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
Spillover Violence in Arizona and California
01/21/12— Two apparently unrelated killings in the Southwest region of the United States this month have brought the issue of ’spill-over violence’ back into the spotlight. On Friday, January 6, 2012, a man’s decapitated body was located west of the Tuscan Mountains in Arizona. The body was discovered missing its hands, feet, and head, none of which were … Read more
Mérida Initiative under evaluation as $900 million to be distributed by year’s end
12/8/11 – The Mérida Initiative, a $1.6 billion initiative to support Mexico in its fight against drug trafficking and drug related violence, has been a discussion point lately as President Felipe Calderón’s ‘war on drugs’ enters its fifth year, having been started in December 2006 when the president took office. The Initiative’s implementation has been … Read more
Zetas release ‘Anonymous’ member; OpCartel called off
11/3/11 – Just days before the hacker group Anonymous was set to publicize important information about the Zetas drug cartel and expose its affiliates in response to the kidnap of one of their members in Veracruz, the victim was allegedly released from captivity. “We can say that, while he is bruised, he is alive and … Read more
Amparo filed against DF Human Rights Commission, High Court of Justice
10/26/2011 - Isabel Miranda de Wallace, president of the Organization to Stop Kidnapping (Alto al Secuestro), and the 2010 National Human Rights Prize winner, and Alejandro Martí, president of the México SOS organization, are taking action by filing an amparo against a Federal District Human Rights Commission case (Comisión de Derechos Humanos del Distrito Federal, CDHDF) … Read more
Military Operations begin in Guerrero and Veracruz
10/25/11— At the beginning of October, two military operations were launched in Veracruz and Guerrero called Operación Cordinada Veracruz Seguro (Coordinated Operation for a Secure Veracruz) and the Operación Cordinada Guerrero Seguro (Coordinated Operation for a Secure Guerrero). The Veracruz operation was announced on October 4, 2011, with the main goal to ensure that current police and … Read more
Soldiers free 61 victims held captive in Coahuila
10/18/11 —Mexican drugs cartels are being accused of kidnapping and of exploiting 61 migrants and holding them hostage for ransom and forced labor in a safe house in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, a state on the U.S.-Mexico border. Intelligence work with military personnel discovered the safe house that held 64 males, three of them the alleged … Read more
Severed heads found outside of elementary school in Acapulco
09/28/11 – On Tuesday, September 27, five decapitated heads were found outside of an elementary school in Acapulco. Pedestrians noticed the heads, which were bundled in a bloodied sack, lying on the ground in front of the Benito Juárez Elementary School in the Garita neighborhood of town. Along with the heads, all of which were … Read more
11th journalist murder of 2011, editor beheaded with warning
09/27/11 — The decapitated body of Maria Elizabeth Macias, 39, the editor of Primera Hora, a daily newspaper based in Nuevo Laredo in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, was found early Saturday morning. The body was found next to the Christopher Columbus monument in Nuevo Laredo. Macias was kidnapped Friday night. An unnamed supervising editor … Read more
New Penal Code Proposed by Calderón
9/26/11- On Thursday, September 22, Calderón presented the Code of Federal Criminal Procedure initiative (Código Federal de Procedimientos Penales) to the Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados). Through this initiative, a person can be “urgently” arrested if it is believed that he or she might flee. This arrest would be allowed to happen without a … Read more
