PRESS RELEASE 

 Nº 14/01         

IACHR VISITS MEXICO TO CONDUCT FOLLOW-UP ON CASES 

1.           At the invitation of the Government of the United Mexican States, a delegation of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights carried out a visit to that country from July 2 until July 5, 2001.  The members of the delegation were President of the IACHR, Dean Claudio Grossman, and the desk attorney for Mexico, Dr. Mario López Garelli.  The intense program concentrated on follow-up measures for compliance with IACHR reports on individual cases of violations of human rights in that country. 

2.          The cases, which pertain to events that occurred before the current Government had assumed its responsibilities, are the following: 

-        Loren L. Riebe and others: arbitrary expulsion of three foreign priests from Chiapas in 1995;

-        Ejido Morelia: extra judicial execution of three persons in Chiapas in 1994, and subsequent impunity; 

-        General Francisco Gallardo: violations of judicial protection, personal liberty, honor and dignity; 

-        Ana, Beatriz and Celia González Pérez: arbitrary detention and rape of three indigenous women by military personnel in Chiapas in 1995, impunity; 

-        Aguas Blancas massacre: extra judicial execution of 17 men in Guerrero in 1995, violation of due process, impunity; 

-        Pedro Peredo Valderrama: murder of a person in the Federal District and subsequent cover-up by police and judiciary authorities, impunity; 

-        Manuel Manríquez San Agustín: torture, violation of personal liberty, judicial protection and impunity (the victim was liberated in 1999 after the IACHR report and later received compensation from the Government of the Federal District, although the torture remains unpunished); 

-        Rolando and Atanasio Hernández Hernández: extra judicial execution in Veracruz in 1994, violation of judicial protection, impunity. 

3.          The meetings were conducted by the President of the IACHR, with the participation of high authorities of the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs of Mexico and several states, including the Prosecutor General of the Federal District and the Prosecutor General of Chiapas, as well as representatives of the governments of Morelos, Veracruz and Oaxaca.  On behalf of the victims, several direct relatives also participated, along with organizations such as the National Network of Civil Organs of Human Rights, the Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights, CEJIL, PRODH, ACAT, AFADEM-FEDEFAM, the Teachers’ Human Rights Commission of Oaxaca and the “Organización Campesina de las Sierras del Sur”. 

          4.          The follow-up of the above-mentioned cases took place pursuant to the functions of the Inter-American Commission under the Charter of the OAS, the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, the American Convention on Human Rights, the Statute and, more specifically, Articles 46 and 62 of the IACHR’s Rules of Procedure.  Among the advances achieved during the meetings were the creation of several working groups with participation of authorities and representatives of victims, which were assigned the mandate of identifying concrete measures for compliance with the recommendations, as well as proposals for reparations and for bringing Mexican internal legislation in conformity with international human rights obligations. 

          5.          The Inter-American Commission also held meetings regarding several cases in the friendly settlement stage with the competent authorities, the respective petitioners and relatives of the victims.  Those meetings resulted in important advance agreements, which shall be reported on during the next ordinary sessions of the IACHR.   

6.          During his presence in Mexico, Dean Claudio Grossman also participated in an academic event in the Institute of Juridical Investigations of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, at the invitation of Prof. Sergio García Ramírez, Judge of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.  

          7.          The IACHR wishes to express its gratitude to the Mexican State for its invitation, which constitutes an important gesture of its commitment to comply with international human rights obligations.  Specifically, the Inter-American Commission thanks Special Ambassador for Human Rights and Democracy, Mariclaire Acosta, and the Director of Human Rights of the Secretariat for Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Juan José Gómez Camacho, for their valuable cooperation, which made this visit a success. 

          8.          In the exercise of the above-mentioned functions, the Inter-American Commission shall continue to observe and evaluate measures of compliance with its recommendations by all member States of the OAS.

 

Washington, D.C., July 6, 2001