Documento - Mexico: Defensora de derechos humanos en peligro tras el homicidio de otra defensora.
UA: 01/10 Index: AMR 41/005/2010 MEXICO Date: 05 January 2010
URGENT ACTION
Human Rights Defender at risk after killing
Josefina Reyes, a female human rights defender, was shot and killed on 3 January by unidentified gunmen in Mexico. She had protested at scores of abuses committed by the military deployed in the area to fight organized crime. The lives of other human rights defenders are at risk.
On 3 January, a group of armed men tried to abduct Josefina Reyes outside a shop in Guadalupe municipality, east of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua state. A witness has stated that when the men attempted to abduct Josefina Reyes, she fought back and the men apparently told her “you think you are tough because you are with the organizations” (te crees muy chingona porque estás con las organizaciones) and then shot her in the head.
Since 2008, Josefina Reyes had been active in protests against the violence in the area by organized crime, and human rights violations committed by the military. In August 2009, she participated in a Forum on Militarization and Repression (Foro Contra la Militarización y la Represión) in Ciudad Juárez, to protest at increasing human rights violations committed by members of the military.
Amnesty International believes that other human rights defenders in Ciudad Juárez who participated alongside Josefina Reyes and who belong to Ciudad Juárez’s Coordinadora de Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil (Coordination of Civil Society Organizations), are also at risk of intimidation and attacks. In particular, Cipriana Jurado, another female human rights defender who has worked closely with Amnesty International on cases of abuses by the military, may be at risk.
PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in Spanish or your own language:
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Urging that the authorities ensure that Cipriana Jurado, and other human rights defenders with the Coordination of Civil Society Organization in Ciudad Juárez receive immediate and effective protection, in accordance with their wishes;
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calling for a full, prompt and impartial investigation into the killing of Josefina Reyes, with the results made public and those responsible brought to justice.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 16 FEBRUARY 2009 TO:
Minister of the Interior
Lic. Fernando Francisco Gómez-Mont
Secretaría de Gobernación
Bucareli 99, 1er. piso,
Col. Juárez, Del. Cuauhtémoc,
México D.F., C.P.06600, MEXICO
Fax: +52 55 5093 3414
E-mail: secretario@segob.gob.mx
Salutation: Señor Secretario/Dear Minister
Attorney General of the Republic
Arturo Chávez Chávez
Procurador General de la República
Procuraduría General de la República
Av. Paseo de la Reforma nº 211-213,
Col. Cuauhtémoc, Del. Cuauhtémoc
México D.F., C.P. 06500, MEXICO
Fax: +52 55 5346 0908
Email: ofproc@pgr.gob.mx
Salutation: Dear Attorney General/Señor Procurador General
Governor of Chihuahua State
Lic. José Reyes Baeza Terrazas
Gobernador del Estado de Chihuahua, Palacio de Gobierno, 1er piso, C. Aldama #901, Col. Centro,
Chihuahua, Estado de Chihuahua, C.P. 31000, Mexico
Fax: +52 614 429 3300 (then dial extension 11066 when prompted)
Salutation: Señor Gobernador/
Dear Governor
Also send copies to the Chihuahua State Human Rights Commission, fax: +52 614 410 0828 and to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date
URGENT ACTION
Human Rights Defender at risk after killing
ADditional Information
Since 2007, violence linked to organized crime has spiralled in Mexico: the media have reported more than 14,000 drug cartel related killings. The majority of these murders have occurred in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua state. President Calderón’s administration has attempted to combat the drug cartels by deploying thousands of federal police and over 50,000 military personnel in the worst affected areas, particularly Ciudad Juárez. However this has not resulted in a reduction in violence. According to the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), reports of abuses by the military, including unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detentions and illegal house searches increased six-fold between 2006 and 2008. These cases are routinely investigated and tried by the military justice system, which does not guarantee an impartial and independent investigation, resulting in impunity for the vast majority of perpetrators. As a result victims and their relatives are denied an effective recourse to justice, and military officials are aware that they are extremely unlikely to be held to account.
UA: 01/10 Index: AMR 41/005/2010 Issue Date: 05 January 2010
