National: March for Resignation of Enrique Peña Nieto

Call for march for resignation of Peña Nieto

On September 15, the symbolic commemoration day of “El Grito” – the cry for the Independence of Mexico – thousands of people responded to the call launched on social networks for a march to demand the resignation of Enrique Peña Nieto.

#RenunciaYa, is the hashtag with which this non-partisan demonstration was called for on social networks since September 2, just after the publication of the Government’s fourth report. Led by parents of the 43 student teachers from Ayotzinapa, followed by farmers from Atenco, machete in hand, about 4,000 citizens, mostly young, began the #RenunciaYa protest, according to Animal Politico. The protesters left the Angel of Independence monument with the aim of reaching the Zocalo to face the president. However, at the Palace of Fine Arts, thousands of riot police, deployed by the Ministry of Public Security of Mexico City, blocked their passage. However, in the Zocalo, a small group of protesters who had managed get through started whistling and shouting slogans against the president just as President Enrique Peña Nieto appeared. According to La Jornada, “a young man showed a poster criticizing the federal administration and was immediately surrounded by elements of the Federal and Presidential Police. Some people demanded that the police allow the youth to express himself, to which they responded “we are only following orders.” Federal Police kept the young man surrounded until the fireworks ended, he was photographed and they made video of the youth and finally two policemen said they would accompany him to the exit.”

In Chiapas, the governor, Manuel Velasco Coello, did “El Grito” from an alternative site to the square of Tuxtla Gutierrez, as it was occupied by teachers opposed to the education reform bill.

For their part, the Las Abejas of Acteal Civil Society Organization, in their last statement, give several examples of why, according to them, “there is no longer independence.” They claim that, “this heroic and historic struggle for the independence of Mexico […] has been betrayed by the PRI governments and other political parties in Mexico who have been in power.” Because “The idea of the struggle, independence in 1810, meant that Mexico was independent, sovereign, democratic. […] However, the edge of that independence began to end with the government of Carlos Salinas de Gortari with agreements and commercial, political and military treaties with neoliberal and capitalist countries, one of them is: the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between Mexico, the United States and Canada.”

In addition, the Xinich’ Coordinator of Social Organizations remembered September 15 with a statement in which it demands the removal of Enrique Peña Nieto as an “incompetent” in addition to “delivering our nation into the hands of foreigners.” It also expressed support for the struggle of the teachers against the so-called educational reform and demanded “the repeal of structural reforms, justice for the people massacred at Viejo Velasco, Acteal, for the 43 disappeared student teachers of Ayotzinapa, for Nochixtlan, Oaxaca, compliance with the San Andrés agreements signed between the federal government and the EZLN…”

 In Oaxaca, in the state capital, the governor, Cué Monteagudo, did his sixth and last “Grito” from the balcony of the government palace amid shouts of “murderer” and “traitor”. According to Educa, “elements of the State Police prevented the entry of teachers from Section 22 into the square to give their alternative ‘Grito’ with teargas, sparking a confrontation”. At least 20 people sustained minor injuries.

For more information in Spanish:

En méxico ya no existe independencia, es por las mal llamadas reformas constitucionales (Las abejas de Acteal, 22 de septembre de 2016)

#Chiapas Xinich’ recordó el “15 de Septiembre” exigiendo la renuncia de EPN, la abrogación de las reformas estructurales y el cumplimientos de los “Acuerdos de San Andrés” (Koman Iles, 20 de septiembre)

Marchan para exigir la renuncia de Peña Nieto (La Jornada, a 16 de septiembre 2016)

15 de septiembre: Policías repliegan marchas en Oaxaca y Chiapas (Educa, a 15 de septiembre 2016)

Miles de personas dan el Grito en el Zócalo (La Jornada, a 15 de septiembre 2016)

Renuncia ya y los acarreados: dos marchas rumbo al Zócalo (Animal político, a 16 de septiembre 2016)

Hay apertura para la crítica, dice presidencia sobre posible rechifla a Peña durante el Grito (Animal político, a 14 de septiembre 2016)

15 razones para marchar y gritar #RenunciaYA (Animal político, a 6 de septiembre 2016)

Ciudadanos convocan a marchar hoy 15 de septiembre para exigir renuncia de Peña (Animal político, a 2 de septiembre 2016)

 For more information from Sipaz:

Nacional : cuarto informe del gobierno de Peña Nieto (12 de septiembre 2016)

 

Implementation of Follow-up Mechanism for Ayotzinapa Case Approved

IACHR approves special mechanism to follow Ayotzinapa case (Photo@Tlachinollan)

On September 10, after a meeting between the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Mexican state, implementation of the Follow-up Mechanism for the Ayotzinapa case was approved. The mechanism aims to follow up the recommendations made by the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (IGIE) in the two reports that it gave the government during its yearlong investigation into the case of the disappearance of the 43 students from the Normal Rural School on the night of September 26 and 27, 2014, in Iguala, Guerrero state.

