On March 15, six months after the Inter American Court of Human Rights (IACoHR) condemned the Mexican government for violating the human rights of the indigenous ladies Valentina Rosendo Cantú and Inés Fernández Ortega, an agreement was signed between the Mexican government, the victims and their legal representatives, to install working groups that will ensure the implementation of the sentences.

Inés and Valentina were present in the act, which was carried out in the Interior Ministry in Mexico City, and were accompanied by members of the Organisation of the Me’phaa Indigenous People (OPIM) and the Tlachinollan Human Rights Centre. The governmental delegation was led by Felipe de J. Zamora Castro - the Under-Secretary of Legal and Human Rights Affairs, from the Interior Ministry - and Juan Manuel Gómez Robledo, Under-Secretary of Multilateral and Human Rights Affairs, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Representatives of the National Attorney General and of the Federal Executive also participated. Javier Hernández Valencia, Representative in Mexico of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, signed the agreement as a witness of honour. Representatives of Embassies, civil society organisations and PBI also attended the event.

Under-Secretary Zamora, responsible for the coordination of the working-groups and of the implementation of the rulings, stated that the sentences dictated by the Inter-American Court will be fully and quickly complied with, and that all necessary measures will be implemented to guarantee the integrity and security of Ms. Fernández Ortega and Ms. Rosendo Cantú, their families and the organisations that accompany them.

PBI has accompanied Inés, Valentina, the OPIM and Tlachinollan in their search for justice, due to the threats and attacks which they have suffered.

<media 7467>Download the press release by the Tlachinollan Human Rights Centre, regarding the installation of the working groups (pdf)</media>

<media 6963>Download PBI Mexico’s bulletin Mexico Before The Inter American Court (pdf)</media>

<media 7463>Download the Inter American Court’s sentence in the case of Inés Fernández (pdf), Spanish</media>

<media 7464>Download the Inter American Court’s sentence in the case of Valentina Rosendo (pdf), Spanish</media>