With the murder of Nazareth Cortéz Velasco, president of the Ejido Commission of San Pedro Totolápam, the number of women in public office killed during the “humanist” government of Salomón Jara Cruz has risen to nine, stated the feminist organization Consortium for Parliamentary Dialogue and Equity Oaxaca.
Meanwhile, organizations from the Forum in Defense of Territory and Social Property reported that, during the period from October 1, 2024, to October 24, 2025—precisely during the administration of Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo of the Morena party—the monitoring project “All Their Names, All Their Struggles” was carried out as part of the Wings and Roots of Social Movements campaign in Oaxaca. This project documented 34 murders of human rights defenders nationwide and 4 forced disappearances, with Oaxaca ranking first in the country.
They consider that the defense of land and territory and the demand for a healthy environment (31.6%), as well as the exercise of the right to truth and justice (28.9%), and civil and political rights (15.8%), represent 76.3% of the attacks on life and are therefore the struggles most vulnerable to repression.
In turn, the Network of Ejido and Communal Women of the state of Oaxaca condemned the cowardly assassination of Nazareth Cortés Velasco, “who defended her rights and protected her territory,” which occurred in the early morning of March 19 in her community.
Furthermore, they questioned the absolute silence of local, federal, and state authorities, despite the fact that this assassination was perpetrated on the eve of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo’s visit to Guelatao for the anniversary of Benito Juárez García’s birth. The president stated that all women used to arrive with her, but Nazareth Cortés Velasco never made it because she was murdered.
“Her death is a reminder of the risks women face in ejidos and communities. The women, communal landowners, and ejido members of Oaxaca recognize in her the daily defense of the land and of women’s participation in agrarian decisions,” they stated in their pronouncement.
In the document, the network demanded that the state governor, Salomón Jara Cruz, the mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, the agrarian institutions, the Women’s Secretariat, and the Human Rights Ombudsman conduct a thorough investigation, with a gender perspective and a community focus, to identify the perpetrators and those who ordered the murder.
They also requested immediate protection measures for women holding ejido positions in San Pedro Totolápan and positions in agrarian representations throughout the state of Oaxaca; and finally, they demanded guarantees that defending the land will not be grounds for persecution or death.
Elizabeth Mosqueda Rivera, a member of the collective leadership of Consorcio Oaxaca, stated that “Nazareth was murdered in a direct armed attack. Twenty-nine gunshot wounds are not an isolated incident; they are a message of violence, impunity, and permissiveness. Violence not only kills, it also leaves families and communities scarred.”
She then listed the following: “During the administration of Salomón Jara Cruz, nine women in public office have been murdered by armed individuals: Nazareth, San Pedro Totolápam; Guadalupe, San Juan Cacahuatepec; Lilia Gema, San Mateo Piñas; Hanna Ali, Huajuapan de León; Reyna, San Mateo Nejápam; Janet, San Antonio de la Cal; Fabiola, Santo Domingo Petapa; Hortensia, San Agustín Loxicha; and Heidi, San Pedro Tapanatepec.”
She stated that “these events occur in a context where being a woman, occupying decision-making positions, and exercising authority entails an even higher risk.”
Finally, they demanded an immediate, diligent, and gender-sensitive investigation, punishment for those responsible, both the perpetrators and those who ordered the crimes, real protection for women in community and public positions, and an end to the pretense surrounding femicidal violence in Oaxaca.
Source: proceso
