"In Defense of Life": Civil Observation Mission Report on the situation of Human Rights Defenders in Mexico 2015
From November 9th to 14th, 2014, a Civil Observation Mission (MOC in Spanish) composedof five women who are independent experts in human rights from the Americas andfrom Europe visited Mexico to analyze the situation for human rights defendersin the country.The information published by national and international organizationsreflects a strong climate of hostility against human rights defenders in Mexicoand the goal of the MOC was to gather and verify this information andcontribute to the improvement of the situation for the community of humanrights defenders.
The MOC was organized by 11 national and international organizations, including OMCT and FIDH, in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, and heldmeetings with civil society, authorities from the three levels of government,mem- bers of the Consultative Council of the Protection Mechanism for HumanRights Defenders and Journalists (Protection Mechanism), diplomaticrepresentatives of the European Union (EU), and with the Office in Mexico ofthe United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The MOC carriedout their work in the states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, Baja California and MexicoCity.
The states that the MOC visited share several characteristics regarding thesituation for human rights defenders: Guerrero and Oaxaca are the states thatrecorded the greatest number of aggressions to human rights defendersdefenders; MexicoCity, one of the main places that receives displaced defenders, is thepolitical center of the country and is home to institutions that can providethem with protection. The situation in Baja California was identified as aparadigmatic case in the north of the country that has not been highlighted inrecent research. States such as Chihuahua and Coahuila in the north have highrates of attacks on human rights defenders as well, largely directed at womenhuman rights defenders, the relatives of the disappeared, and defenders ofmigrants’ rights.
An invitation was sent to defenders in other statesto meet with and share information with the MOC. In addition to visiting thestates listed above, the MOC received reports from organizations and defendersfrom the states of Veracruz, State of Mexico, Quintana Roo, Jalisco, Sonora,and Tabasco.
In total, the MOC met with 30 differentorganizations, collectives and civil society groups and with 15 independenthuman rights defenders. Additionally, the MOC received written information fromanother 7 organizations and 7 human rights de- fenders.
Moreover, the MOC also collected informationthrough interviews with authorities from Guerrero, Oaxaca, Baja California, andMexico City, as well as with representatives from the federal government. TheMinistry of Foreign Affairs (SRE in Spanish) and the Human Rights Commissionfor the Federal District (CDHDF in Spanish) also sent additional information.Other civil society actors also sent information as well.
On the whole the MOC was able to conduct theinterviews that they requested, however the MOC regrets that they were not ableto meet with the National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH in Spanish), especiallysince they received important testimonies from civil society organizationsabout its operation. MOC members hope that this will improve under the currentadministration.
This report is a compilation of the informationobtained in meetings and from documentation received by the five independentexperts who were part of the Mission.
The first part introduces the legal framework inwhich human rights defenders operate. It highlights governmental policies topromote and protect human rights that contrast with the backdrop ofvulnerability and risk faced by human rights defenders.
The second part of the report is divided into threechapters that address the issues that impact and hinder the defense of humanrights: First, the criminalization of defenders that is fueled by a lack ofappropriate acknowledgement of their work in Mexican society (Chapter 1);Protection mechanisms and how appropriate and effective they are for theprotection of human rights defenders, with special emphasis on the ProtectionMechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists created in 2012 (Chapter2); and the factors that contribute to impunity and prevent defenders fromcarrying out their work (Chapter 3). It should be noted that the expertsreceived many complaints about an overall failure to effectively investigateand prosecute the perpetrators who put the work of human rights defenders andtheir emotional and physical integrity at risk.
Finally, the report includes the concluding remarksand recommendations of the MOC in regard to the protection of human rightsdefenders in Mexico.
The MOC thanks those defenders and journalists whoshared their testimonies, the authorities of the four states that the MOCvisited, and the federal government, the state-level entities, therepresentatives from the EU and the OHCHR for their welcome and support.
In accordance with international obligations, the MOCurges authorities to protect the individuals and organizations that contributedto this mission from reprisals and retaliations, and to especially protect thehuman rights defenders who were inter- viewed and who are mentioned in thisreport.
The report is available here in both English and Spanish: Mexico_2015.09_Report_Español-English