March 31st, 2015

ENRIQUE PEÑA NIETO
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF MEXICO

Mr. President, the Mexican and international civil society organizations that sign this letter do so in order to express our rejection and concern at recent statements by representatives of the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs concerning the reports of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, and the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances.

Particularly, we find the position of Ambassador Juan Manuel Gómez Robledo, Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, who stated that the Report of the Rapporteur on Torture is “unprofessional and unethical”, to be profoundly indignant in the context of the current human rights situation in Mexico. This was aggravated by the declaration made by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, José Antonio Meade, supporting the Ambassador’s position.

It is unacceptable that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs denies that torture is widespread in Mexico without substantiating their claims and without explaining, not only the alarming increase in the number of complaints of torture and ill-treatment registered by the National Human Rights Commission and State Human Rights Commissions since 2006, as well as the increase of pretrial investigations initiated by the Attorney General’s Office for this crime; but the fact that many documented cases account for patterns that are repeated daily in the country.

On the other hand, the troubling and unfortunate position of the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs of not wanting to “trabajar más con el Relator de tortura” (work with the Rapporteur of torture anymore) not only goes against the working methods of the United Nations Human Rights Council of which Mexico is part of, which are geared to a genuine dialogue to further discussions of monitoring recommendations and their implementation, as well as substantive interaction with special procedures and mechanisms, but shows intolerance and ignorance for serious violations that are committed daily throughout our country.

In addition, expressions such as those emitted in February and March of this year by the Secretariat of the Interior and the National Security Commissioner, respectively, in relation to the concluding observations of the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances after its first assessment of the situation in Mexico, as well as the declarations recently issued disqualifying the generalized nature of torture documented by the UN Special Rapporteur, clearly show a negative change in foreign policy, which had been characterized by openness to international scrutiny and collaboration with human rights mechanisms of the United Nations. Moreover, these expressions add to the confidence crisis the Mexican State is currently facing.

Organizations, members of academia, activists, advocates and human rights defenders who document serious human rights violations committed in the context of a failed security strategy and accompany victims and relatives of torture and ill-treatment, enforced disappearances, forced internal displacement, extrajudicial killings, intimidation and threats for defending their rights, their land and territory, or exercising independent and impartial journalism, have experienced first hand the weakness of institutional safeguards that should prevent and protect against these crimes across the country.

The lack of recognition of Mexico’s real situation and the challenges we are facing regarding human rights, reflected in an increasing and alarming denial of observations of international human rights mechanisms by the federal administration, represents a setback for the consolidation of a democratic rule of law. A foreign policy that is based on disregarding international mechanisms, to which the State itself has helped build and strengthen, weakens the legitimacy of the commitment to move forward for the respect, protection and realization of human rights.

Mr. President, in difficult times like these that define the situation of Mexico today, we call for consistency in its foreign policy on human rights. The open and standing invitation Mexico sustains to international human rights mechanisms is diluted by the disregard of the observations emanated from these mechanisms, observations made by experts and internationally renowned people, who on the basis of objective and reliable information, and guided by the principles of integrity, transparency and impartiality, contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights.

Complacency and the lack of will to address what is really happening in our country, does not contribute to the actions necessary to address the human rights crisis. Accordingly, we request that you rectify the Mexican State responses to the concluding observations of the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances and the Report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment, and address the recommendations presented in separate reports urgently.

We strongly hope that you will take these requests and considerations into account.

Sincerely,

Action des Chrétiens pour L’Abolition de la Torture, ACAT France
ARTICLE 19. Oficina para México y Centroamérica
Asistencia Legal por los Derechos Humanos A.C. (ASILEGAL)
Centro de Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres, A.C. (CEDEHM)
Centro de Derechos Humanos Fr. Francisco de Vitoria O.P., A.C.
Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Matías de Córdova A.C.
Centro de Derechos Humanos Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez (Centro Prodh)
Centro de Derechos Humanos Paso del Norte, A.C.
Centro de Estudios Sociales y Culturales Antonio de Montesinos A.C.
Centro de Justicia para la Paz y el Desarrollo, A.C. (CEPAD)
Centro Diocesano para los Derechos Humanos Fray Juan de Larios AC
Ciudadanos en Apoyo a los Derechos Humanos, A.C. (CADHAC)
Colectivo Contra la Tortura y la Impunidad
Comisión Colombiana de Juristas
Comisión Ciudadana de Derechos Humanos del Noroeste, A.C. (CCDH)
Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos (CMDPDH)
Comité de Defensa Integral de Derechos Humanos Gobixha A.C.
Consultoría Especializada en Justiciabilidad de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Ambientales (CEJUDESC)
DECA Equipo Pueblo, A.C.
Espacio de Coordinación de Organizaciones Civiles sobre Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales (Espacio DESC)
Freedom House México
Fundación para el Debido Proceso Legal (DPLF)
Grupo de Información en Reproducción Elegida (GIRE)
IDHEAS Litigio Estratégico A.C
Instituto Mexicano de Derechos Humanos y Democracia, A.C. (IMDHD)
Instituto Mexicano Para el Desarrollo Comunitario, A.C. (IMDEC)
Instituto para la Seguridad y la Democracia, Insyde A.C.
JASS (Asociadas por lo Justo)
Propuesta Cívica
Red Nacional de Organismos Civiles de Derechos Humanos “Todos los Derechos para Todas y Todos” (composed of 75 organizations in 21 states of the Mexican Republic)
Servicios y Asesoría para la Paz, A.C (SERAPAZ)
Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)