2009

We were disappointed and troubled to learn last week that the U.S. government had released the chunk of Merida Initiative funds that were supposed to have been withheld until the State Department reported that Mexico had demonstrated progress in key areas of human rights.

Soon after the news of the release was confirmed, the Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center, the Tlachinollan Human Rights Center, and the Fundar Center for Analysis and Investigation, three prominent Mexican human rights NGOs, released a public statement condemning the U.S. government’s action, as the “human rights obligations remain unfulfilled as Mexican security forces commit widespread, unpunished violations against the civilian population.”

As the media has been spinning many different stories about Merida Initiative funding, we've been glad to see fellow human rights advocates getting the truth out there.

In recent months the Washington Post has provided useful and hard-hitting coverage of some of the brutal tactics employed by Mexico’s military and the Mexican government’s failure to hold soldiers accountable for human rights violations.  However, on August 13th the Post’s editorial board published a disappointing op-ed arguing that U.S. government could best assist Mexico by turning a blind eye to these human rights violations. So earlier this week, Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, and Jorge G. Castañeda, the former foreign minister of Mexico, challenged this short-sighted assertion in a powerful letter to the editor.

Colombian pop star Juanes has planned his second “Peace without borders” concert for September 20th -- UN International Peace Day --  in Havana, Cuba.  Cuban stars Silvio Rodriguez and salsa band, Los Van Van, along with Puerto Rican singer Olga Tañon have also committed and there is speculation that some U.S. artists have been invited too.  Juanes has formally requested to sing in the Plaza of the Revolution between the statue to José Martí and the grand image of Che Guevara.  The show will be free and open to a huge Cuban audience. Juanes’ intention is to "transcend politics,” so what’s the big deal?

Torture, illegal raids, and forced disappearances carried out by government soldiers with no accountability. Is this what we want our government to be funding in Mexico? No.

Senator Patrick Leahy felt the same way.

If you want to support the effort to prioritize human rights in Mexico over military aid, click here.