 For more information in Spanish:

Forenses argentinos también desmienten a Zerón: no estuvieron en el río San Juan (La Jornada, a 28 de abril 2016)

COMUNICADO | CIDH anuncia el inicio de la implementación del Mecanismo de Seguimiento del GIEI (Tlachinollan centro de derechos humanos de la montaña, a 12 de septiembre 2016)

CIDH aprueba mecanismo especial de seguimiento para investigación Ayotzinapa (Fundar centro de analysis o investigacion, a 1ero de agosto 2016)

CIDH aprueba mecanismo especial de seguimiento para investigación Ayotzinapa (Tlachinollan centro de derechos humanos de la montaña, a 29 de julio 2016)

National: Fourth Report of Peña Nieto’s Government

Demonstration in Mexico City marking the Fourth Presidential Report (@Centro PRODH)

On 1 September, thousands of people demonstrated in the streets of Mexico City to express their disagreement in response to the delivery of the Fourth Report of the Government. The march was led by relatives of the 43 student teachers who are missing from the Normal Rural School, Ayotzinapa, Guerrero since 2014. It is noteworthy that in mid-August, a survey published by the newspaper Reforma showed that support for the government of Peña Nieto stood at only 23%, the lowest a Mexican president has had in the last two decades.

In the days before the report, several media criticized the performance of the current administration, questioning, among other things, the increase in violence, political scandals, human rights violations and poor economic results.

The Secretary of the Interior, Osorio Chong, gave the document to the Mexican Congress, where he stressed that the relationship between the executive and legislative branches has shown effective dialogue towards establishing agreements, which allowed the approval of “the reforms that Mexico demanded.” He stated that “the transformation is already underway” and that it is time to move from a project with vision for the future to a better reality in the present. However, speaking to media, legislators from both the National Action Party (PAN) and the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) questioned the lack of results.

For his part, President Enrique Peña Nieto held a meeting with about 300 young people (under 35) at the National Palace, which was broadcast via streaming through YouTube and Facebook Live, to talk about the report.

The event began with a recorded message in which the president said the goal of this new format was “change from monologue to dialogue.” Peña Nieto gave details on the content of the report, noting among other things, lower prices for Internet and cellular services; the creation of two million formal jobs (“four times the jobs generated in the same period in the previous six years”), and the fact that Mexico is one of the countries that receives most tourists and attracts most investment. However, while employment figures are intended to show that things are going well for this government, beyond the national unemployment rate (3.9% in June 2016) there is another concept called “rate of critical employment conditions” (RCEC). THE RCEC measures the percentage of the working population working less than 35 hours and as a result receives a monthly income lower than the minimum wage. At national level, according to the government report, about 14.5% of the employed population, i.e. 7.7 million Mexicans, is in that condition. In 2015, the rate was 12.2% of the employed population, some 6.2 million people. In 2014, it was 11.4%, some 5.7 million workers. That is to say, one and half million Mexicans joined these deteriorating conditions of employment and salary from 2015 to date in 2016. Two million when compared with 2014. In some states the rate is above 20% and even 30%, as in Chiapas.

Peña Nieto was questioned about the visit of US presidential candidate, Donald Trump, (he said that “it allowed (the Republican candidate) to realize the relevance of Mexico for the USA”); on accusations of plagiarism of his law thesis (he said it was a “methodological error”); and increasing the price of gasoline (on which he assured that “he never promised gasoline wasn’t going to go up”).

On cases of human rights violations, such as Nochixtlán (Oaxaca) and Tanhuato (Michoacan), he argued that there is a commitment to the clarification of events from the investigations of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR). He stressed that there has been progress to create better conditions regarding human rights and that cases of violations involving the armed forces and the federal public security institutions have decreased.

Finally, on the topic of teachers, he reiterated that education reform aims to improve the quality of education in the country for young people to have more opportunities and tools for their future. He insisted that dialogue could be resumed until the right to education of children and young people of Oaxaca and Chiapas is guaranteed.

