Mexico: Information on the Mexican federal government report "Information on the Crime Phenomenon in Mexico" (Información sobre el Fenómeno Delictivo en México); copy of the report

In 3 June 2011 correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Mexican Centre for Investigation and National Security (Centro de Investigación y Seguridad Nacional, CISEN) indicated that the report entitled [translation] "Information on the Crime Phenomenon in Mexico" was presented by the CISEN Director General, and published by the Ministry of the Interior (Secretaría de Gobernación) on its website at the beginning of 2011 (Mexico 3 June 2011).

The report puts the number of homicides related to organized crime that were registered from 1 December 2006 to 31 July 2010 at 28,353 (Mexico Aug. 2010, 14). The report indicates that [translation] "80 per cent of homicides related to organized crime (22,701 homicides) occurred in 162 municipalities out of the 2,456 municipalities in the country;" however, it does not provide a list of the 162 municipalities (ibid.). Instead, the report contains regional maps of Mexico, indicating where conflict between organized crime groups occurs, as well as descriptions of these conflicts (ibid., 13-29). Data on homicides is also disaggregated by state (ibid., 30-49). A translated version of this report can be found as an attachment to this Response.

The México-based newspaper El Universal indicated on 14 November 2010 that an individual who requested CISEN to provide the [translation] "[t]otal number of intentional homicides related to organized crime at national level for each of the states and for each municipality in the country, broken down by years," was denied access to the requested information, on the basis that CISEN does not have the competency to answer the request. However, the individual filed a petition with the Federal Institute for Access to Public Information and Data Protection (Instituto Federal de Acceso a la Información Pública y Protección de Datos, IFAI) to challenge CISEN's refusal to provide the requested data (El Universal 14 Nov. 2010). Further to this petition, the IFAI ordered CISEN to [translation] "do an exhaustive search of the statistical information relative to intentional homicides ...as it relates to the data involving public clashes with organized crime" (ibid.). Further information on the outcome of this order could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Mexico. 3 June 2011. Centro de Investigación y Seguridad Nacional (CISEN), Secretaría de Gobernación. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.

_____. August 2010. Secretaría de Gobernación. "Información sobre el Fenómeno Delictivo en México." [Accessed 31 May 2011]

El Universal [México]. 14 November 2010. Horacio Jiménez. "Cisen debe dar información sobre asesinatos: IFAI." [Accessed 3 June 2011]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: A professor at the Universidad Iberoamericana did not reply within the time constraints of this Response. The Mexican Attorney General's Office was unable to provide the information within the time constraints of this Response.

Internet sites, including: El Economista; La Jornada; Mexico - Presidencia de la República, Procuraduría General de la República, Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional, Secretaría de Seguridad Pública; Milenio; La Prensa; SDPnoticias.com.

Attachment

Mexico. August 2010. Secretaría de Gobernación. "Información sobre el Fenómeno Delictivo en México." Translated by the Translation Bureau. [Accessed 31 May 2011]