Comunicado conjunto: Organizaciones Internacionales instan a autoridades mexicanas a garantizar seguridad e integridad de familiares de estudiantes desaparecidos de Ayotzinapa

16 de marzo de 2015 – Several international organizationsexpress deep concern regarding recent reports according to which,members of the Tlachinollan Human Rights Centre, as well as other human rightsorganisations and the families and friends of the 43 disappeared students fromAyotzinapa, continue to suffer security incidents, putting their physical andpsychological integrity at risk.

Over thepast months, they have been the target of defamatory articles or statements inthe media and by authorities from the state of Guerrero which have tried tolink them to subversive groups. Similarly,acts of aggression, regular surveillance and intimidation by different statesecurity forces during their peaceful protests have been reported by thefamilies and the human rights defenders who accompany them. These events arepart of a broader context of increased restrictions on the right to protest andfreedom of expression in Mexico.

“Defamation,stigmatization, surveillance and acts of aggression place both the familymembers of the 43 disappeared students, and the HRDs who accompany them atincreased risk and serve to obstruct their legitimate work in the search fortruth” pointed out representatives of the internationalorganizations.

In thiscontext, the signing organizations urge the Mexican state to:

· Take all necessary measures toguarantee the physical and psychological integrity of the human rightsdefenders involved in the case as well as the family members of the 43disappeared students, permitting them to continue in their fight for justiceand against impunity.

· Continue to investigate the eventsthat occurred in Iguala on 26 – 27 September, establishing with conclusivescientific proof, the whereabouts of the disappeared students, as well asestablishing the alleged involvement of the authorities at all levels in theseincidents and the chain of command of such authorities.

· Facilitate the work of allindependent international experts working on the case

· Guarantee the protection of allhuman rights defenders, including through statements of recognition of theirlegitimacy, the sanctioning of all aggressions against them, the implementationof adequate protective measures for victims and the full implementation of theLaw for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists.

As it ispublic knowledge, in February 2015, the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearanceshighlighted the numerous cases and reports it has received which described threatsand attacks against relatives of disappeared persons and human rights defendersworking on this issue. The UN has furthermore highlighted the persistentclimate of violence, hostility and insecurity in which human rights defenderswork in Mexico.

See the openletter sent by international organizations to the Mexican authorities: 150313OpenLetterAyotzinapa_EN