Activist Marco Antonio Suástegui Muñoz, a renowned defender of land rights in Guerrero, died this Friday, April 25, in an Acapulco hospital after being the victim of an armed attack on April 18.
According to civil organizations such as Tlachinollan, the Human Rights Center of La Montaña, the leader of the Council of Ejidos and Communities Opposed to the La Parota Dam (CECOP) died from serious injuries sustained during the attack.
The attack occurred at the entrance to Icacos Beach, on Fragata Yucatán Street in the Costa Azul neighborhood of Acapulco.
According to reports, a gunman shot Suástegui as he was leaving the beach. After the attack, the activist remained hospitalized for seven days, but did not survive his injuries.
The news of his death has sparked outrage among human rights groups and defenders, who have demanded justice and a thorough investigation to find those responsible.
Following the announcement of his death, Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado expressed her solidarity with the activist’s family.
“My solidarity with the family of Marco Antonio Suástegui, a social leader and comrade of our movement in Guerrero, who, despite medical efforts and the care provided, passed away this afternoon in Acapulco. I express my deepest condolences and my support at this time,” wrote the governor, who has been unable to stem the violence in the state.
Marco Antonio Suástegui Muñoz was a key figure in the fight against the construction of the La Parota hydroelectric dam, a project that threatened to flood communal lands in Cacahuatepec, Guerrero.
For years, he led the resistance of peasant and indigenous communities seeking to protect their territories and natural resources. More recently, he had also been involved in the defense of Acapulco’s beaches against privatization projects and allegations of environmental crimes.
Various human rights organizations have highlighted Suástegui’s career as an example of commitment to social causes. In a joint statement, dozens of groups recognized his work protecting communal property and deeply regretted his murder.
“We want to publicly recognize Marco Antonio’s long career in defending peasant territories and communal property in Cacahuatepec,” they stated.
Marco Antonio Suástegui’s life was marked by constant threats and harassment due to his activism. In June 2014, he was arbitrarily detained and charged with aggravated robbery, in a case that international organizations described as part of a criminalization strategy against him.
According to the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint program of the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Suástegui was also a victim of judicial harassment.
Arturo Medina Padilla, Undersecretary of Human Rights, Population, and Migration at the Ministry of the Interior (Segob), condemned the attack and stressed the importance of not ruling out any line of investigation. Medina Padilla stated that, following the attack, the corresponding protocols were activated to provide assistance to Suástegui’s family, in coordination with state authorities.
The death of Marco Antonio Suástegui has also put the spotlight on the disappearance of his brother, Vicente Suástegui Muñoz, who was last seen on August 5, 2021. Vicente, like Marco Antonio, was a staunch opponent of the La Parota dam and a defender of water and land rights in Guerrero.
Since his disappearance, groups such as Fe y Esperanza de Encuentrales Guerrero have led searches to locate him, the most recent on April 22.
Amnesty International condemned the murder of Marco Antonio and demanded that the Guerrero State Attorney General’s Office conduct an investigation that takes into account his work as a human rights defender. It also called on the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists to provide urgent protection to his family. The organization recalled that the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) had already issued a request in August 2021 to locate Vicente Suástegui and guarantee the safety of his family.
Source: infobae
