- Thousands of people urge the Senate to pass a Protection Law for journalists and human rights defenders through Twitter
Amnesty International (AI) urges the Senate of the Republic (Senate) to approve as soon as possible the bill for the protection of human rights defenders and journalists. Such bill was presented before the Senate last march 15th and AI believes its passing is very important to guarantee human rights defenders and journalists receive suitable measures of protection against threats and aggressions that happen in different parts of the country.
In the last years, the situation that human rights defenders and journalists have to face in Mexico is remarkably getting worst. Therefore, and according to the UN, Mexico is the most dangerous country in America for journalists, with at least 66 murdered journalists in the last 10 years. Regarding human rights defenders, domestic and international civil organizations have reported 61 murders between 2006 and 2010. Other serious abuses such as disappearances, attacks, kidnappings and threats shall be included in this figure. The National Human Rights Commission has reported an increase around 180% in the aggressions files of human rights defenders during the last years, passing through an average of 21 files between 2005 and 2009 to 48 files on 2010 and 59 on 2011.
Civil Society Organizations and members of the Senate worked together to create a bill for the protection of human rights defenders and journalists that was presented last march 15th with an unprecedented support: over 70 Senate members belonging to all parliamentary groups signed. Moreover, the federal government has described this bill, in words of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as additional to the current constitutional reform that that federalizes crimes against journalists.
AI believes that even though Mexico has effective mechanisms to protect human rights defenders and journalists, it is important to guarantee at the same time human rights for all the society.
In the last days, thousands of people have joined the campaign launched by Amnesty International and other organizations in Twitter to demand members of the Senate the urgent passing of the Law, using the hastag #Protection Law.
Moreover, the initiatives to collect signatures supporting the effective mechanisms of protection for human rights defenders and journalists launched by Amnesty International add up to 20,000 signatures through the web page www.defiendeles.org