Mexican police have arrested a person accused of killing a Roman Catholic priest and human rights activist within the southern state of Chiapas.
Father Marcelo Pérez was killed on Sunday after celebrating mass in his church within the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas.
Witnesses say the photographs got here from two males approaching the church on motorbikes.
Authorities recognized the alleged killer as Edgar N, a neighborhood drug vendor.
Father Marcelo had campaigned tirelessly towards drug trafficking in Chiapas, which in recent times has seen a rise in violence linked to wars between rival cartels.
Mexico’s Episcopal Conference mentioned the killing silenced a “prophetic voice” that had labored tirelessly for peace and justice.
According to the Chiapas prosecutor’s workplace, the alleged assassin was recognized due to safety digicam footage, testimonies and different leads, the AFP information company studies.
Father Marcelo had been killed by two males on a bike, who had opened fireplace on his car.
The accident occurred early Sunday morning, whereas Father Marcelo was returning to his parish after celebrating mass within the Cuxtitali neighborhood of San Cristóbal de Las Casas.
He had been transferred to town after receiving demise threats within the rural parish the place he beforehand labored.
The priest had tried to barter an finish to the violence attributable to clashes between a felony gang and a vigilante group.
In an interview final month, he described the southern state of Chiapas as a “ticking time bomb”.
“There are many lacking folks, many who’ve been kidnapped, many who’ve been killed due to the presence of organized crime right here,” he mentioned as he led a protest march that he described as a “pilgrimage.”
Hundreds of mourners attended his funeral in his hometown of San Andrés Larráinzar on Tuesday, singing “Long stay Father Marcelo, priest of the poor,” AFP studies.
Chiapas has seen a spike in violence previously 12 months, with the Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco New Generation cartel preventing for management of the world.
Criminal teams exploit migrants passing by way of the southern state on their manner north to Mexico’s border with the United States.
Communities within the area have been hit arduous by the violence, generally having to cover of their houses for days as gunfire rang out outdoors.
But the focused killing of an outspoken human rights advocate is seen as a harmful escalation of the violence that has plagued the neighborhood for months.
