Human rights defenders, NGOs, EU and Member State representatives join to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the European Union's Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders

Mexico City, 26 May 2014. Peace Brigades International – Mexico Project (PBI Mexico) has observed with great concern the recent trend to restrict the rights to freedom of expression and social protest in different Mexican states and, consequently, to limit the work of human rights defenders in the country.

Mexico City, 15 May 2014. Between 12 and 14 May, PBI participated in the 2014 European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) Forum, which focused on the progresses and challenges regarding the protection of human rights defenders (HRDs). During the forum, the European Union policies and mechanisms for the protection of HRDs were analyzed, especially the Guidelines on HRDs, which were adopted 10 years ago.

Mexico City, 7 May 2014. Peace Brigades International – Mexico Project (PBI Mexico) expresses strong concern over recent acts of aggression against human rights defenders (HRDs) and migrants that have taken place in different states throughout Mexico, as well as the high level of risk to which these persons are still exposed.

Concretely, PBI Mexico expresses concern over the following reported incidents:

6 May, 2014

On April 27, 2010, while Jyri Jaakkola and Bety Cariño were setting up a humanitarian and human rights convoy in the vicinity of the indigenous community of San Juan Copala, they were fatally attacked by a paramilitary group known as UBISORT.

Mexico City, 30 April 2014. Today the Chamber of Deputies followed the example of the Senate and unanimously passed the reform to curtail the reach of military jurisdiction in cases of violations committed by military personnel against civilians.

• Alejandra Ancheita is a leader in the field of human rights in Latin America, only Mexican women nominated to this award.

• The Project headed by Alejandra Ancheita is an innovative breakthrough in the vulnerable context facing local communities, temporary workers and migrants.

11 April 2014

Yesterday, members of the Consultative Council of the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists carried out a meeting with Lía Limón, Sub-secretary of Human Rights for the Interior Ministry. At the meeting at the end of March, the priority issues brought up by the members of the Council regarded the effective functioning of the Mechanism and the guaranties for security that journalists and human rights defenders in the country require. The issues were:

11 April 2014

• Again, on 10 April, Carmen Ruíz, a member of the APPJ suffers persecution

The undersigned organisations are deeply concerned by recent developments that have taken place regarding the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) and Journalists in Mexico. We believe that such developments are likely to place HRDs and journalists at even greater risk.