In the Place of Burnt Fields: Spotlighting Indigenous Human Rights Efforts

Across Mexico today there are three groups who are gripped in a death dance with each other. In some ways, it's really just a list of the usual suspects: the Mexican military at the behest of the government and the narco terrorists who, mostly, were formed as paramilitaries at the behest of the government during the reign of the PRI.

The third group is comprised of indigenous Indians from various regions across Mexico who have been negatively impacted by outside powers for the past 500 years. As a result, their steps in the death dance are more interesting and complex than the other two.

One organization who supports indigenous groups has been profiled in an article by Kerry Kennedy of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights (RFKCHR). The organization -- Tlachinollan Center for Human Rights -- has been trying to bring international attention to the indigenous people of Ayutla de los Libres who have experienced repression by the police and military.

For those of you who are lucky enough to be fluent in Spanish, here's a link to their website.

Furthermore the founder of the Tlachinollan Center for Human Rights, Abel Barrera Hernandez has recently been granted an award by an American organization for his work. According to the RFKCHR, "Mr. Barrera and his colleagues work under constant threat to protect the rights of peasants and indigenous peoples against forced disappearances, rape, arbitrary detentions, intimidation, dispossession of lands and illegal interrogations, and to improve their access to healthcare, legal representation and education. 'Justice for the indigenous peoples of the Mexican mountains does not exist; it must be won inch by inch and confronting grave dangers. Those that seek a better life and organize to realize their human rights are sought out and assassinated,' said Abel Barrera Hernández. 'The award that we are presented today by the RFK Center for Justice & Human Rights comes to refresh our dreams.'"

And, in a really good 5 minute video Abel Barrera Hernandez explains what the people of Ayutla de los Libres want: dignity and equality.