Attacks On Women Activists in Mexico Outrage Rights Experts
“We are outraged that those searching for forcibly disappeared family members and loved ones continue to be targeted and face violence in Mexico,” said the rights experts, issued in the wake of two recent incidents.
Horrific Homicides
Teresa Magueyal, a champion of human rights, was shot and killed on May 2 in Celaya, Guanajuato. José Luis Apaseo Magueyal, her 34-year-old son, vanished three years ago. According to media sources, Ms. Magueyal was the sixth volunteer to die since 2021 and was a member of a group created by families of persons who have vanished. Araceli Rodrguez Nava, who is actively looking for her son who vanished, was assaulted in Chilpancingo, the state capital of Guerrero, two months ago. The incident happened on March 4, 2023. According to UN experts, both women benefited from the federal safety program for journalists and human rights defenders. Although their cases are still being looked into, there is little evidence available regarding their efficacy.
Protecting Liberty and Security
The UN experts urged the Mexican government to make it possible for human rights activists investigating enforced disappearances to work freely and safely. According to them, the existence of organized crime organizations, extortion, human trafficking, abduction networks, corruption, and complicity with authorities are connected to forced disappearances and attacks directed at these activists. Additionally, functioning in a perpetual state of dread, menace, and insecurity intimidates victims' families, the general public, human rights advocates, and organizations.
Analyzation & Accusation
The rights experts have also mentioned the fact that many of the human rights advocates are elderly women, which raises the possibility of them being targets.
"It is exceedingly troubling when crimes committed against human rights advocates and defenders go unpunished despite reports being made. Preventative measures and protection for attack targets and casualties are either absent or ineffective, they claimed. "The Government of Mexico must immediately look into the allegations, bring charges, and punish those responsible with the proper penalties."
Implementing All Precautionary Measures
The UN expert urged the Mexican government to "adopt all necessary measures to prevent irreparable damage to the life and personal integrity of those searching for the forcibly disappeared, their family members, civil society movements, organizations, and public servants" as their statement was released on the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. They pointed out that the dangers experienced by journalists and human rights activists in Mexico are becoming more well known thanks to a presidential campaign there called De Frente a la Libertad. They argued that it was time for the government to take concrete steps to safeguard human rights advocates who are looking for the truth and justice.
Works Cited
United Nations News. (2023, August 30). Mexico: Rights experts 'outraged' over attacks on women activists. UN News. Retrieved September 3, 2023, from https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/08/1140207