UA 167/07 Fear for safety/Death threats

MEXICO

Maria Luisa Garcia Andrade (f), aged 28, human rights defender
Marisela Ortiz Rivera (f), human rights defender
Members of Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa (Our daughters return home)
Members of the Asociacion Nacional de Abogados Democraticos (ANAD), National Association of Democratic Lawyers

Members of an organization set up to fight for justice for women abducted and murdered in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, and lawyers working with them, have been threatened and harassed, apparently because of their work.

Maria Luisa Garcia Andrade and Marisela Ortiz Rivera are members of Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa (Our daughters return home). Since 10 June, they, and lawyers of the Asociación Nacional de Abogados Democráticos (ANAD), National Association of Democratic Lawyers, have been receiving emails with insults, death threats and warnings to stop their human rights work. On 22 June, Marisela Ortiz received a text message on her mobile phone saying: disfruta de la vida mientras puedas (enjoy your life while you can) On 10 June, an ANAD lawyer received a message reading Tu seras eliminada (You will be eliminated)

The offices of Nuestra Hijas de Regreso Casa in Ciudad Juarez office have reportedly been broken into three times since October 2006. Cars belonging to members of the organization and ANAD lawyers have also been broken into three times. Documents and confidential material were reportedly stolen on several occasions. The latest incident happened on 20 June, when Maria Luisa Garcia's car was broken into and documents relating to the 2001 murder of her sister, Lilia Alejandra Garcia Andrade (see Mexico: Intolerable killings) were stolen. When she reported the theft to the Chihuahua State Public Prosecutor' Office (Procuraduria General de Justicia del Estado, PGJE), one of the officials reportedly said, ya me entere que nos volvieron a denunciar, porque no dejan las cosas por la paz, total manana apareces muerta, o yo muerto! (found out that you've complained about us again, why don't you let things be? Either you'll turn up dead tomorrow or I will!), presumably in reference to other complaints made by Nuestras Hijas about the failure of the PGJE to investigate previous incidents.

Marisela Ortiz has suffered serious intimidation before now because of her work. On 24 October 2003 armed men stopped her car. They pointed a gun at her head and in her mouth and said, ahora vas a conocer lo que sufren las muertas de Juarez (Now you're going to find out what happens to the women killed in Juarez) They also threatened her daughters, who were in the car with her and then let them go, but followed them in the car. The authorities have so far made no progress in finding the perpetrators.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Over 400 women and girls have been murdered in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua City since 1993. Approximately one in three of these murders involved some form of sexual violence. Despite national and international concern at the pattern of violence against women and the impunity enjoyed by the killers, the murders are continuing. In 2003, Amnesty International released a report (Mexico: Intolerable killings) highlighting the pattern of violence against women in these two cities and the systematic failure of the authorities to effectively prevent and punish these crimes. A new state government in Chihuahua took some measures to improve investigation, but many perpetrators have not been brought to justice and those responsible for the systematic failure of investigations have not been held to account.

Members of organizations such as Nuestras Hijas and ANAD have been at the forefront of the campaign for truth and justice for the women abducted and murdered in Ciudad Juarez, and have presented a number of cases before the Inter American Commission on Human Rights. Human rights organizations working on the issue have been repeatedly accused of damaging the image of Ciudad Juarez, and seriously harassed.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:

expressing concern at the recent intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders working on cases of abducted and murdered women in Ciudad Juarez, particularly Maria Luisa Garcia and Marisela Ortiz of Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa and lawyers of ANAD;

calling on the authorities to ensure that they receive protection, in accordance with their wishes;

calling for a thorough and impartial investigation into the email and text message threats sent to members of Nuestras Hijas and ANAD over the past few weeks, and for those responsible to be brought to justice;

urging the authorities to investigate seriously the breakins and the thefts of confidential material suffered by members of Nuestras Hijas and ANAD;

reminding the authorities that human rights defenders have a right to carry out their activities without any restrictions or fear of reprisals, as set out in the UN Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognised Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.


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Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa
Tels. (656) 207 12 11, 620 29 73
Celulares: 638 56 40, 168 29 64
www.mujeresdejuarez.org
www.radiofem.org