Mexican Human Rights Defenders Face Oppression and a Corrupt Judicial System Benjamin Weiner - Human Rights First
go to original November 23, 2013

Last week I was in Mexico City meeting with human rights defenders working on environmental and resource rights, freedom of expression, trafficking prevention, and fair compensation of labor.

Overall, the panorama here in Mexico is bleak yet promising.

There are entire states in Mexico that are nearly lawless and where impunity reigns; courts are used to imprison human rights defenders instead of protect them, and those fighting for their rights can be threatened, harmed, or killed.

Corruption is a primary concern of human rights activists in Mexico, who cannot rely on the courts to achieve justice. Mexican judges are often bribed, threatened - or both - to rule against the vulnerable, and in many cases, the courts have become a tool for vindictive human rights abusers and special interest groups to bring false charges against defenders in retaliation for their work. Instead of being lauded, defenders are thrown in jail for fabricated crimes including defamation and disturbing the peace. Often these defenders are left in jails without trials until their organizations can mount campaigns for their release.

Over the past five years, Mexican human rights organizations have counted 45 assassinations of defenders working on projects. Particularly vulnerable are human rights defenders in rural areas working to alleviate water and mining pollution, problems that lead to shorter lifespans for those who live in contaminated areas. Also at risk are members of human rights organizations from Mexico City working to train local organizations to prevent their communities from being flooded, contaminated, or damaged in other ways. These defenders face harassment, a hostile legal system, and cases which are frequently plagued by delays.

So where is the promise on the horizon?

The promise lies in the ingenuity and dedication of organizations and community leaders promoting the rights of the Mexican people. Many defenders told me that they have had to resort to alternative (nonviolent) mechanisms to seek justice. Organizations are stepping forward, using the press and social media to shame the courts into respecting the rule of law. National human rights organizations in Mexico City have begun providing information to the Mexican Commission on Human Rights (CNDH) in an effort to assist vulnerable human rights activists in the countryside. Though the CNDH has little legal leverage, its recommendations are often published in the Mexican press in an attempt to use negative publicity and public shaming to highlight human rights abuses and protect the activists.

Organizations from Mexico City are also joining together with local groups in coalitions for justice. From time to time, these coalitions are successful.

Human Rights First was a staunch advocate for the U.S. State Department to release a set of guidelines for embassy staff when working with human rights defenders, which were finally issued in March 2013. In order to aid the important work that these defenders are doing, we urge the State Department to translate these principles into Spanish, and we encourage embassy staff to use these guidelines to proactively reach out to Mexican defenders and protect them when necessary.

See the original at  Human Rights First

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