Mexico D.F. 02 October 2013. As part of the beginning of PBI's activities in the north of Mexico, Alma Rosa García Guevara was invited to visit several European countries between 2 and 18 September 2013 representing three organizations that defend and promote human rights in Coahuila. Alma spoke on behalf of the organization she belongs to, the Fray Juan de Larios Diocese Center for Human Rights, but also the Saltillo Migrant House and the Juan Gerardi Human Rights Center, with which she works closely.

For 16 days, Alma spoke about the human rights violations committed against migrants on their passage through Coahuila as well as the magnitude of the phenomenon of disappearances and the obstacles faced by the families of the disappeared in their struggle for truth and justice. She also exposed the risks faced by human rights defenders in the state of Coahuila who work on these issues.

During her tour, several members of PBI's international support network in Switzerland, Spain, France, Holland and Germany listened to Alma. She was received by these countries' Foreign Affairs Ministries, representatives of other diplomatic missions in Geneva, groups of lawyers, academics, members of international non-governmental organizations, local associations and organizations, employees of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations and representatives of various human rights mechanisms of the UN. Alma also shared her experiences and the realities of her home state with the general public during events and several interviews for the media.

In each meeting, Alma emphasized the need for the international community to take more interest in the situation in the north of Mexico and to encourage the Mexican government to meet its international obligations. To the Foreign Affairs Ministries and the Geneva diplomatic missions of several governments that she had the opportunity to see during the UPR pre-session organized by the NGO UPR-Info on 3 September, Alma suggested several recommendations regarding migrant persons and disappearances. Such recommendations could be made to the Mexican government during its Universal Periodic Review (UPR). In fact, Mexico's performance in human rights will be examined on 23 October by the member states of the United Nations through the UPR, a mechanism of the Human Rights Council of the UN.

This tour has contributed to the international visibility of the situation in Coahuila and the creation of a support network for the human rights defenders in the state. The organizations represented by Alma could share the problems regarding migration and disappearances to a wide range of international actors. Alma could gather international solidarity, contacts and commitments that she takes back to Coahuila and that contribute to the strengthening of the working spaces for human rights defenders. In Alma's own words “apart from giving visibility to this difficult situation [with the tour] I feel accompanied by people from many other geographies and this makes me feel strong”.

PBI Mexico wishes to thank Alma for her tireless efforts during numerous appearances for fifteen days, the country groups of Switzerland, Spain, France, Holland and Germany for making her tour possible, and the different contacts who opened their doors throughout her visit.

Watch Alma's interview to Otramérica TV (in Spanish).

Have a look at PBI's new website on the defense of human rights in the states of Chihuahua and Coahuila and our new briefing on the north.