Zapatista Sympathizers Protest Rights Bill
Zapatista sympathizers blocked main highways in the southern state of Chiapas, protesting Mexico’s approval of a watered-down Indian rights bill.
The demonstrators also urged President Vicente Fox to free nine Zapatista sympathizers from jails, disarm paramilitary groups and stop “political repression.â€
They blocked highways for hours across the state, bringing traffic to a halt.
Legislators have approved a revised Indian rights bill opposed by many of the country’s Indians because it weakened clauses for Indian autonomy and for rights over land and natural resources.
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