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:

• That the selection of the next Coordinator of the Mechanism will have a demonstrated background in human rights, as requested by national and international civil society organizations and journalists recently.

• To establish a safe and comfortable work environment for those working at the Mechanism that is respectful of their rights.

• To urgently work on the drafting of a work plan that seeks to resolve the problems of the Mechanism with defined actions, time frames and results.

In the meeting we were informed of the appointment of Victor Manuel Serrato as the next Coordinator of the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, a position that has been vacant since the middle of March. Attending the concern of the members of the Council, Mr. Serrato committed, among other things, to guarantee the labor rights of the personnel of the Mechanism and to implement actions that will form a team.

During the meeting, a general action plan was outlined with defined actions and time frames, intending to overcome the backlog of cases and implement measures of protection, which must be specified and put in place promptly.

The councillors demanded that the new Coordinator prioritize the cases adopted by the Mechanism in order to attend the complaints and assure the implementation of all measures dictated by the Governing Board in each one of them.

Given this scenario, the councillors that participate in the Mechanisms’ Governing Board will rejoin the work of this institution with the objective of contributing to the effective functioning of the Mechanism and the fulfillment of their mandate.

We countersign our commitment to journalists and human rights defenders. We call out for authorities of all levels of government to understand and prioritize the situation in which defenders and journalists realize their professional activities and collaborate in an effective manner to the Protection Mechanism.

Pablo Romo, President of the Consultative Council of the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists