By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Twenty-seven evangelical Protestant families in Chiapas state, Mexico, will finally have their access to water and electricity returned after local authorities had agreed two years ago to respect their minority religious freedoms in the village of Union Juarez, Trinitaria Municipality.
According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, the evangelicals have been without access to utilities since February 2014 just because they refused to contribute and/or participate in traditional Catholic festivals.
Unfortunately, other cases in Chiapas State -- many involving forced displacement -- remain unresolved.
"We were happy to hear that all members of the Union Juarez village will have access to basic services, including water and electricity, regardless of their religious beliefs," said Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of CSW. "However we do not believe that it should have taken the Chiapas state government two years to take action to uphold the rights of these 27 families ... We continue to call upon the Chiapas state and the Mexican federal governments to put in place effective policies and mechanisms to respond to these cases in a timely and effective manner that upholds the rights enshrined in the Mexican constitution."