Mexico: Update to MEX30169.E of 5 October 1998 on the treatment of women in the military and specifically, whether a volunteer female officer, who alleges sexual harassment or abuse by other members of the military, has recourse within the judicial apparatus of the military
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 26 July 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | MEX34907.E |
| Reference | 5 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Mexico: Update to MEX30169.E of 5 October 1998 on the treatment of women in the military and specifically, whether a volunteer female officer, who alleges sexual harassment or abuse by other members of the military, has recourse within the judicial apparatus of the military , 26 July 2000, MEX34907.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad6b88.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
No mention of the treatment of female officers within the military could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, with reference to recourse in general within the judicial apparatus of the military, Amnesty International reported in March 1999 that:
There is a pattern of intimidation against social organizations and individual leaders, including killing and death threats, and the system of military justice is used to provide impunity for the perpetrators.
Two sources report on the treatment of some military officers who have denounced abuses by the military justice system. For example, Country Reports 1998 states that the leader of a march of some 50 active-duty members of the Armed Forces was charged with desertion following a public protest denouncing the "unfair military justice system" (1999 Section 1e). Five lieutenants who also participated in the protest were subsequently arrested and charged with sedition (ibid.). Furthermore, in March 1999, the case of a member of the Armed Forces, who was arrested following a request he had made that a human rights ombudsman be hired within the army, was reported in an IPS article (1 Mar. 1999). The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights had intervened in the case demanding that the Mexican military release the officer (ibid.). No information as to how the intervention resulted could be found among the sources consulted.
Attempts to obtain additional information from some oral sources were unsuccessful within the time constraints of this Response.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Amnesty International. 9 March 1999. Mexico: The Shadow of Impunity.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1998. 1999. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
Inter Press Service (IPS). 1 March 1999. Diego Cevallos. "Military Slammed Harder Than Ever." (NEXIS)
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB Databases
LEXIS/NEXIS
Mexico NewsPak [Austin]. 1999
Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 1999-2000
Latin American Regional Reports: Mexico and NAFTA Report [London]. 1999-2000
World News Connection (WNC)
Internet sites including:
Amnesty International
Centro de Derechos Humanos Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez, A.C.
Excélsior [Mexico]. Search Engine. 1996-2000
Fempress [Santiago]. 1999-2000
Human Rights Watch
La Jornada [Mexico]. Search Engine. 1996-2000
United Nations
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