For more information in Spanish:

Reporte sobre ‘México Próspero’ confirma golpe a los más desprotegidos (Zocalo Saltillo, 2 de septiembre de 2016)

Peña Nieto sostiene que México avanza en materia de DH (La Jornada, 1ero de septiembre de 2016)

Peña ha logrado grandes cambios pese a resistencias, defiende Osorio Chong (Revista Proceso, 1ero de septiembre de 2016)

Palabras del presidente Enrique Peña Nieto, previo al encuentro con jóvenes en Palacio Nacional con motivo de su 4o Informe de Gobierno (Radio Formula, 1ero de septiembre de 2016)

Nadie puede decir que plagié mi tesis, responde Peña a jóvenes por su Cuarto Informe (Animal Político, 1ero de septiembre de 2016)

Osorio Chong entrega el Cuarto Informe de Peña y pide a legisladores analizarlo sin ideologías de por medio (Animal Político, 1 de septiembre de 2016)

4to. Informe de Gobierno: más muertos, menos dinero y muchos escándalos (Aristegui Noticias, 31 de agosto de 2016)

Para descargar el cuarto informe de gobierno (@gob.mx)

For more information from SIPAZ :

Nacional: Múltiples críticas a la presentación del Tercer Informe de Gobierno de Peña Nieto

(8 de septiembre de 2015)

 

National: International Day of the Disappeared

In the framework of International Day of Victims of Forced Disappearance, held on August 30, various national and international organizations declared themselves in favor of recognizing this problem which has become more acute: today, more than 28,000 people are missing in the country according to official figures.

In a statement, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) in Mexico underlined the obligation “of the authorities to put the effective search for all missing persons in order to clarify there whereabouts at the heart of their efforts, ensuring the participation and inclusion of families and organizations in these processes.” Jan Jarab, UNHCHR representative, raised the need to implement mechanisms of accountability “for those public servants who by act or omission obstruct the search for missing persons.” He said the general law on missing persons in Congress “is an opportunity (…) to create a strong institutional search structure under the coordination of the Federation” and urged that it be approved promptly.

The National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) stressed that “the existence of this scourge in our country should be recognized.” It also urged the Federal Government to recognize the importance and urgency of accepting the competence of the Committee for Forced Disappearances of the United Nations Organization (UNO), so that the government can meet international standards. It also asked Congress that the General Law on Forced Disappearance be a priority issue in its next sitting.

The Movement for Our Disappeared in Mexico, composed of more than 40 groups of families of missing persons accompanied by various civil society organizations, presented the #SinLasFamiliasNo campaign, to demand the involvement of families in the formulation and implementation of the General Law on Forced Disappearance and Disappearance of Persons by Individuals. They said that the legislation should include a commission, a national investigation plan and a plan of exhumation and identification of remains as well as a sufficient budget and investigation of responsibility of superiors of the security forces involved in the disappearances.

For their part, Amnesty International, the Institute of Criminal Justice Procedure, the Foundation for Justice and Democratic Rule of Law, the Due Process of Law Foundation, and the Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights (CMDPDH), presented the document: “Criminal Investigation with Due Diligence of Extrajudicial or Arbitrary Executions, Killings and Disappearances of Persons: A Guide to Basic Standards.”

Within the same framework in Guerrero, relatives of the 43 student teachers from Ayotzinapa and families of the disappeared in Acapulco, Chilapa, and Iguala agreed to unify their searches to continue to demand the presentation with life of their loved ones. They complained that the responsible authorities have not met their obligations. In Chiapas, more than 300 members of the National Front for Socialist Struggle (FNLS) marched in San Cristobal de Las Casas to demand the safe return of the disappeared in Mexico which, they argued, “has become a permanent practice of the State when corrupting, harassing, imprisonment and torture to subdue social activists and their organizations do not work.”

