Oaxaca: - In the context of her visit to Mexico from 2 to 9 July, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Dr. Navi Pillay, began her tour in Oaxaca City where, on 4 July, she met with authorities as well as human rights defenders and civil society organisations, including Peace Brigades International and local organisations accompanied by PBI in Oaxaca, such as Código-DH, Barca and Cedhapi, along with many others.

PBI expressed its concern to the High Commissioner regarding the situation of risk in which individuals who work for the promotion of human rights in Oaxaca operate, in a meeting in which the issues of impunity, the rights of women and indigenous communities, the fight against discrimination and respect for freedom of expression were also raised. The High Commissioner recognised the work carried out by human rights defenders and reiterated the commitment of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Mexico to construct a permanent dialogue with civil society and raise their demands before the corresponding authorities.

The same day, representatives of the Dimensión Pastoral Para la Movilidad Humana (DPMH) including Father Alejandro Solalinde Guerra, director of the “Hermanos en el Camino” migrant's hostel in Ixtepec and human rights defender accompanied by PBI, met with Dr. Pillay in order to share information and express their concerns regarding the specific risks, vulnerabilities and human rights violations suffered by migrants and migrants' rights defenders throughout Mexico.

En a press conference held by the DPMH and Amnesty International the following day in the context of the High Commissioner's visit, at which PBI was also present, some of the most worrying aspects of this situation were reiterated, such as the lack of access to justice for victims of human rights violations; the necessity for a far-reaching reform of the Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM – National Migration Institute); the failure of the government to protect the physical and psychological integrity of human rights defenders, particularly concerning the failure to implement security measures granted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and National Human Rights Commission and, thus, the urgent need to put in place a mechanism for the protection of human rights defenders.

For more information concerning the visit of the High Commissioner, see:

Press Statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights 08/07/11.

Insta la ACNUDH a reconocer legalmente derechos de pueblos indígenas, El Proceso, 05/07/11. (In Spanish)

Satisface a enviada de la ONU compromiso de la Corte con los derechos humanos, El Proceso, 07/07/11. (In Spanish)

Crimen organizado “mina las raíces de la democracia en México”: Navi Pillay, El Universal, 08/07/11. (In Spanish)

For more information (in Spanish) concerning the press conference held by the DPMH, see:

“Los Zetas” secuestran en 20 estados: Solalinde, El Universal, 06/07/2011.

En 7 años hubo 62 ataques a albergues de inmigrantes, Milenio, 08/07/11.