GENEVA - A UN expert* today warned of the complex security situation faced by human rights defenders in Mexico.
"During the six years of my mandate, I have received countless reports of serious attacks against human rights defenders in Mexico. Unfortunately, concerns persist around the continuation of attacks ," said Mary Lawlor, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.
"The government has taken some measures to tackle the phenomenon, but despite progress, these efforts continue to face structural challenges."
The Special Rapporteur cited the situation in the south of the country - in particular in the state of Chiapas - as a tragic example.
"The state of Chiapas showcases the range of risks and reprisals faced by defenders in the country, and the groups of defenders who face particularly high risks," Lawlor said. "We see how the interests of organised crime, some public authorities and big business intersect, and how these interests drive insecurity for those defending human rights."
The Special Rapporteur highlighted the emblematic cases of the murders of the Tzotzil indigenous priest Father Marcelo Pérez Pérez and the Maya Tsotsil human rights defender Simón Pedro Pérez López in 2024 and 2021; the allegedly arbitrary detention of the Maya Tzotsil human rights defender Versaín Velasco García; the recent repeated raids on the offices of the Fray Matías de Córdova Human Rights Centre; and the serious insecurity faced by local "madres buscadoras" - women searching for relatives who have been disappeared.
"The three levels of government must reaffirm their commitment to working with human rights defenders and tackling the root causes of injustice and inequality in Mexican society."
The Special Rapporteur invited authorities to explore appropriate measures for human rights defenders arbitrarily detained in the country, to protect and recognise those searching for their missing relatives as human rights defenders and to fully respect the rights of indigenous peoples, including their right to free, prior and informed consent, in accordance with ILO Convention 169.
The Special Rapporteur is in contact with the Government regarding these concerns and the individual cases cited.
