Mexico City, 7 May 2014. Peace Brigades International – Mexico Project (PBI Mexico) expresses strong concern over recent acts of aggression against human rights defenders (HRDs) and migrants that have taken place in different states throughout Mexico, as well as the high level of risk to which these persons are still exposed.
Concretely, PBI Mexico expresses concern over the following reported incidents:
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on 5 April, in Lechería, Estado de México a migrant and two human rights defenders from the Colectivo Ustedes Somos Nosotros (Collective You Are Us) were shot by supposed members of organized crime;
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on 30 April, near Emiliano Zapata, Tabasco, Fray Aurelio, Rubén Figueroa and Fray Tomás, winners of the Franco-German “Gilberto Bosques” Human Rights Award and members of the La 72 migrant shelter, were physically assaulted by Federal Police and National Migration Institute (INM) agents and more than 300 migrants were detained;
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on 2 May, in Tapachula, Chiapas, a group of migrants was deported by the INM without being allowed to receive the support offered by the Fray Matías de Córdova Human Rights Center;
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according to information provided by the Saltillo Migrant Shelter to PBI, on 2 and 3 May human rights defenders and migrants were threatened in two shelters in northern Mexico;
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finally, on 3 May, in Saltillo, Coahuila, Municipal Police agents physically assaulted a migrant who is a permanent resident in Mexico and member of a Mexican family that collaborates with the Saltillo Migrant Shelter.
It is worth noting that several of these incidents took place after the Viacrucis del Migrante, a caravan formed by more than 750 migrants, started a journey from Mexico's southern border to the border with the United States to demand freedom of movement for the thousands of migrants who cross Mexico every year and are victims of violations and abuses.
These recent acts of aggression confirm that HRDs and migrants are still targets of attacks, harassment and threats. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) Rapporteurship on the Rights of Migrants has highlighted that “the shelters provide safety, food and information to thousands of persons who cross Mexico every year. These persons and organizations fulfill a social function of great value, one where the State has been absent for several years”.
HRDs need adequate recognition and protection in order to carry out their important work, as well as to have access to spaces of dialogue with the authorities so they can discuss their proposals and concerns regarding the situation faced by migrants throughout the country.
Regarding the acts of aggression mentioned above, the Saltillo Migrant Shelter, the La 72 shelter and human rights defenders from Lechería are beneficiaries of precautionary measures issued by the IACHR. The effective implementation of such measures by the Mexican State is of fundamental importance for the security of its beneficiaries.
The Saltillo Migrant Shelter and the La 72 shelter are also beneficiaries of the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists. The Interior Ministry is responsible for the implementation of the Mechanism, which can play an important role in the protection of at risk HRDs. However, its implementation so far has suffered from a series of difficulties, including the backlog of cases and lack of coordination between federal and state authorities. The acts of aggression mentioned above illustrate the urgent need for the strengthening of the Mechanism.
PBI Mexico provides international accompaniment to the Saltillo Migrant Shelter, in Saltillo, Coahuila, and the Hermanos en el Camino (Brothers on the path) Shelter, in Ixtepec, Oaxaca. Throughout our accompaniment to the HRDs who defend migrants rights, we have observed with concern the high level of risk to which they are exposed all over the country.
PBI urges the Mexican State to investigate all acts of aggression, punish those responsible and effectively implement protection measures for human rights defenders, as well as to construct along with HRDs the necessary spaces for dialogue to discuss the security and movement of migrants in Mexico. PBI considers of fundamental importance the collaboration between federal and state governments so that the HRDs of migrants rights can carry out their work in a safer environment.