Recent news from our international work

September 18, 2025

Perpetrator in the murder of Father Marcelo Perez Perez convicted

On 6 August, a judge in the Federal Criminal Justice Court in the Mexican state of Chiapas handed out a 20-year prison sentence against Edgar “M” for the aggravated homicide of human rights defender Marcelo Pérez Pérez. The investigations were carried out by the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR), through the […]

September 5, 2025

AJODENIU and SweFOR: new agreement to strengthen peace by accompanying those who build it in the local community.

SweFOR in Colombia is proud to announce the signing of an international accompaniment agreement with the Asociación de Jóvenes Desplazados Nueva Imagen en Unión (AJODENIU), a community organisation with more than 20 years’ experience of working in Quibdó, Chocó. Created by and for young people from displaced families from Chocó and Urabá Antioqueño, AJODENIU […]

August 22, 2025

JOINT STATEMENT CONCERNING THE REDUCTION OF CIVIC SPACE IN CHIAPAS, MEXICO, DUE TO THE DETERIORATION OF CONDITIONS FOR THE DEFENCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS

We, the undersigned organisations, express our deep concern for the shrinking civic space in Chiapas, Mexico, due to the deteriorating conditions for the defence of human rights. We urgently call on the Mexican State to fulfil its obligation to protect and publicly support human rights defenders and their work, and to carry out thorough investigations […]

August 21, 2025

Open letter: The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention confirms the unjustly accusation and arbitrary detention of the Tzeltal human rights defenders Manuel Santiz Cruz, Agustín Pérez Domínguez, Juan Velasco Aguilar, Martín Pérez Domínguez, Augustín Pérez Velasco and Agustín Pérez Velasco

Dear Sirs and Madams, We are writing to express our concern for the five unjustly detained Tzeltal human rights defenders Manuel Santiz Cruz, Agustín Pérez Domínguez, Juan Velasco Aguilar, Martín Pérez Domínguez and Agustín Pérez Velasco, who were arbitrarily detained in 2022 and who have since been imprisoned in the prison el Centro Estatal de […]

August 21, 2025

URGENT APPEAL – Forced entry into the home of Ms Dora Roblero, Director of CDH Frayba

The Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation (SweFOR) would like to express our profound concern and condemnation of the forced entry into the home of Dora Roblero, director of the Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Human Rights Centre (CDH Frayba), which took place on the 22nd of July 2025 in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas. The […]

April 24, 2025

We mourn Pope Francis and share the world’s loss

It is with sadness that we have received the news of Pope Francis' death and share the loss of our friends, the Church and the world, write Herman Hallonsten and Lotta Sjöström Becker, Chairperson and Secretary General of the Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation (SweFOR).

November 12, 2022

IFOR Juba Conference: Armed Conflicts and Peaceful Transition in Africa Nov 12th

Ahead of its quadrennial 2022 Council which will start on November 14th in Juba, South Sudan, and will last a week, the International Fellowship of Reconciliation organizes an International event focusing on peace efforts in the African continent.

From the four corners of the world, artisans of non-violence, reconciliation and peace are meeting in the African city of Juba, South Sudan. On Friday 11th and Saturday 12th November 2022, the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) -a spiritual based peace movement founded in 1914- will host a public Conference at the All Saints Cathedral […]

July 20, 2022

Joint declaration of international CSOs expressing concern about the criminalization of Father Marcelo

10 international CSOs release a joint declaration to express concern about the situation of human rights defender Father Marcelo Pérez Pérez, parish priest of the Diocese of San Cristóbal de Las Casas.

Criminalisation against Father Marcelo Perez Perez, Parish Priest of the Diocese of San Cristobal de Las Casas The undersigned organisations express their deep concern at the attempted criminalisation of Father Marcelo Pérez Pérez, parish priest of the Diocese of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, human rights […]

July 8, 2022

We manifest our concerns about Father Marcelo Pérez Pérez

Pronouncement. Father Marcelo has been working for more than 20 years in Chiapas in peace building processes. Along with other 26 national and international Civil Society Organizations, we express our concern about this human rights defender, who, due to this work, has been criminalized and his safety is compromised for a felony he did not commit.

Read the full pronouncement We manifest our concerns about the risks of detainment, disappearance, or assassination. Hereby, the undersigned national and international civil society organizations, condemn the request for an arrest warrant against the human rights defender Marcelo Pérez Pérez. Requested by the State Attorney General’s Office on June 21st, 2022, to the Control Court […]

June 10, 2022

Militarization and rights of indigenous peoples in Chiapas

The militarization of indigenous territories is one of the main driving factors in conflicts, and often leads to the displacement of indigenous people or to situations very close to a state of war that endanger people’s lives, according to The United Nations Working Group about Indigenous People. This development can be observed in Chiapas, Mexico.

“They don´t consider our rights as indigenous people, they don´t ask if we want the National Guard. The municipal, state and federal governments made the decision to place the National Guard in our municipality.” Member of the Community Government of Chilón The municipality of Chilón in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, is populated by almost […]