National: CSOs against Presidential Agreement Passing GN to SEDENA

@ Educa Oaxaca

The announcement by the Mexican President on August 8^th that he intends to integrate the National Guard (GN) into the Secretary of National Defense (SEDENA) opened a debate between civil society organizations, international organizations and academics.

The Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez Human Rights Center (ProDH Center) warned that this decree, “in addition to being contrary to the Constitution, gives rise to a concentration of power in the armed forces that may represent a future risk.”

For her part, Irma Pineda Santiago, representative of the indigenous peoples of Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean before the United Nations Organization (UN), expressed that AMLO’s purpose “represents a serious risk, because the armed forces have participated in the kidnapping and disappearance of indigenous leaders.” She recalled the long history of repression, rape of women, dispossession of natural resources and acts of torture against indigenous peoples by the military. The figures presented by the president where he assures that 87% of the population supports the armed forces were questioned by the poet who originally comes from Juchitan “Where did you do the survey? What was the methodological showcase? Undoubtedly, the indigenous peoples were not consulted because the communities do not trust the military and police forces.”

Francisco Burgoa, an academic from the Faculty of Law of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) explained that before the GN passes to SEDENA, “first it has to change the constitution” otherwise the president would be overlooking Article 21 where it established that the GN has to be civil.

He also explained that the Legislative Power is in charge of approving the reform to the GN. “The President of the Republic, with this announcement, would be minimizing, if not going against, the Federal Legislative Power itself, because the Congress of the Union is the body that is responsible for hearing a constitutional reform initiative”, he said. 

For more information in Spanish:

Militarizar la Guardia Nacional es inconstitucional, advierten ONGs (Educa Oaxaca, 9 de agosto de 2022)

“Militares son un grave riesgo para los pueblos indígenas”, dice Irma Pineda, su representante ante la ONU (El Universal Oaxaca, 9 de agosto de 2022)

Acuerdo de AMLO para llevar la Guardia Nacional a la Sedena sería contrario a la Constitución: organizaciones (Animal Político, 8 de agosto de 2022)

Militarización aumenta riesgo de violación a derechos de pueblos indígenas y mujeres, advierte Irma Pineda (Educa Oaxaca, 10 de agosto de 2022)

ONG’s rechazan ‘militarización’ del país tras acuerdo de AMLO (El Financiero, 9 de agosto de 2022)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Oaxaca: Attacks on Community Leader David Hernandez in Puente Madera Denounced (July 31, 2022)

National/International: CSOs Demand Follow-up by Mexico on Recommendations on Human Rights Issues in Framework of X High-Level Dialogue with European Union (July 16, 2022)

Oaxaca: Pobladores de Puente Madera denuncian criminalización por parte del gobierno municipal; exigen un alto a la militarización del Istmo (June 29, 2022)

Chiapas/National: Migrants Denounce Persecution by INM and National Guard (February 3, 2022) 

Guerrero: National Guard and State Police Prevent Protest by Ayotzinapa Parents (February 2, 2022)