An official in the Hidalgo state government has made public statements defending religious freedom violations, including barring children from attending primary school because of their religious beliefs and threats of expulsion, it was reported in September.
At least one Protestant child has been barred from attending primary school because of his refusal to convert to Catholicism, and 17 families are at risk of being expelled from their village. The group of Pentecostals from the Huastec indigenous group have been threatened by village officials in the village of Tepeolel because of their refusal to participate in, or contribute to, Roman Catholic religious festivals.
Alejandro Ramírez Furiati, a representative of the Hidalgo state government told La Jornada that the fault lies with the Pentecostals. ‘Since they belong to another religion, they have some belief that says they cannot cooperate. However, in the meetings with them, it has been explained that for the sake of keeping harmony they must participate’, he said.
There is a history of government complicity in religious freedom violations in the Huejutla los Reyes municipality. In March 2012, four Protestant pastors were imprisoned because of their congregations’ refusal to contribute financially to local Catholic festivals. In December of the same year, 38 Baptists in the village of Pahuatlán were held captive for days because of their refusal to participate in Catholic festivals. After they were finally released, threats against the Protestants became so severe that 165 people fled the village.
