Mexican authorities have arrested the suspected killer of a Catholic priest and prominent human rights activist whose killing sparked international condemnation, officials said Tuesday.
Father Marcelo Perez, 51, was shot on Sunday in the southern state of Chiapas, shaken by escalation of gang-related violence.
The Chiapas Prosecutor’s Office identified the alleged “material perpetrator” of the crime as Edgar “N”, following the usual practice of not giving full names.
He said he used security camera footage, witness accounts and other leads to identify the suspect.
Perez’s work on human rights has been recognized by international organizations.
The Mexican office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights denounced the murder of the indigenous priest and called for a “comprehensive” investigation.
AP Photo/Isabel Mateos
Rodrigo Aguilar Martinez, bishop of the southern town of San Cristobal de las Casas, called for “decisive action to restore peace in the country and particularly in Chiapas.”
Prosecutors said Rev. Pérez was shot by two gunmen while he was in his van, just after he finished celebrating mass.
“Father Marcelo was leaving the parish after celebrating mass and was heading towards the church of Guadalupe, when two people on a motorcycle opened fire,” the office said.
He had received threats after denouncing drug trafficking and the resulting violence in Chiapas, in the grip of a cartel war.
Hundreds of mourners attended Perez’s funeral in his hometown on Tuesday, chanting “Long live Father Marcelo, priest of the poor!”
Mexico has seen more than 450,000 killings since the launch of a controversial military anti-drug operation in 2006, according to official figures.
In 2022, two Jesuit priests were killed inside a church in a remote mountain community in northern Mexico. In 2016, three priests were killed in just one week in Mexico.
