AI REPORT Standing up for Justice and Dignity: Human Rights Defenders in Mexico (2007-2009)

Mexico is a dangerous country in which to defend human rights. This report highlights more than 15 cases of threats and attacks against human rights defenders between 2007 and 2009. Other international and national human rights organizations have documented many more cases. The cases covered by Amnesty International include killings, wrongful arrest and imprisonment on spurious criminal charges, harassment and intimidation.

The cases in this report show that the perpetrators of abuses suffered by human rights defenders are sometimes local, state or federal authorities. The authorities are sometimes responsible for bringing spurious and wrongful prosecutions against human rights defenders, simply to punish them for their human rights campaigning. In other cases reported, abuses against human rights defenders are perpetrated by unidentified individuals; in such cases, state and federal authorities are frequently slow to respond and investigate, compounding the abuses still further.

Human rights defenders work for the protection and realization of universally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms. They act in many different ways and in different capacities to protect and promote human rights. What they have in common is that they uphold the principle that all human beings are equal in dignity and rights, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or any other status. They also share a commitment to respect the rights and freedoms of others in their own actions. Whatever the particular focus of human rights defenders’ work, they are entitled to the full recognition, respect and protection of their rights as set out in the UN Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (henceforth referred to as the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders).

On 9 December 1998, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders was adopted by the UN General Assembly. By doing this, UN member states reaffirmed the ideals enshrined in the UDHR, acknowledged the valuable work of those who contribute to the effective implementation of human rights and recognized the need to support and protect them.

The Declaration on Human Rights Defenders is a set of principles, based on legal standards enshrined in international human rights law, adopted by every member of the UN through their participation in the General Assembly, including Mexico. Two years after the Declaration was adopted, a Special Representative was appointed to promote its implementation. In 2008, this mandate was given the new title of Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. The main responsibilities of the Special Rapporteur continue to be to support the implementation of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, gather information on the actual situation of human rights defenders around the world and recommend effective strategies to better protect them.

Every year the governments of the Americas recognize the importance of individuals, groups and NGOs that promote human rights at the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly, by passing a resolution requesting that states pay urgent attention to ensuring that human rights defenders can carry out their work in the promotion and protection of human rights.

The vast majority of cases examined in this report concern human rights violations against human rights defenders working on economic, social and cultural rights including poverty and environmental issues. The defence of these rights poses particular challenges as they have historically been considered less important than other rights. Those working to strengthen economic, social and cultural rights frequently confront powerful economic interests and are exposed to attack. The cases in this report show how such attacks are often carried out by individuals or non-state actors who are frequently not held to account for their actions, or by state actors acting partially to defend and protect economic interests.

Despite sometimes facing severe repression, human rights defenders working on economic, social and cultural rights in Mexico continue to stand up for justice, dignity and human rights. Often their demands are misunderstood as purely political demands and not as legitimate human rights claims. The denial of economic, social and cultural rights in some sectors of Mexican society has spurred people to action. This is the case, for example, among some Indigenous and campesino communities whose efforts to protect their rights have frequently been met with indifference or repression. Indigenous human rights defenders have to contend not only with the discrimination and exclusion faced by their communities, but also with the additional risks often involved in actively defending human rights.

This report is part of Amnesty International’s continuing work not only to stop attacks against human rights defenders, but also to enhance recognition of the crucial importance of their work. All human rights defenders are entitled to adequate protection, and Amnesty International is committed to ensuring that this protection is inclusive, encompassing Indigenous human rights defenders and those defending economic, social and cultural rights, as well as those engaged in defending political and civil rights.

The report ends with a series of recommendations to the state and federal authorities in Mexico. A key element of this must be to tackle impunity, which is endemic in Mexico. Impunity in cases of abuses against human rights defenders fosters a climate of intimidation, fear and insecurity.