We are documenting how narco-trafficking has infiltrated the halls of government…. What can we, as human rights lawyers, do when the foundation of the justice system is deteriorating, when organized crime infiltrates the higher commands of the police? We remain completely vulnerable. When we denounce these officers that violate human rights by torturing and through arbitrary arrest, we do not know if behind this is the head of a drug cartel.
Versión en español abajo
Hegel Mariano Ramirez is a human rights defender at a Guerrero human rights group within the human rights network “Todos los derechos para todas y todos.” The network is composed of 55 civic organizations that work in 19 states throughout Mexico and in the Federal District. In a coordinated effort, they promote and defend human rights by sharing information and upholding their role as a critical mediator between social actors and the Mexican government.
The following excerpt was taken from a brown bag lunch entitled, “Criminalization of Social Protest in the Mexican State of Guerrero,” held on October 21, 2008 at the Washington Office on Latin America in Washington.
"Now, with the Merida plan, we are opening the door to have the military expand throughout the country. On average, there are 15 to 20 executions every day due to narco-trafficking. The policies that the government uses to fight against narco-trafficking are a complete failure. The institutions created to investigate such crimes are failing. The infiltration of narco-trafficking into the federal and local governments is a situation that makes you shiver and gives you terror.
"We are documenting how narco-trafficking has infiltrated the halls of government…. What can we, as human rights lawyers, do when the foundation of the justice system is deteriorating, when organized crime infiltrates the higher commands of the police? We remain completely vulnerable. When we denounce these officers that violate human rights by torturing and through arbitrary arrest, we do not know if behind this is the head of a drug cartel.
"So, this leaves us in a position of enormous vulnerability. The government is unable to guarantee justice for everyone, or to make stronger the institutions within the justice system as a whole. It has been brought down by organized crime and, even worse, it is society that is suffering the deaths, that has become the victim."
– translation by Tracy Vris & Diva Sanabria
¿Qué puede hacemos cuando la justicia nos falla?
"Ahora con el plan Mérida que esta en puerta pues creemos que esto va a crear realmente una mayor militarización en todo el país que ya de por si esta ya con toda la violencia que hay del narcotráfico. Casi hay un promedio de 15 a 20 ejecuciones diarias por el problema del narcotráfico. Es decir que la política que ha tenido el gobierno federal en cuanto a la lucha contra el narcotráfico realmente es un fracaso. Las instituciones encargadas de la investigación y de la procuración de justicia están desdibujadas. La infiltración del narcotráfico en la: presidencia, municipalidades, en las gobernaturas, es una situación que da escalofríos y da miedo.
"Realmente estamos documentando como se ha infiltrado el narcotráfico en los sótanos de la Procuraduría de Justicia. Que hacer como defensores de derechos humanos cuando hay una descomposición de fondo del sistema de procuración de justicia, cuando hay una filtración del crimen organizado a los altos mandos de la policía. Quedamos totalmente vulnerables. Porque entonces cuando hacemos denuncias de violaciones a los derechos humanos contra un comandante que tortura, que detiene arbitrariamente, no sabemos si detrás de eso esta su jefe no político, sino su jefe económico, que será un jefe de un cartel de la droga.
"Entonces eso nos coloca en una situación de mayor vulnerabilidad. El gobierno contra esa capacidad de garantizar justicia, de acceso a la justicia, de sobre todo darle solidez institucional a todo el sistema de justicia. Pues ha sido resquebrajada por el crimen organizado y mas bien es la sociedad la que esta poniendo los muertos, poniendo las victima."
