Violence in Western Chihuahua Driven by Heightened Cartel Rivalry

February 22, 2021

02/22/21 (written by rramos) –A recent string of deadly attacks in various locations throughout western Chihuahua may indicate that organized crime groups linked to two of Mexico’s most prominent drug cartels﹘ the Sinaloa Cartel and the...

Mexico’s Judicial System is Modernizing with Digital Justice

February 10, 2021

02/10/21 - The following work is an investigative piece by Justice in Mexico Training Coordinator Janice Deaton. Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all sectors of society in Mexico, including its criminal justice system....

Ex-governor of Puebla arrested for the 2005 torture of journalist Lydia Cacho

February 9, 2021

02/09/21 (written by aahrensviquez) - On February 3, 2021, federal prosecutors arrested the former governor of Puebla, Mario Marín Torres, for the torture of journalist Lydia Cacho in Acapulco, Guerrero. The arrest was announced by the current...

Witness Links the Military to the 43 Missing Ayotzinapa Students

February 8, 2021

02/08/21 (written by scortez) - A recently leaked witness testimony directly implicates the military’s involvement in the disappearances of 43 students in the Ayotzinapa case. It is the most recent development to come in the long pursuit of...

Confrontation over Poppy Eradication in Guerrero Highlights Shifting Trends in Drug Production

February 5, 2021

Photo: Jorge Lezama, Cuartoscuro 02/05/2021 (written by rramos) – A hostile encounter between opium poppy farmers and military personnel in the southern state of Guerrero illustrates the increasingly difficult plight of Mexico’s rural...

Two Years of AMLO in Office: A Brief Look at his Security Strategy

February 1, 2021

02/01/2021 (written by emarinoni) - It has been just over two years since Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, commonly known as AMLO, took office in December 2018. This provides an opportune moment to reflect on the impact and...

Mexico Clears Former Defense Minister Cienfuegos of Criminal Allegations

January 26, 2021

On January 14, Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (Fiscalía General de la República, FGR) announced in a press release that it would not prosecute General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, the country’s former defense minister who had been...

Ongoing Prison Clashes Underscore Growing Criminal Violence in Zacatecas

January 25, 2021

The latest outbreak of prison violence in Zacatecas continues to highlight the state’s emergence as a key epicenter of organized crime-related violence in Mexico. In the early morning hours of January 15, a riot erupted at the Cieneguillas...

CNDH’s 2020 Recommendations on Human Rights Violations

January 22, 2021

Photo: Wikimedia. Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission (Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos, CNDH) issued 90 standard recommendations (recomendaciones) in 2020 against offending institutions and local, state, and federal bodies....

Mexican Security Law Reforms May Impact Bilateral Initiatives on Organized Crime

January 11, 2021

The National Regeneration Movement (Movimiento Regeneración Nacional, MORENA), President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s (AMLO) ruling party, passed a new law that curbs the role of foreign law enforcement agents operating within the...