Mexico´s failure on Human Rights

Rupert Knox, Amnesty International researcher on Mexico, describes Mexico´s human right situation and the failure of the Government to protect them. The interview was held at Amnesty´s offices in London on December 2010.

Listen to the victims' voices

In the midst of hundreds of publications about Mexico's drug war and violence, which usually don't give a voice to the voiceless, to the victims, I found out via Facebook that my Mexican colleague Marcela Turati has published her first book Fuego Cruzado (Crossfire, victims trapped in the drug war). Marcela is one of Mexico's most renowned 'social' journalists and is founder of 'Periodistas de a Pie', an organisation which aim is to search the social dimension in any news story and writing from a human rights perspective. She has worked in Reforma and Excélsior newspapers, and she is currently a freelance reporter. Her articles are frequently published in left-wing Proceso Magazine. In the book's preface, journalist Roberto Zamarripa says: "Marcela's book makes us move and crush. It has been written to explain how far the violent death culture has taken root."  I hope I can get  copy of the book soon to comment on it. 

Mexico, a "Partly-Free" country

According to the latest Freedom House report, released yesterday, Mexico is a "partially-free country", which means it is characterized by some restrictions on political rights and civil liberties, often in  a context of corruption, weak rule of  law, ethnic strife, or civil war.

Last year, Mexico was still considered a free country. The report points out that liberties in Mexico have declined because of organized crime. It says:

"Mexico's decline from Free to Partly Free was a result of the uncontrolled wave of organized criminal activity that has afflicted several states. 

"Government institutions have failed to protect ordinary citizens, journalists, and elected officials from organized crime. Extortion and other racketeering activities have spread, and conditions for the media have deteriorated to the point where editors have significantly altered coverage to avoid repercussions from drug gangs."

According to the NGO, there are 10 partly-free-countries in the Americas: Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Paraguay and Haiti. Cuba is considered the only "not-free-country" in the region, while the rest of the countries are considered "free". 

You can find the full report at http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=594

Reforma Newspaper's 'Executometre'

Reforma, one of the main newspapers in Mexico, has followed-up on the executions recorded in Mexico since 2006, when the fight against drug-trafficking started. Between 2009 and 2010, executions increased 75 per cent. You can find Reforma's 'Executometre' at Reforma's website.