For PBI, as for many other civil society organisations, 2017 posed significant challenges. The six years of President Enrique Peña Nieto’s administration have been characterised by a continuation of the widely-questioned security policies initiated during the presidency of his predecessor Felipe Calderón, and by a marked reduction in the political space available to Mexican and international civil society organisations.
Desde el 17 hasta el 23 de julio de este año, tres defensores de México, Guatemala y Honduras salieron de sus hogares hacia el norte del continente para participar en una gira de incidencia organizada por PBI en Washington DC. Las giras que organizamos en los Estado Unidos siempre tienen el objetivo de visibilizar la situación de seguridad de las personas defensoras de derechos humanos con actores claves que pueden incidir de alguna manera en la protección de dichas personas.
From the 17th til the 23rd of July this year, three human rights defenders from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras left their homes and headed North of the contient in order to participate in a speaker tour organised by PBI in Washington DC. The tours we organise to the United States are always aimed at shedding light on the security situation for human rights defenders before key actors who can advocate in some way to improve their protection on the ground.
Valentina Rosendo Cantú, indigenous me´phaa woman, originally from the community of Caxitepec, municipality of Acatepec in the high mountains of Guerrero, was victim of sexual torture by military members in 2002, a case in which the responsability of the Mexican State was decided by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) in August 2010.
Chihuahua is one of the most dangerous areas of Mexico for the defense of human rights and journalism. According to the National Network of Civilian Human Rights Organisms "All Rights for All" (Red TDT), Chihuahua is the state with the highest number of human rights defenders killed and the state with the second highest number of journalists killed. Considering these attacks, a high percentage of human rights defenders count on precautionary protection measures given by the Inter-American Commi
12 months have passed since the last time the United Nations Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) Committee reviewed Mexico, therefore the most recent review that took place in March of this year was extremely welcome.
According to the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), during 2017 the number of refugees rose by 578%, and the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance recognised that there is a total of 14,594 people requesting refuge in Mexico. In response, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is collaborating with various refuges in the South of the country and with the Casa del Migrante de Saltillo in Coahila, to help extend spaces and attend the growing number of refugees.
In his most recent report, published on 23rd March 2018, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders, Michel Forst, explicitly mentions those defending human rights in Chilapa de Alvarez, Guerreo and their particularly high levels of risk due to the hostile context in which they undertake their legitimate work: “Human rights defenders from Chilapa, where collective disappearances appear to have occurred with the acquiescence of the authorities, are particularly vulnerable to attacks in the context of organized crime and corruption”.
On 29 August, the Cerezo Committee Mexico, Urgent Action for the Defense of Human Rights, (ACUDDEH, AC), and the National Campaign against Forced Disappearance presented their 6th Report. The report documents 1442 violations committed against human rights defenders between June 2016 and May 2017, which means that according to these organizations, there were 50% more aggressions in this period than in the previous period (2015-2016 Report ).
On 27 July the Focal Group on Businesses and Human Rights made a statement and held a press conference to announce that they were stepping away from the process of creating the National Program for Businesses and Human Rights (PNEDH) because the proposal from the Mexican government did not meet the international standards established by the United Nations Guiding Principles.
