Human Rights Defenders Seek Protection in Mexico

[Judi Lynn]

Source: New York Times

Human Rights Defenders Seek Protection in Mexico
By MARC LACEY
Published: June 19, 2010

MEXICO CITY — With a drug war raging around them and an unreliable judicial system in place, Mexico’s human rights activists have their hands full as they grapple with a growing new class of victims: themselves.

“I’m not going to be silenced,” insisted Silvia Vázquez Camacho, an activist from Tijuana, who is now in hiding after receiving a series of threats on her life in recent months. Despite her bold declaration, the fear in her voice was palpable, and she acknowledged that she had been forced to take a respite from her activism.

Mexico has a long history of cases in which the authorities, whether they wear badges or business suits, trample on the rights of the powerless. Acknowledging that, the government 20 years ago created a formal commission to officially identify violations and recommend — but not order — remedies. Citizens groups also rose up, however, to level the playing field and represent victims of wrongful arrests, torture, illegal land grabs and numerous other transgressions.

But the system is being severely tested by what human rights activists say is a concerted attack on their rights. The new reality is that activists now devote a considerable portion of their time helping other activists, who have been threatened or far worse.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/world/americas/20mexico.html?ref=world

[Peace Patriot]

1. Wherever the failed, corrupt, murderous U.S. "war on drugs" goes, this follows--

death threats and death to human rights workers and others--union leaders, community activists, political leftists, journalists, the poor. That's what the U.S. "war on drugs" is FOR--to create mayhem and militarization in the society, terrorize advocates of the poor and enforce U.S. corporate/war profiteer tyranny. That is the story in Colombia--tens of thousands of innocent people killed, half by the Colombian military, the other half by their closely tied rightwing paramilary death squads; many more terrorized; 3 to 4 million people displaced--$7 BILLION in U.S. military aid--and the cocaine just keeps on coming. It is increasingly the story in Honduras, another U.S. "war on drugs" /corporate client state; sneakily U.S. backed coup government; phony 'martial law' election; hundreds turning up dead--advocates of the poor, political leftists, anti-coup activists, union leaders, teachers. And now Mexico. I long ago wrote off Mary Lacy and the New York Slimes on Latin American issues. They are terrible. Note the steep slant of this article--so steep it falls right off the cliff of lies, spin and disinformation--that this is a LOCAL issue of corruption, that it is a Mexican problem. Not one hint about the vastly corrupting influence of the U.S. "war on drugs"; not one hint that Calderon is Washington's boy, helped into power by the Bush Junta and a stolen election, Karl Rove style. As for PERSPECTIVE--such as, which is the country where torture is OFFICIAL? or, which is the country that every week slaughters more Afghan civilians and that slaughtered hundred thousand innocent Iraqis in the first weeks of bombing alone, to steal their oil? or, which is the country with heinous war criminals running loose?--there IS no perspective in this article. The lofty Slimes, which shilled for the war on Iraq, have a lot of nerve pointing the finger at Mexico. Mayhem R Us! Murder R Us! Torture R Us! Militarization R Us! The corrupt, failed, murderous "war on drugs" R Us.

[loudsue]

2. That post says it all. ++++10

The military industrial machine wins, wins, wins with every war. They win big. Drugs and bombs R them.