Overview of Human Rights in Mexico

The United Mexican States is a federal republic.  Recent elections resulted in a contested result with the officially sanctioned incoming president, Felipe Calderon, being challenged by the shadow presidency of Manuel Lopez Obrador.  At the time of writing, the situation promised to evoke political instability.  The harsh measures taken by the governor of Oaxaca resulted in mass protests that remained ongoing at the time of writing and also contributed to a climate of instability.  Years earlier, protests in Chiapas as a result of socio-economic inequity gained international attention.

The political climate aside, the government of outgoing President Vicente Fox Quesada took steps to improve the respect for human rights in Mexico.  Nevertheless, corruption and impunity are so imbedded in Mexican society that they upset most efforts.

Torture and police brutality are problems Mexico has made attempts to address. In 2004, President Fox put forth a package of reforms which, among other things, would work to bar all evidence obtained illegally (through torture or coercion) and allow confessions to be entered onto the record only when given in front of a judge and defense counsel.

Corruption, impunity, lack of political will, and lack of resources are also issues which both the criminal justice system and the government must contend. Security forces in Mexico are known to participate in unlawful killings and kidnappings. There is also alleged police involvement in narcotics related crime throughout the nation. These are increasingly reaching crises of sorts, given the alarming rate of gang-related and narcotics-related crime in Mexico. The judicial system is inefficient and lack of due process is becoming an issue.

Journalists practice self-censorship due to criminal intimidation. In recent years, at least three journalists were murdered, apparently for having investigated drug trafficking organizations or having been critical of the state governments. Human trafficking and drug trade are huge problem areas which the government cannot control. Societal discrimination against indigenous people is also widespread.

Human rights defenders suffer threats and intimidation. In two states where the Human Rights Commissions exposed blatant human rights violations recently, the Commission presidents were verbally harassed and eventually removed from office.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

53rd out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.