Human Rights Crisis in Mexico: EU Parliament Condemns Attacks on Journalists and Defenders

The situation of human rights defenders and journalists in Mexico has reached a critical level, with a sharp increase in killings, disappearances, and other forms of violence. The European Parliament has condemned these atrocities and called on the Mexican authorities to take immediate action to protect journalists and defenders.

Key Takeaways:

• In recent years, at least 47 journalists have been killed in Mexico between December 2018 and September 2021.
• Mexico is the second most dangerous country in the world for human rights defenders, with 42 defenders killed in 2021.
• Women journalists are subjected to a higher degree of harassment and violence, particularly when reporting on gender equality, social protests, and corruption cases.
• The Mexican Government has been accused of contributing to the stigmatization of journalists and human rights defenders.
• The EU has urged the Mexican authorities to strengthen institutional mechanisms to protect journalists and defenders, and to prevent killings, disappearances, and other acts of violence.
• The European Parliament has called on the Mexican Government to refrain from contributing to the stigmatization of journalists and human rights defenders, and to publicly recognize and value their fundamental role in safeguarding democracy and human rights.

Statistics:

• 47 journalists have been killed in Mexico between December 2018 and September 2021.
• 42 human rights defenders were killed in Mexico in 2021.
• 21 journalists were reported missing between 2005 and 2019.
• 467 journalists and 988 human rights defenders benefitted from the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists in 2021.
• 7 journalists and 2 human rights defenders who were killed in Mexico between December 2018 and July 2021 were under this protection program.

Sources:

• Access to the full text of the European Parliament resolution
• United Mexican States of 1917
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966)
• UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (1998)
• European Parliament B9Çæ0154/2022 European Parliament resolution on "The situation of journalists and human rights defenders in Mexico" (2022/2580(RSP))
• EU Human Rights Guidelines on Freedom of Expression Online and Offline, the EU Human Rights Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders, as well as commitments in the Strategic Framework on Human Rights and Democracy.