U.S. Worldwide Threat Assessment Addresses Cartel Violence
01/31/12- According to Reforma, in his testimony before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper praised efforts that the Mexican Government has taken against cartels, but criticized the delay of implementing legislative reforms at the federal and state levels. Director Clapper appeared in front of the committee in order to present the “Annual Worldwide Threat Assessment,” … Read more
Military General Accused of Ordering Executions in Ojinaga
01/30/2012 – Major General Manuel de Jesús Moreno Aviña has been accused of systematic abuses between April of 2008 and August of 2009 in front of the military garrison of Ojinaga, Chihuahua. According to Reforma, General Moreno Aviña is responsible for at least seven extrajudicial executions. According to Reforma, one such execution was that of … Read more
Federal Government Will Spare No Expense to Protect Journalists
01/30/12 – The Assistant Attorney General of International Affairs (Subprocurador Jurídico y de Asuntos Internacionales), Alejandro Ramos Flores, announced at a meeting with the organization PEN International that the Federal Government of Mexico will spare no expense to protect journalists and will not tolerate those who commit crimes against them. PEN, which is currently headed … Read more
Mexican Firefighters Not Considered Public Security
1/27/12 – On January 25, the Supreme Court in Mexico (Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación, SCJN) established that firemen were not considered public security officers under Mexican law. Determining that firefighters’ principal functions include fire prevention, emergency response and mitigation, risk and disaster relief, and assistance and protection of the population, the Supreme … Read more
Mexico Denies Human Rights Watch Allegations
1/28/12 – Mexico’s Interior Ministry (Secretario de Gobernación, Segob) sent out a formal complaint to Human Rights Watch (HRW) stating that the accusations it makes about Mexico in its recent reports are untrue and “do not reflect the real status in Mexico.” On January 21, HRW released its annual “World Report,” which examines the status … Read more
Mexican Legislator Proposes Law Similar to U.S. SOPA Bill
01/26/12— In the midst of the U.S. Congress reviewing two pieces of anti-piracy legislation, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Propety Act (PIPA), the Senate of Mexico has also been in the process of reviewing its own anti-piracy propostion made by legislator Federico Döring of the National Action Party (Partido Acción … Read more
Mexican Supreme Court Upholds Constitutionality of Federal District’s Asset Seizure Law
01/26/12—Today Mexico’s Supreme Court upheld the Constitutionality of the Federal District’s new asset seizure law (ley de extinción de dominio), denying a property owner’s request for protective judicial redress (amparo) four to one. Prior to the current asset seizure law, Mexico’s constitution had only allowed the government to seize property after fairly compensating the owner … Read more
Investigations Open into Possible Spying in Chamber of Deputies
01/24/12– Accusations of illegal spying and tapping of public administration buildings have been reported in the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) this past week. Submitted to the Deputy Attorney of Specialized Investigations of Federal Crimes (Subprocuraduría de Investigación Especializada en Delitos Federales, SIEDF), the report claimed that a listening device was discovered in the San … Read more
1997 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Visits Mexico
01/23/12 – Jody Williams, the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize winner and president of the International Nobel Women’s Initiative Organization, visited Mexico this week to discuss and determine the state of high profile issues plaguing the country. During her visit, Williams met with Federal Attorney General (Procuraduría General de la República, PGR) Marisela Morales Ibáñez on January … Read more
2011 Marks Highest Record of Auto Theft in Mexico
01/12/11 – The Mexican Association of Insurance Institutions (Asociación Mexicana de Instituciones de Seguros, AMIS) announced that 2011 has marked a new high record for the number of auto thefts reported throughout Mexico. General director of AMIS, Recaredo Arias Jiménez , announced that in this past year, 85,510 insured vehicles were reported stolen, which is … Read more
