The Chiapas Community Defenders Network is a grassroots organization situated in Chiapas, Mexico. It is dedicated to providing legal and human rights defense to indigenous communities and to contributing to their self-sufficiency through legal training of indigenous persons. The network also distributes information about legal aid and human rights throughout the state of Chiapas. The Defenders Network, an official NGO since May 2000, is composed of 24 defenders, each of whom was elected by the general assembly in his/her community to provide human rights and legal defense for the region. It maintains local offices in eight regions in Chiapas. The defenders are all members of indigenous peoples. Their training and activities in human rights advocacy are an important aspect of the movement in Chiapas to increase the autonomy of indigenous peoples and to rectify the historical and current social, economic, and political inequality of indigenous persons in Mexico.



The network not only provides legal training to community leaders but also visits communities to hold workshops, disseminate information about legal aid and work with national and international media to draw attention to specific cases related to paramilitary activities, land issues, access to resources and human rights violations by the state security forces in Chiapas. The network has worked on several legal cases, among them the "Montes Azules Biorseserve Case" that claims the rights of communities who were dispossessed of their land and homes. The case was presented to state and federal human rights commission and to the Inter-American Commission.



In May 2000, the Network created the "Proyecto 169", a project that provides training in international law, particularly focusing on indigenous rights and ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries. The project initiated a campaign for the release of five political prisoners who were tortured by state security forces and held incommunicado for a period of time. The campaign was supported by Amnesty International and the World Organization Against Torture. Another pending case is about the use of forced labor and violence by the Mexican Government and includes advocacy at the Inter-American Commission and the ILO.