around freedom of religion or belief violations by holding individuals responsible for these crimes to account in a court of law.’
Notes to Editors:
- Rancho Nuevo and Coamila are indigenous Nahuatl-speaking communities that are governed under Uses and Customs. The Mexican constitution guarantees FoRB and other human rights to all citizens. However, in practice FoRB violations are common among indigenous communities governed under the Law of Uses and Customs which protects the right of indigenous communities to maintain their cultural and traditional methods of local governance with the caveat that it must be applied in line with human rights guarantees in the Mexican constitution and in the international conventions to which Mexico is party. However, the Mexican government on both the federal and state levels does little to ensure that these protections are upheld. As a result, in many communities a religious majority attempts to enforce religious uniformity with consequences ranging in severity for members of minorities who wish to practice a religion or belief of their choosing.
- Article 2 of Mexico’s General Law on Religious Associations establishes that the Mexican state will guarantee the practice of religion or belief, whilst protecting citizens from any coercion, condition or threat to enforce participation in the practice of any religion or belief.
- Human rights violations linked to FoRB have been ongoing and severe in the neighbouring villages of Coamila and Rancho Nuevo since 2015. Local authorities repeatedly attempted to force members of the religious minority to participate in Roman Catholic religious festivals, including through financial donations, lighting candles and actively participating in acts of worship. Despite detailed documentation of the case dating back to 2015, previous municipal governments consistently denied that the incidents in Rancho Nuevo and Coamila were linked to FoRB.
- Women from Rancho Nuevo participated in CSW research that was used for Let Her Be Heard, a groundbreaking report on how indigenous women in Mexico experience FoRB violations, published in April 2022.
- In the past, Hidalgo State government officials repeatedly and publicly denied the existence of any cases of religious intolerance in the state. CSW’s research shows that it has one of the highest numbers of such cases in the country.