Mexico City, 12 February 2014. On 8 February PBI signed a new accompaniment agreement with the Fray Juan de Larios Diocese Center for Human Rights, the Saltillo Migrant Shelter and the Juan Gerardi Human Rights Center, organizations from the state of Coahuila. The signing of the agreement took place during a week of intense activity for the Northern Team in the state.

In Saltillo, PBI visited the Saltillo Migrant Shelter and held meetings with United Forces for Our Disappeared in Coahuila (FUUNDEC) and the Fray Juan de Larios Diocese Center for Human Rights. In addition, PBI met with municipal, state and federal authorities, and observed a protest carried out by FUUNDEC and a roundtable between the collective and governmental authorities1.

In Torreón, the Northern Team visited the Centro de Día (pictured below), a migrant shelter supported by the Juan Gerardi Human Rights Center, and met with local authorities and civil society. During the visit to the city, PBI gave a workshop on advocacy to the Juan Gerardi Center, the first one in the state.

PBI has been working with these three organizations since 2012 and has supported these human rights defenders by visiting their offices in Coahuila, organizing speaking tours abroad, giving visibility to their work and dialoguing with the State about their protection and recognition.

All of these organizations plays important roles in the defense of human rights in Mexico. The Saltillo Migrant Shelter offers humanitarian support to thousands of migrants every year and documents the violations and abuses they suffer while crossing Mexico towards the United States. The Juan Gerardi Center, from Torreón, supports the families of disappeared people and migrants. They also coordinate efforts with local civil society for the defense of the environment and human rights education.

The Fray Juan de Larios Center, based in Saltillo, supports and advises the families organized through FUUNDEC and strongly advocates for governmental attention to the issue. FUUNDEC has currently registered over 340 cases of disappeared people in the state.

PBI will continue coordinating efforts with these organizations to guarantee the necessary political space for them to carry out their work. Coahuila has been identified as one of the riskiest states in Mexico for the defense of human rights. PBI will also maintain its dialogue with local and federal authorities in order to promote the protection and recognition of human rights defenders.

See our website for further information on PBI's work in the north of Mexico.

1 See the press release issued by FUUNDEC about the roundtable: bit.ly/1emymAJ