Mexico: Information on the human rights situation in the state of Nuevo Leon since 1993, and in particular on the treatment of members of leftist parties and organizations
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 September 1997 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | MEX27637.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Mexico: Information on the human rights situation in the state of Nuevo Leon since 1993, and in particular on the treatment of members of leftist parties and organizations, 1 September 1997, MEX27637.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aae748.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Please find attached several documents that refer to human rights issues in the state of Nuevo Leon since 1993. Although these documents do not provide a complete report on the situation, they do provide some cases and statistics covering certain periods within the requested timeframe.
Please note that the statistical tables published by the magazine Justicia y Paz have terms in Spanish, but are included for your reference. The source lists cases of human rights violations that came to the attention of the "Fray Francisco de Vitoria, O. P., Human Rights Centre" (Centro de Derechos Humanos Fr. Francisco de Vitoria. O.P.) in Mexico City.
Issue No. 40 of Justicia y Paz uses the acronym "NL" to indicate Nuevo Leon, and breaks down the total number of reported violations of human rights according to the following categories: aggression against groups (agresion contra grupos); denial of justice (denegacion de justicia); execution (ejecucion); interference (injerencia); intimidation (intimidacion); arbitrary denial of freedom (privacion arbitraria de la libertad); illegal denial of freedom (privacion ilegal de la libertad); torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment (tortura, tratos crueles, inhumanos y degradantes). Please note that some of the attached charts do not show clearly the various shades of the bar graphs in the copy available to the DIRB.
Issue No. 41 of Justicia y Paz shows statistics for the total number of violations by state and gender, and provides the following categories for their more detailed break down: denial of justice (denegacion de justicia); detention-disappearance (detencion desaparicion); arbitrary execution (ejecucion arbitraria); arbitrary interference (injerencia arbitraria); intimidation (intimidacion); arbitrary denial of freedom (priv. arbitraria de la libert.); illegal denial of freedom (priv. ilegal de la libertad); torture and cruel treatment (tortura y tratos crueles); aggression against groups (agresion contra grupos).
The source also provides the following acronyms for the alleged perpetrators of the reported human rights violations: PRE, Preventive Police; PJF, Federal Judicial Police; PJE, State Judicial Police; PMON, Mounted Police; OTR, other; SN, National Security; APEN, Prison Authorities; PMP, Municipal Police; AMP, Municipal Authorities; EM, Mexican Army; PGR, Attorney General of the Republic; PGJE, Attorney General of the States; PFC, Federal Roads and Ports Police; PJ, Judiciary; GRA, Grenadier Corps; PP, Political Parties; OP, Paramilitary Organization; ANTI, Anti-Riot Police; PMT, Motorized Police; SP, Public Security; GEDO, State Governments; ND, Not Determined.
The same source lists the following cases of reported violations of human rights in Nuevo Leon from December 1994 to October 1995.
Aggression against groups:
On 11 September 1995, in Guadalupe, agents of the Mounted Police attacked municipal office workers who were demonstrating against layoffs; 50 were detained (27).
On 9 October 1995, in Juarez, the Municipal Police expelled 1,000 families from their homes. The company that sold them the land later sold it again to others, who in turn resorted to the police to occupy land that they considered their property (29).
Arbitrary executions:
On 9 September 1995, in Linares, unknown assailants killed three unidentified persons who were found in the back of a small truck, showing signs of torture and a coup de grace (tiro de gracia) shot (31).
Intimidation:
On 20 September 1995, in Monterrey, the director of the daily La Razon, Francisco Tijerina Gonzalez, is reported to be threatened with death for having exposed government corruption in the construction of hydraulic works. The heads of the Grupo NORT S.A. de C.V. company are identified as the alleged perpetrators (36).
On 7 October 1995, in San Nicolas de los Garza, a former municipal auditor, Fernando Rodriguez Arias, was forced to quit his post for having denounced municipal corruption. He has reportedly been followed, harassed and threatened, and his home has been under surveillance. The local mayor, Adalberto Nuñez Ramos, is identified as the culprit (37).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Justicia y Paz [Mexico City]. January-April 1996. No. 41. "Violaciones a los derechos humanos por estado y por tipo de violacion."
_____. October-December 1995. No. 40. "Anexos: Casos de violacion a los derechos humanos."
Attachments
The Associated Press. 18 January 1996. "Lawyer's Slay Shakes Mexico." (Global NewsBank)
The Dallas Morning News. 19 April 1996. Home Final Edition. Enrique Rangel. "Governor of Nuevo Leon Steps Down; Resignation Spells Further Political Instability for Troubled Mexico." (Global NewsBank)
El Norte [Monterrey, in Spanish]. 6 May 1994. Juan Jose Coello. Foreign Edition. "PGR Describes Nuevo Leon as Money Laundering Capital." (FBIS-LAT-94-095 17 May 1994, pp. 30-31)
Justicia y Paz [Mexico City]. January-April 1996. No. 41. "Violaciones a los derechos humanos por estado y por tipo de violacion," p. 44.
_____. October-December 1995. No. 40. "Anexos: Casos de violacion a los derechos humanos," pp. 48-51.
Reding, Andrew A. May 1995. Democracy and Human Rights in Mexico. New York: World Policy Institute, p. 35.
Reuters. 12 March 1997. BC Cycle. "Two Mexican Leftists Slain, Party Blames Politics." (NEXIS)
San Antonio Express-News. 6 July 1996. Lesley Salas. "Aid to Battered Women Draws Attention South of the Border." (Global NewsBank)
The Seattle Times. 13 March 1997. Final Edition. "Around the World." (NEXIS)
Unomasuno [Mexico City, in Spanish]. 23 September 1994. Oscar Vasquez. "PRI 'Regretfully' Accepts PAN Victory in Nuevo Leon." (FBIS-LAT-94-186 26 Sept. 1994, p. 32)