For more information in Spanish:

Convocatoria de la Campaña Nacional Contra la Desaparición Forzada en México

ONU, AI, Cruz Roja, ONGs y familias exigen al Estado mexicano ver y aceptar crisis de desaparecidos (Sin Embargo, 30 de agosto de 2016)

Desaparición forzada, estrategia para infundir terror en los ciudadanos: ONU (Proceso, 30 de agosto de 2016)

Casi 30 mil desaparecidos muestran incapacidad del gobierno: ONG (La Jornada, 30 de agosto de 2016)

Conmemoran Día del Detenido-Desaparecido en Chiapas (La Jornada, 30 de agosto de 2016)

CNDH pide reconocer al comité contra desaparición de la ONU (La Jornada, 30 de agosto de 2016)

Especial « Desapariciones forzadas » (La Jornada, agosto de 2016)

 

For more information from SIPAZ :

Nacional : presentación del informe “Defender los derechos humanos en México, la normalización de la represión política” (31 de agosto de 2016)

Chiapas: Maximiliano Gordillo Martinez Reappears after 52 Days Missing

In a joint statement published on September 2, the Fray Bartolome de Las Casas Center for Human Rights (CDHFBC), Meso-American Voices and La 72 Shelter for Migrants, reported that the youth Maximiliano Gordillo Martinez, who was missing since May 7 when he was stopped at a checkpoint of the National Migration Institute (INM) in Tabasco, reappeared alive.

Located on August 29, Maximilian is now with his family. They denounced that “since his arrest by INM federal agents on May 7 last at the immigration checkpoint at Chablé, Tabasco, until the day of his location on August 29, Maximiliano -a youth of 18 from the municipality of Socoltenango- was the victim of crimes and serious violations of his human rights, through the blame of the Mexican state. “

They claimed that “the documenting and analysis of the case continues in order to define the terms of the follow-up”, while asking for “sensitivity and respect to the processes of healing and strengthening as concrete ways of expressing solidarity”.

They stated that “what Maximiliano lived through reveals the magnitude of the structural, institutional and social violence suffered by Mexicans and people from other countries during their movements to migratory destinations within our country. But it also reminds us that the demand for and realization of truth, justice and full reparation imply a conscious and mobilized civil society.”

For more information in Spanish:

Tras 52 días de desaparecido, joven indígena aparece con vida en Chiapas (Revista Proceso, 3 de septiembre de 2016)

Reaparece joven mexicano detenido por el INM desde mayo (La Jornada, 3 de septiembre de 2016)

A casi cuatro meses de que el INM lo desapareciera, indígena chiapaneco es hallado con vida (Sin Embargo, 3 de septiembre de 2016)

Boletín “Maximiliano ya está con nosotros, con nosotras” (CDHFBC, Voces Mesoamericanas, La 72, 3 de septiembre de 2016)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Chiapas/Nacional: Siguen las exigencias de la presentación con vida de Maximiliano Gordillo Martinez, desaparecido forzadamente en mayo (24 de agosto de 2016)

Chiapas/Nacional: Conferencia de prensa sobre la desaparición Forzada de Maximiliano Gordillo Martínez (16 de junio de 2016)

Chiapas/Nacional : Denuncian desaparición forzada de Maximiliano Gordillo Martínez por agentes del INM (24 de mayo de 2016)

 

National: Report Launch “Defending Human Rights in Mexico: Normalization of Political Repression”

On August 24 last, the Mexico Cerezo Committee, the organization Urgent Action for Human Rights Defenders and the National Campaign Against Forced Disappearance presented the report Defending Human Rights in Mexico: Normalization of Political Repression, which covers the period from June 2015 to May 2016. The report indicates that 87 violations of the human rights of defenders which occurred in 2011, increased to 118 in 2012, 160 in 2013, 225 in 2014 and 302 in 2015. Another 35 were documented so far this year.

For the first time, the number of physical assaults surpassed that of threats and harassment of activists and human rights defenders, and also that Guerrero, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Michoacan and Veracruz account for half of these abuses (293 attacks on activists of a total of 482). The fifth report included 41 death threats, three forced disappearances, 186 physical assaults, 55 evictions, nine cases where shots were fired and an equal number of damage to or theft of property.

The document notes that most of the violations are related to the promotion of various mega-projects, where activists and advocates accompany social movements fighting for their territory, water, forests and natural resources.

Commenting on the report, Jesus Peña Palacios, from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Mexico, underlined the obligation of the government and its authorities to ensure the work of human rights defenders. Father Miguel Concha stated that “there is always a political intention to commit these violations.” Fernando Rios, Rights for All Network, denounced for his part the existence of a state policy characterized by insults, harassment and attacks against domestic and foreign defenders, as in the case of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI) in the Ayotzinapa case.

