Action Center - Latin America Working Group

Setting the Record Straight on Merida and Human Rights in Mexico

by Vanessa Kritzer and Pesha Magid on August 21, 2009

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.

:2009, Blog Posts, Mexico, Vanessa Kritzer

Senator Leahy Takes a Stand for Human Rights in Mexico

by Vanessa Kritzer and Jennifer Johnson on August 06, 2009

A lot has been happening in Washington in the weeks since we covered the Washington Post article that exposed the forced disappearances, torture and illegal raids being carried out by the Mexican military as a part of the “drug war” and the practical impunity for soldiers who use these tactics. Concerned members of Congress have started asking more questions, so LAWG has been working with partner groups in the United States and Mexico to provide some answers. On July 16th, we circulated a joint public statement calling for Congress to withhold a chunk of funds designated for Mexico under the Merida Initiative, which they can only release once they accept a report from the State Department that documents the Mexican government’s efforts to meet four key human rights requirements.

:Blog Posts, Jennifer Johnson, Mexico, Vanessa Kritzer

Activists Rally for Comprehensive Immigration Reform on Capitol Hill

by Christa Schelter and Jenny Johnson on June 05, 2009

:2009, Blog Posts

Torture, Disappearances, Illegal Raids: The Mexican Army's Drug War

by Vanessa Kritzer and Jennifer Johnson on July 13, 2009

“The Mexican army has carried out forced disappearances, acts of torture and illegal raids in pursuit of drug traffickers, according to documents and interviews with victims, their families, political leaders and human rights monitors.”

In a detailed exposé published on the front page of last Thursday’s Washington Post, reporters Steve Fainaru and William Booth draw on testimonies from victims, their family members, political officials and human rights monitors to illustrate some of the brutal tactics that the Mexican Army has employed in its efforts to combat drug related violence. Horrific and heartbreaking stories from rural and urban communities, including Puerto Las Ollas, Guerrero and Tijuana, Baja California, are representative of too many of the abuses that have occurred.

:2009, Blog Posts, Jennifer Johnson, Vanessa Kritzer

Shedding Light on the 'Iron River': Stemming Firearms Trafficking Across Our Southern Border

by Christa Schelter on May 27, 2009

In recent years, thousands of military-style rifles and other firearms have been purchased in the United States and trafficked over our southern border, ultimately ending up in the hands of Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs). If the U.S. is to hold true to its promise of being a good neighbor, we know that bold moves must be made to effectively stem this illicit flow of U.S.-sourced firearms into Mexico. Yet the question arises: What steps need to be taken to achieve this?

:2009, Blog Posts

Guerrero, Mexico: Human Rights Defenders Need Protection Now!

by Jenny Johnson on July 07, 2009

Deeply concerned after learning of an assassination attempt against human rights defenders in Guerrero, including Margarita Martín de las Nieves, the Latin America Working Group, Human Rights Watch, the Washington Office on Latin America and Due Process of Law Foundation issued a letter to Ambassador Juan Manuel Gómez Robledo, the Mexican Assistant Secretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, urging state and federal authorities to take immediate action to ensure the safety of Margarita Martín de las Nieves and fully implement security measures necessary to make certain that human rights defenders in Guerrero can safely carry out their work without fear of reprisals. These protective measures include those agreed to by the Mexican government within the context of proceedings before the Inter-American system of human rights.

:2009, Blog Posts, Jennifer Johnson, Mexico

Mexican NGO's Voice Support for the Rule of Law, Not Military Hardware

by Jenny Johnson on May 06, 2009

Recent statements by congressional leaders and the Obama Administration indicate that Congress is poised to send hundreds of millions of additional dollars of counternarcotics assistance for Mexico, including helicopters, planes, and other hardware, as part of a supplemental appropriations bill.

:Blog Posts