PBI Mexico continues to provide remote accompaniment to human rights defenders, doing permanent monitoring and analysis, and informing the international community and relevant authorities about the situation of human rights defenders in Mexico.
On May 11, a presidential agreement was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation “by which the permanent Armed Forces are available to carry out public security tasks in an extraordinary, regulated, supervised, subordinate and complementary manner.” Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this agreement consolidates the role of the Army practically until the end of the current government’s
In the state of the health emergency caused by Covid-19, human rights defenders, journalists and CSOs urge the Mexican Government and its institutions to generate measures in order to guarantee the right to defend human rights, in accordance with national and international recommendations.
Last 27th April was the 10th anniversary of the deaths of Bety Cariño and Jyri Jaakkola1, two human rights defenders and activists murdered during the Humanitarian Caravan and Human Rights Observation Mission near the indigenous community of San Juan Copala in the State of Oaxaca. Their families and civil society organizations are still calling for justice 10 years after the tragic events.
On April 28th, the European Commission announced the conclusion of negotiations surrounding the EU-Mexico Global Agreement, following a phone call between commissioner Phil Hogan and the Mexican Economic Minister, Graciela Márquez Colín.1 This commercial agreement, whose negotiations had been on hold since part way through 2018, was finalized in a moment in which civil society’s attention centers on responding to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, with limited capacity for reaction and oppositio
Mother’s Day is celebrated in Mexico on May 10. However, for the mothers of disappeared people, this date is not cause for celebration, but rather a day of struggle and reclamation due to the absence of their loved ones. For almost 10 years, together with families of disappeared people, they have convened the March for National Dignity “Mothers looking for their sons, daughters, truth and justice”, to call attention to the fact that not everyone can celebrate this day as they wish, while demanding the need for truth and justice from the State.
In the year 2000, at a time when there was still no international presence in the state of Guerrero, PBI began its first accompaniments to local human rights organisations. Five years had already passed since the first petitions for accompaniment were made to International Service for Peace (SIPAZ), located in Chiapas since the Zapatista uprising in 1994.
Located in the south of Mexico, the Isthmus of Tehuántepec crosses both Oaxaca and Veracruz. The Pacific and Atlantic Oceans are divided by only around 200km, making this Mexico’s narrowest point. Development projects have been operating in the area since the early 20th century, and PBI has accompanied human rights defenders protecting land and territory – and facing threats for their opposition to such projects – since 2011.
“The isthmus, commercial route for the world”
“Pasta de Conchos is very important because it will set a precedent for how mining should operate, how workers should be treated, and [show] that companies should think twice before opening mines”, Cristina Auerbach.
Advanced a decade ago by Mexican civil society and international bodies, the introduction of the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists (Mecanismo de Protección para Personas Defensoras de Derechos Humanos y Periodistas) was a significant step forward for human rights in Mexico. However, the Mechanism continues to demonstrate notable deficiencies and concerning failures in the high-risk context faced by Mexican human rights defenders (HRDs).