En respuesta a la Ley de Seguridad Interior, organizaciones internacionales forman una nueva coalición para llamar la atención del mundo sobre la rampante impunidad en México
Washington, D.C. /NewYork City/ Stuttgart/ Geneva, December 18, 2017 - The Mexican legislature’s approval last week of theInternal Security Law marks a turning point for a country already reeling fromunprecedented levels of violence and widespread human rights violations. In response, a coalition of ten international organizationscommitted to human rights and the rule of law are calling on President EnriquePeña Nieto to veto the bill and announcing the formation of an International Observatoryon Mexico, whose mandate will be to observe and document the country’sdeteriorating human rights situation.
Far from addressing widespread impunity for crimes underinternational law—including those committed by military personnel in the context ofMexico’s long running “war on drugs”—the Internal Security Law would further enshrine the role of thearmed forces in the country’s law enforcement. This militarized strategy has terrorized Mexico’spopulation for over a decade through well-documented cases of extrajudicial execution,enforced disappearance, torture, including sexual violence, amongst other humanrights violations. These crimes have been perpetratedwith almost complete impunity as violence continues to grow; indeed, 2017 is ontrack to be Mexico’s deadliest year yet.
TheInternal Security Law provides legal cover for unfettered military actionagainst everyone in the country. It represents a dangerous escalation thatrequires urgent action. The creation of the International Observatory—a permanent coalition of internationalorganizations from across Europe, the United States, and the Americas—will serveto monitor the situation in Mexico, draw the attention of other nations to the humanrights regression underway there, and support national civil society colleaguesin the face of growing attacks against human rights defenders and journalists.The Observatory will also continue to advocate with Mexican authorities toremind them of their obligations under international law.
Inaugural members of the Observatory on Mexico include AmnestyInternational, the Center for Justice and International Law(CEJIL), the Due Process of LawFoundation (DPLF), the German Network for Human Rights in Mexico, Latin America Working Group (LAWG), the Open SocietyJustice Initiative (OSJI), Peace Brigades International, RobertF. Kennedy Human Rights, the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), and theWorld Organisation Against Torture (OMCT); other international organizationsare expected to join in the future. AsMexico moves further away from its democratic foundations, the world iswatching.
Contact Persons
Erika Guevara Rosas,Amnesty International: erika.guevara@amnesty.org
Marcia Aguiluz, CEJIL: maguiluz@cejil.org
Katya Salazar, DPLF: ksalazar@dplf.org
CarolaHausotter, German Network for Human Rights in Mexico:mexmrkoordination@gmx.de
Daniella Burgi-Palomino, LAWG:dburgipalomino@lawg.org
Ina Zoon, OSJI: ina.zoon@opensocietyfoundations.org
PatDavis, Peace Brigades International: pbi89@gn.apc.org
Angelita Baeyens, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights: baeyens@rfkhumanrights.org
MaureenMeyer, WOLA: mmeyer@wola.org
Helena Solà Martín,OMCT: hs@omct.org