The Latest Instance in a Long Trend of Persecution in Oaxaca
03/29/2016 Washington D.C., (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned of yet another violent attack against minority Christians in Oaxaca, Mexico, in which a man who was previously expelled from the village was brutally beaten and imprisoned upon his return to visit family. This is the latest instance of persecution among many that ICC has documented throughout Mexico.
Lauro Nunez, from Chachalacas, a village of Camotlan Villa Alta, in Oaxaca, Mexico, was attacked on March 28 at 6:00 p.m. local time. He had been previously displaced from the community last year for professing his evangelical faith. Upon entering the village to visit his mother, he was brutally beaten by a mob of villagers and then incarcerated. Two other individuals who protested against the treatment of Mr. Nunez were also imprisoned with him. After his incarceration, the mob ransacked his mother’s home, destroying her belongings.
ICC has learned that the legal department of the National Council of Religious Tolerance, an organization who provides pro bono legal services for victims of persecution, is working to free these prisoners.
ICC has previously documented numerous cases of persecution in Oaxaca, and now believes there to be a conservative estimate of a minimum of 150 current cases of persecution throughout Mexico, involving a handful to 150 victims each. While the state governments have been made well aware of these cases, they continue to do nothing to protect religious minorities in their states.
Nate Lance, ICC’s Advocacy Manager, stated, “ICC is very troubled to hear of yet another instance of violence perpetrated against minority Christians in Mexico, simply for professing faith in Jesus Christ. We are equally appalled that the state government continues to let this persecution fester, allowing more Christians to be displaced, imprisoned, and beaten. If the government does not intervene to protect religious minorities, I see no reason why the trend of increased persecution will not continue. We ask in the strongest of terms that those in power in Mexico will utilize their authority to put an end to this persecution and restore freedom of worship.”
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