As part of our accompaniment of Centro de Derechos Humanos Paso del Norte (PdN), at the end of 2017 PBI travelled to Ciudad Juárez, in the state of Chihuahua. The organization is dedicated to the promotion of human rights and provides psychological and legal accompaniment in cases of enforced disappearance and torture in Ciudad Juárez and in the north of the state.

Consorcio Oaxaca, an organization accompanied by PBI, organized the second encounter of women human rights defenders in the Mixe Region. 20 defenders from different regions of the Mixe shared their experiences, and the difficulties that they face as women, indigenous people and human rights defenders.

In the context of the first Civil Observation Mission to Chilapa and Chilpancingo organized by the All Rights for Everyone Network (Red TdT) on September 19 and 20, national human rights organizations including the Red TdT, Morelos y Pavon Regional Human Rights Centre, the Tlachinollan Human Rights Centre, CCTI, and Serapaz) and international organizations (Amnesty International) met with the Secretary of the Interior of the State of Guerrero, Florencio Salazar Adame, and officials from the Interior Department in the State of Guerrero on 28 November in Chilpancingo.

At the beginning of October, the Chamber of Deputies approved a proposal for the General Law on Disappearances and sent it to the Executive for final approval.

During the week of 29 October to 3 November, PBI traveled to the Carbon Region in the State of Coahuila to accompany the Pasta de Conchos Family Organization (OFPC).

Código DH, an organization accompanied by PBI, organized an event titled “A Conversation: an Agenda for Freedom of Expression. First Analysis: Preventative and Protective Measures for journalists, advances and challenges.” This event is part of the VOX project, whose goal is to strengthen capacities for the defense of freedom of expression for journalism and communication in the free press and in community press with a human rights perspective.

On 7 and 8 October in Malinaltepec, a municipality in the Montaña Region of Guerrero, there was a National Encounter against the Extractive Mining Model. The forum was organized by the Regional Council of Agrarian Authorities in the Montaña-Costa Chica Region, Guerrero in Defense of Territory against Mining and the Biosphere Reserve, (CRAADT) and accompanied by the Tlachinollan Human Rights Center.

As part of a speaking tour, Marcos Leyva, the director of Services for an Alternative Education (EDUCA) and Rosalinda Dionicio, representative of the Network of Community Defenders of the People of Oaxaca (REDECOM) held meetings with political representatives of the European Union and four European countries, as well as with special procedures of the United Nations and other key actors from the international community.

From 16 to 18 October, Araceli Tecolapa of the Morelos and Pavón Human Rights Center from Guerrero State, participated in a delegation of Mexican human rights defenders that traveled to Canada. They gave their official testimony to the Human Rights Subcommittee in the Canadian Parliament together with representatives of other Mexican organizations, including Prodh, Periodistas de a Pie, and REMA.

The UN Special Rapporteur for indigenous people´s rights, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, undertook an oficial visit to Mexico from 8th til the 17th November with the objective of “examining the implementation of the reccommendations given by (her) predecessor, Special Rapporteur Rodolfo Stavenhagen in 2003, and to evaluate how Mexico has incorporated its international human rights committments in relation to indigenous peoples.