U.S. State Department signals Mexican military abuses in Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2011
05/27/12 (written by cmolzahn) – In its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011, the U.S. State Department pointed to a pattern of complaints of human rights abuses perpetrated by the Mexican Army (Secretaría de Defensa Nacional, Sedena) and Navy (Secretaría de Marina, Semar) within the context of the fight against what it … Read more
Another journalist killed in Mexico makes six in one-month span
05/22/12 – On Friday, May 18, journalist Marco Antonio Ávila García became the sixth member of the media killed in the past month in Mexico, a staggeringly high number in such a short period of time. Ávila García’s body was found in a plastic bag just outside the city of Empalme, Sonora, a day after witnesses … Read more
Three Mexicans sentenced to death abroad for drug trafficking
05/20/12 – Despite pressure from the Mexican National Commission of Human Rights (Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos, CNDH) to call attention to and stop the sentencing of Mexicans abroad to the death penalty, the Villarreal case in Malaysia is ending in capital punishment for the three Mexican brothers. Luis Alfonso (47), José Regino (36), and … Read more
Journalist murdered in Morelos, five total in three-week span in Mexico
05/17/12 – Adding to what seems to be a quickly growing number of journalists killed in Mexico, journalist René Orta Salgado was found dead inside his car in Morelos on Sunday, May 13. The body showed signs of having been beaten, most notably with blows to the abdomen, core, and head, and with markings of … Read more
Three journalists killed in Veracruz, four journalists murdered in five days
05/04/12 – Five days after Proceso journalist Regina Martínez was found murdered in the state of Veracruz, the bodies of three more journalists were discovered on Thursday, May 3, in the same state. Authorities were alerted to four suspicious black bags in a canal in the town of Boca del Rio in which the mutilated … Read more
Mexican Lawmakers Pass Legislation to Compensate Victims
05/02/12- On Monday, April 30, 2012, the Mexican Congress unanimously passed legislation that will provide compensation for victims of drug related violence and organized crime. Since 2006, an estimated 47,500 to 50,000 people have been killed, and many thousands more have disappeared. This legislation, called the General Law for Victims (Ley General de Víctimas) seeks … Read more
Mexican Senate committees approve judicial reform to try soldiers in civilian courts
04/30/12 (written by cmolzahn) – Two commissions of the Mexican Senate recently approved long-awaited legislation, which would fundamentally change the way in which soldiers believed to be guilty of violations of common law or even human rights abuses are processed. If passed in the full Senate, Article 58 of the military justice code, as it … Read more
Mexican Custom Agents Seize 268,000 Rounds of Ammunition
04/19/12- On Wednesday, April 18, Mexican authorities seized 268,000 rounds of assault rifle ammunition being hauled by a U.S. truck attempting to enter northern Mexico at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing at Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. 37-year-old driver Bogan Jabin Akeem allegedly told customs agents that he was not carrying any cargo in his truck. However, an … Read more
Our Future Mexico Demands Change from Presidential Candidates
04/12/12- On Monday April 9, 2012, a movement in Mexico entitled “Our Future Mexico” (Nuestro México del Futuro) released a short film called “Niños incómodos” (Uncomfortable Children or Discomforting Children), which quickly accrued nearly 2 million views online. The cast of the film is entirely made up of children featured in adult roles as both … Read more
Summit of the Americas Likely To Focus on Drugs, Sources Say
04/13/12- Over the course of the April 14-15 weekend, 33 heads of state from North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean are poised to convene at the Sixth Summit of the Americas in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. According to sources, the socio-political climate is such that discussion is likely to focus on narco-trafficking and … Read more
