Mexico City, October 31, 2022- During July, August and October, human rights defenders and journalists participated in regional meetings of the northern, southern and central zones of Mexico. They were attended by people from Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Nuevo León, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Sonora, Chihuahua, San Luis Potosí, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Aguascalientes, Michoacán, Querétaro, Puebla, Morelos, Mexico City, State of Mexico , Veracruz, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatan.
The purpose of these meetings was to create a common work path to promote strategies aimed at building a comprehensive public policy that guarantees the right to defend human rights and freedom of expression, based on the needs identified in each region.
As a result of the deliberations that took place, the main challenges in the local and regional context were identified, given the increase in violence against defenders and journalists, such as defamation campaigns, greater judicial harassment, through criminal and administrative channels, and the arbitrary use of public force against those who use the right to protest. All this in the context of the increasing militarization of public security, where links between local authorities and members of organized crime are also coming together.
The capacities and failures of the state to guarantee the conditions for the full realization of such rights, such as lack of knowledge and non-compliance with the legal protection framework and lack of responsibility and concrete actions to solve the problem of violence and restrictions, were analyzed. in exercising their rights, by institutions that are obliged to prevent, protect, investigate, punish and completely repair the damage.
In this context, those present emphasized the need for state bodies to respect their obligations and, among other things, devise a comprehensive public policy aimed at guaranteeing the right to defend human rights and freedom of expression. The foregoing implies guaranteeing the implementation of local regulatory frameworks, the allocation of human and financial resources to government agencies responsible for complying with the stated obligations, the promotion of a culture of human rights through the generation of recognition and campaigns to raise awareness of the human rights of defenders and journalists, the opening of a dialogue in all states on the adoption of a general regulatory framework, strengthening coordination between different levels of government and the Federal Protection Mechanism, as well as stopping attacks on the aforementioned groups and promptly, diligently and impartially investigating crimes and human rights violations committed against human rights defenders and journalists.
Finally, as a result of the meetings, territorial work actions aimed at strengthening the networks between these populations, monitoring the implementation of local regulations on protection and continuing to promote the aforementioned public policy through dialogue with government actors and the implementation of technical proposals that pay for its design and implementation were established.
These meetings were organized by the organizations that make up the CSO Space for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, with the support of the Delegation of the European Union and the German cooperation agency Pan Para el Mundo.
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CSO A space for the protection of human rights defenders and journalists who are: ARTICLE 19; Saltillo Migrant House; Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA); Tlachinollan Mountain Center for Human Rights; Center for Human Rights Zeferino Ladrillero (CDHZL); National Center for Social Communications (Cencos); Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights (CMDPDH); Communication and information of women AC (CIMAC); Consortium for Parliamentary Dialogue and Equity, Oaxaca AC; AC Institute of Environmental Law (IDEA); National network of organizations for human rights All rights for all (RedTDT); Services and advice for peace (Serapaz); CSO Space is monitored by Peace Brigades International (PBI).