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| ©2000 |
reducing
violence by
CPT in Mexico
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Statement of ConvictionFebruary 2000Certain areas of Chiapas have recently undergone a dramatic increase in the degree of Mexican military presence. In addition, paramilitary groups allied with the military and the Mexican government continue to operate with impunity. As tensions mount, some people have expressed opinions that a violent disaster is inevitable. We reject the notion that such violence is inevitable. If it happens, it will be the result of government policies that promote contempt for human rights and human dignity and conscious decisions on the part of armed groups and their commanders. We continue to operate under the conviction that God's redemptive power is at work here.In the event such a crisis occurs, we would like our wishes, as stated below, to be respected. We reject the use of violent force to save our lives should we be caught in the middle of a conflict situation or taken hostage. In the event that we die as a result of some violent action, we reject the use of violence to punish the people who killed us. Should our deaths come as a result of attacks by soldiers or paramilitary groups, we ask that our deaths be regarded as no more tragic than the murders of hundreds of indigenous and impoverished farmers who have died here in the last decade. We ask that the perpetrators be held to the highest degree of accountability, and that legal, nonviolent, means be taken to ensure that such attacks do not continue. At present we feel safer walking through areas labeled "rebellious" by the Mexican government than we do when we walk past Mexican military camps or through communities allied with the Mexican government. However, in the event that our lives are threatened in these "rebellious" areas by members of so-called autonomous communities, we ask that this event not be an excuse for reprisals against those communities. If more blood is shed on our account, then our deaths would indeed be in vain. We also ask that the people who care about us look into the root causes of violence in settings where oppressed peoples are struggling for liberation. All of us who are part of Christian Peacemaker Teams recognize there are certain risks inherent in the work of reducing violence and making peace. We believe that until people committed to nonviolence are willing to take the same risks that soldiers are willing to take for war, nonviolence will not be seen as a viable alternative, and violence will continue to be embraced as a solution to political and social problems. If our deaths promote the sort of soul-searching that leads to a rejection of the use of arms in this situation of conflict, then our deaths will indeed have redemptive value. Following a central tenet of our faith, we do not hate the people who might harm us (Matthew 5:44-45). We believe that victory ultimately requires truth telling and actions of love towards friend or enemy. |
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