On the anniversary of the publication of the Law for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, International Organisations call on Mexico to effectively implement the National Protection Mechanism

On June 25, 2012, the Law for the Protection of HumanRights Defenders and Journalists entered into force after being unanimouslyapproved by the Mexican Congress. This Law provides, among other measures, forthe establishment of a National Protection Mechanism.

At the time, the undersigned organisations welcomedthe Law as setting up an institutional framework for the adoption of effective protection measures toguarantee the right to life, personal integrity, freedom and security of humanrights defenders and journalists who are facing great risk as a result of theiractivities in defence of human rights and the exercise of freedom of expressionand journalism, as well as that of their relatives.

The Law for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists wasa fundamentalstep towards the effective protection of human rights defenders and the strengthening, in turn, of human rights protection andthe rule of law in Mexico. However, one year after the Law entered into force,the respective regulations and operative protocols have not been fullyimplemented despite the fact that they were adopted during the very firstmonths of existence of the National Protection Mechanism and they reflectinternational best practices.

Therefore, in order to effectively guaranteethe protection granted by this Law, the undersignedorganisations call on the Federal Government of Mexico to take all the necessary measures to guarantee thefull implementation of the National Mechanism for the Protection of HumanRights Defenders and Journalists, including:

- Toprovide the National Protection Mechanism with sufficient qualified staff so itcan be efficient and operational.

- To setup the Fund Operations Committee that will oversee the financial operation ofthe National Protection Mechanism (Comitéde Operación de Fondos).

- Toimmediately release the funds aimed to the National Protection Mechanism.

- Toimmediately establish the Unit of Prevention, Analysis and Monitoring (Unidad de Prevención, Análisis y Seguimiento)and appoint its Chair in accordance with the requirements set up by theGoverning Board (Junta de Gobierno).

- Toconvene a high-level meeting between the Interior Ministry (Segob), representatives of Mexican civilsociety and the Consultative Council (ConsejoConsultivo) of the National Protection Mechanism.

- Towidely disseminate the work of the National Protection Mechanism.

- Toprovide the necessary political support for the actions undertaken by theNational Protection Mechanism.

The undersigned organisationsstress that such measures must be handled at all times in a transparent mannerand in consultation with Mexican organisations of civil society, which is a prerequisitefor safeguarding the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Protection Mechanism.

The undersigned organisationsreiterate that, together with the measures adopted to date in the framework ofthe Law for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, othermeasures must be implemented to effectively combat impunity for human rightsviolations. In such cases, State and Federal authorities must ensure that those responsible are brought to justice, inaccordance with national and international human rights law.

Presscontact:

· OMCT: Delphine Reculeau: + 41 22 809 49 39

· FIDH: Arthur Manet / Audrey Couprie:+ 33 1 43 55 25 18

· PBI: Rubens Carvalho: +52 (55) 55 14 2855

· Front Line Defenders: Jim Loughran: +353 1 2123750