Some 61 rebel prisoners in jails around the southern Mexican state of Chiapas said yesterday they were starting a hunger strike in protest at the Government's delay in releasing them. A statement from the prisoners' group Voice of the Hollow Hill said the strike was also to show support for the march that 24 Chiapas-based Zapatista guerrillas will begin on Sunday via 12 states to the capital.
The National Zapatista Liberation Army, led by the pipe-smoking Subcommander Marcos, took up arms against the government on January 1, 1994 demanding better rights for Mexico's 10 million indigenous peoples. The Zapatistas have demanded the Government release more than 100 rebel prisoners, withdraw troops from seven key military bases in the conflict zone and resurrect a law on indigenous rights before they will return to the negotiating table.
So far the Government has released 38 prisoners and pulled the army out of four of the seven bases. The Zapatista delegation is expected to discuss a draft law to protect Indian rights and culture with lawmakers in Mexico City.