 For more information in Spanish:

CONSULTA 5° Informe VDH: Defender los derechos humanos en México:- La normalización de la represión política (Junio de 2015 a mayo de 2016). (Comité Cerezo, agosto de 2016)

Concentran cinco entidades casos de agresión contra activistas: ONG (Revista Proceso, 24 de agosto de 2016)

Superan ya las agresiones físicas a las amenazas contra activistas (La Jornada Maya, 25 de agosto de 2016)

Aumentan ataques a defensores de DH debido a protestas contra reformas estructurales y caso Ayotzinapa: Comité Cerezo (Revolución 3.0, 25 de agosto de 2016)

Normalización de la represión política (La Jornada, 27 de agosto de 2016)

 For more information from SIPAZ :

Nacional/Guerrero: Informes poco favorables sobre corrupción y derechos humanos en México (3 de febrero de 2016)

Chiapas/National: Demands That Maximiliano Gordillo Martinez, Forcibly Disappeared in May, Be Presented Alive Continue

Press conference to demand that Maximiliano Gordillo Martínez be presented alive (Photo @AFPTV)

Maximiliano Martinez Gordillo, 18, who left his home in the municipality of Socoltenango for Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo in search of work, was forcibly disappeared “at the hands of immigration agents” last May. Since then, the Fray Bartolome de Las Casas Centre for Human Rights (CDHFBC), along with Mesoamerican Voices (Voices), Home 72 – Refuge for Migrants (La 72), and the disappeared boy’s parents have been seeking his whereabouts. On August 21, Maximilian turned 19 and is still missing. As part of the efforts being made to demand Maximilian be presented alive, parents, CDHFBC, Voices and the 72 have joined forces to hold several press conferences in Chiapas, Tabasco and recently in Mexico City, where they claimed that on May 7 last, the National Migration Institute (INM) “in conjunction with Tabasco State Police took Maximilian from the bus he was migrating on to another state of the republic in search of work, he was arrested, intimidated and disappeared.”

The arrests of migrants from Central America, Mexico and people on their way to the United States of America, is nothing new. The CDHFBC, Voices and 72 reported in a press conference in Mexico City that, “according to official figures, from October 2014 to April 2015, the US stopped 70,440 people, while 92,889 migrants were deported in the same period by the Mexican State. Meanwhile, in 2015, Mexico deported approximately 150,000 migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras primarily, representing an increase of 44% over the previous year, making it the biggest “deporter” of people at global level.” They also say that this hardening “is added to the crime of organized groups that steal from, extort, commit sexual crimes against and kidnap migrants. There have also been documented cases of trafficking for sex work and cases of young people who are forced to work for organized crime itself. These criminal groups operate in the territories under constant and staunch presence of the immigration authorities and public security bodies; from this the participation and responsibility of the authorities of the Mexican state is inferred, although they deny it, there is an abundance of testimonies from residents and victims, who constantly point out both direct participation of public officials across all hierarchical levels in these crimes, as well as complicity, tolerance and ineffectiveness in prosecuting those responsible.”

Given this panorama, human rights organizations, together with the family, made an urgent call for national and international solidarity to demand the immediate presentation with life of Maximilian, and “a comprehensive investigation into those responsible.” Among other actions, they invited people to sign and share the urgent action on the Avaaz website, and to widely share the story of Maximilian. Both links can be found below.

For more information in Spanish:

Firma la petición en Avaaz

La desaparición forzada práctica cotidiana en México Violaciones a derechos humanos cometidas por agentes de Migración (CDHFBC, Voces Mesoamericanas, La 72 Hogar y Refugio para personas migrantes, 22 de agosto de 2016)

Desaparición Forzada por agentes migratorios. Historia de Maximiliano Gordillo Martínez (Centro de Derechos Humanos Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez, 22 de agosto de 2016)

México: Agentes de Migración participan en desapariciones (ONG) (22 de agosto de 2016)

Le diría a Peña Nieto que me devuelva mi hijo, porque su gente lo detuvo: padre de migrante desaparecido (Revolución res punto cero, 23 de agosto de 2016)

Perspectivas – La desaparición forzada del joven Maximiliano Gordillo (RompeViento TV, 23 agosto 2016)

A tres meses de la desaparición forzada de Maximiliano Gordillo Martínez, entre la impunidad y corrupción (Voces Mesoamericanas, 8 de agosto de 2016)

Instituto Nacional de Migración desaparece a Joven Migrante Chiapaneco (Radio Zapote, 18 de agosto de 2016)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Chiapas/Nacional: Conferencia de prensa sobre la desaparición Forzada de Maximiliano Gordillo Martínez (16 de junio de 2016)

Chiapas/Nacional : Denuncian desaparición forzada de Maximiliano Gordillo Martínez por agentes del INM (24 de mayo de 2016)