En Français ici.

We, the undersigned members of the Alliance des Gens et des Bassins (Alliance of People and Basins), formed in July 2024 at Village de l’Eau in Melle, France, express our full support for our comrade Carlos Beas Torres, defender of indigenous peoples’ rights, and the team of the Union of Indigenous Communities of the Northern Zone of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (UCIZONI) in the face of the harassment, intimidation, and threats they have suffered in recent days.

We denounce these ultra-violent practices used against the defenders of life represented by this organization, which brings together more than 65 indigenous peoples from the states of Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Chiapas in Mexico.

They are fighting to preserve their commons against the mega-project of the Tehuantepec Isthmus Interoceanic Corridor, which aims to transform the isthmus into an interoceanic transit route with high-speed railways, industrial parks, pipelines, and expanded ports, driven by the Mexican federal government with the complicity of the United States and Canada, as well as French multinationals such as Alstom, GE, EDF, and others. Some of these companies share their capital with the various states.

Faced with this geopolitical situation, the states must take responsibility and do everything in their power to put an end to these attacks so that opponents are not murdered again, as was the case in this region in 2025!

In this regard, we would like to point out that the European Union has political and legal tools at its disposal, in particular the human rights clause in the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mexico, which must be fully implemented. We call for this clause to be activated and effectively implemented so that the human rights of indigenous peoples and their territories are respected.

We expect governments to give prompt consideration to our request to ensure the protection of Carlos Beas Torres and the UCIZONI team, and to help provide real guarantees for the defense of the rights of indigenous peoples and the territory on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

We are sharing with you once again the speech given by Carlos Beas Torres at Village de l’Eau in July 2024, which remains as powerful and relevant as ever:

In France and Mexico, we march together!
SUPPORT CARLOS BEAS TORRES!

Cover photo: Peace Brigades International Canada