(29 Dec 1997) Spanish/Nat

Human rights activists and supporters of the Zapatista National Liberation Army have marched through Mexico City to protest last week's massacre in Acteal.

They blame the governing Institutional Revolutionary Party (P-R-I) for the killings, following the arrest of the mayor of Chenalho municipality.

Jacinto Arias Cruz is charged with providing the weapons and attempting a cover-up. He denies the charges.

Chiapas peasants have fled their homes in nearby villages in fear of further violence. They are descending on the town of Polho, a stronghold of the Zapatista rebels.

Protestors marched through Mexico City on Sunday to demonstrate their anger at the Acteal massacre.

Human rights activists and supporters of the rebel Zapatista movement joined in the protest.

Along with the local mayor, some 40 people have been arrested for the massacre, in which 45 people were killed.

Protestors marched to Los Pinos, President Ernesto Zedillo's offices.

Members of his governing P-R-I party in the Chenalho municipality have been accused of carrying out the killings.

But protestors say the blame lies with Mexico's government itself.

SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"This is your honour Zedillo, the fact that today it was not an aberration but thousands of shots ended up taking the life of 45 Mexican men and women. We demand the resignation and the trial to determine the degree of responsibility of the Interior Minister (Emilio Chuayffet)."
SUPER CAPTION: Jesusa Rodriguez, Human rights activist

The marchers gathered at the Plaza de la Reforma, a monument which has become the focal point of protests in Mexico City over the last week.

Survivors have accused state police of standing by while friends and family members were killed.

The massacre has spurred villagers to flee for their lives, fearing further violence.

In Chiapas, the number of refugees from villages around Acteal continued to grow.

Many have gathered in the village of Polho, a stronghold of the Zapatista rebels who have fought a campaign against the governing P-R-I since 1994.

Red Cross workers said as many as 35-hundred people may be making their way there, some walking dirt trails from distant communities.

A national spokeswoman on human rights issues was among the visitors to the town.

SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"We are asking the Mexican Attorney General that he informs us about the development about the progress of 18 previous investigations about killings that are still pending."
SUPER CAPTION: Mireille Rocatti, National Human Rights Commission President

A group of opposition Members of Parliament from the Democratic Revolutionary Party (P-R-D) have been touring the Chiapas region meeting the refugees.

Many of the witnesses to the attack have been afraid to come forward for fear of reprisals - like this man who was injured in the attack.

They heard stories from the refugees telling of the routine harassment they suffered at the hands of the armed gangs, known as PRI-istas, who allegedly terrorised the area before the massacre.

The same gangs have formed the main resistance to the Zapatista National Liberation Army, who have waged a four-year insurgency aimed at securing rights for the region's poor Indians.

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