Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2002 - Mexico

Death threats, attacks and harassment against Mr. Pedro Raúl López Hernández¹⁴³

On 14th January 2002 individuals fired on the domicile of Mr. Pedro Raúl López Hernández, President of the Chiapas Commission for Human Rights. In response to such an attack, on 16th January the Inter American Commission asked that measured be taken to protect him. On 18th January the presidents of the 32 State Human Rights Commissions sent a letter to the Governor of the Chiapas, asking him to initiate an investigation without delay, and to punish those responsible for the attack. The General Prosecutor of the Republic (PGR) initiated an investigation on the Governor and the general co-ordinator of the assessors, for attempted homicide, unlawful use of firearms, and material damage. The investigation has so far produced no result.

Since he took office as President of the Chiapas Commission in June 2001, Mr. López Hernández has investigated a number of serious cases of human rights violations, in particular concerning alleged torture practised by the Chiapas State police on members of the indigenous population. In a letter sent to the Chapas authorities, he denounced an operation carried out by the Marques de Cornillas police during which eight members of the indigenous population were detained and tortured. In December 2001 Mr López Hernández also sent a letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs. Mary Robinson, denouncing the threats and harassment to which he was subjected: anonymous telephone calls, being followed by unidentified cars, and surveillance of his home.

On 10th October 2002 Mr. Pedro Raúl López Hernández was the victim of a further attack. He was on his way to the pharmacy close to his home when he was intercepted by two individuals who threatened him with a firearm, hit him all over his face and body, telling him to "stop attacking the government of the State".

Harassment against Mr. Fernando Ruiz Canales¹⁴⁴

After the assassination of Mrs. Digna Ochoa y Placido on 19th October 2001, a threatening message was sent to a group of human rights defenders, including Mr. Fernando Ruiz Canales, President of the Council for the Law and Human Rights (Consejo para la Ley y los Derechos Humanos), for whom protective measures were taken. Since then he has been subjected to continuous harassment: he is followed, his domicile is watched by unidentified persons, by police personnel, members of his staff are illegally detained, there are attacks and telephone death threats. On 17 February 2002 a message was recorded on his answering machine that was composed of parts of songs that clearly insinuated, albeit in a burlesque mode, that these were death threats.

On 8th May 2002, since his return home, and after having been informed by friends that an investigation was being carried out on his activities by the office of the General Prosecutor of the Republic and by the Centre for Investigation and National Security (Centro de Investigación y Seguridad Nacional – CISEN), Mr. Ruiz Canales has again been subjected to harassment. The threats have taken the form of being followed, of letters received at his home, and a note on his car. The driver of the car that was following him tried to block him. Three men then got out of a van, two of them in the uniform of the preventive police of the Federal District. Seeing that one of the men was armed, Mr. Canales ran away. These threats may be connected with an article Mr. Ruiz Canales published on the Internet on 15th May 2002. The article was about the case of Mr. Guillermo Vélez, who died after being tortured by members of the Federal Justice police.

Death threats against Mrs. Reyna Pérez Hernández¹⁴⁵

On 19th February 2002, on arriving at her domicile, Mrs. Reyna Pérez Hernández, a member of the Support Centre for the Popular Movement of Oaxaca, and a member of the "Ricardo Flores Magón" Indigenous Popular Council of Oaxaca (CIPO-RFM), found that the security chain of her home had been severed. Inside, she found her belongings in disarray, with a hand-written note telling her that she was closely watched owing to her work at CIPO, and threatening her with death and abduction. In view of the situation, Mrs. Reyna Pérez had investigation N° J49 (CDA)/2002 initiated. The competent authorities were not willing to inspect the scene, probably because the authors were members of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which enjoys impunity. Mr. Raúl Gatica, director of the Council, also received death threats from the State authorities because of his work. Although the Law on Traditions and Customs was approved in Oaxaca in 1998, the rights of the indigenous population are not respected.

Death threats against Mrs. Bárbara Zamora¹⁴⁶

On 18th March 2002 the lawyer Mrs. Bárbara Zamora received death threats by e-mail. The text of the message was very similar to that received by lawyer Digna Ochoa y Placido in 1996, before being assassinated in October 2001: "Shocks, accidents, lawyers, emergencies". Mrs Zamora worked with Digna Ochoa in the lawyers' organisation "Land and Liberty" they had created together. Following the assassination of her colleague on 30th October 2001, the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights had asked the Mexican government to takes measures to protect her. In the course of 2001 Mrs. Zamora on several occasions received telephone threats, on account of her public statements, which appeared in the press, against the idea that Digna Ochoa y Placido had committed suicide, as suggested by the General Prosecutor's department.

Despite the mobilisation of the international community, urging that progress be made in the investigation, there has so far been no concrete result. In August a new prosecutor, Mrs. Margarita Guerra, was put in charge of the case. She asserted that it was her intention to work with the CIDH, in particular by allowing their experts to participate in the enquiry.

Harassment against Mr. Arturo Requesens Galnares¹⁴⁷

On 16th and 17th July 2002 Mr. Arturo Requesens Galnares, a member of Action of Christians for the Abolition of Torture (Acción de los Cristianos para la Abolición de la Tortura – ACAT-México), which deals with cases of torture, forced disappearances and extra-judicial executions, in particular in the Federal District and in the States of Oaxaca and Guerrero, was the victim of threats and harassment. The threats were apparently linked to the professional activity of Mr. Requesens Galnares, who is working, with the Human Rights Commission of the Federal District, on the case of Mr. Jesús Angel Gutiérrez Olivera, who was detained by the Federal police, and then disappeared on 14th March 2002, without anything being known of his whereabouts. Mr. Requesens lodged a complaint with the Prosecutor for attacks on the safety of persons. The Federal District authorities granted Mr. Requesens protective measures. He is accompanied by members of the Judicial Police of the Federal District, and his house and the ACAT offices are kept under watch. Due to the harassment, on 23rd July 2002 Mr. Requesens decided to leave the country. One month after his departure his family observed the presence of unidentified persons opposite his house. A complaint was lodged with the General Directorate of Complaints of the National Commission of Human Rights. On 8th October 2002 the Commission indicated that an investigation was in progress.

Mr. Requesens returned to Mexico to pursue his work as a lawyer for ACAT and as legal assistant at Mexico University. There have been no incidents since his return.

Other persons working for ACAT have received. threats, with the aim of deterring them from pursuing their fight against impunity.

[Refworld note: This report as posted on the FIDH website (www.fidh.org) was in pdf format with country chapters run together by region. Footnote numbers have been retained here, so do not necessarily begin at 1.]

143. See urgent appeal MEX 001/0102/OBS 002 et 002.01.

144. See urgent appeal MEX 005/0111/OBS 091.1 and 091.2 annual report 2001.

145. See urgent appeal MEX 002/0202/OBS 013.

146. See urgent appeal MEX 003/0302/024.

147. See urgent appeal MEX 005/0702/OBS 043.