Human Rights in Mexico 

Serious human rights violations continue to occur in Mexico because the institutions and systems contributing to human rights abuse – particularly the police forces and the criminal justice system – have not been reformed, and the perpetrators of abuse are rarely punished. WOLA supports efforts to end impunity for human rights violators, promote accountability, and provide reparations for damages caused to victims of human rights violations. We act as a voice for Mexican human rights organizations in Washington, raising their concerns with U.S. policymakers.

WOLA works closely with our Mexican counterparts to:

• Support the work of threatened human rights defenders.  Mexican human rights advocates are frequently subject to threats, harassment, and attacks for their work.  WOLA denounces attacks against human rights defenders and presses for investigation and prosecution of those responsible.

• Promote criminal justice reform, particularly to eradicate torture and seek justice for torture victims. Mexico’s criminal justice system fails to adequately safeguard against abuse– on the contrary, it often provides incentives for illegal arrests and torture, and it fails to hold human rights violators accountable. Mexico has taken important steps towards federal judicial reform, including a proposal that would establish an accusatory and oral system, eliminate the acceptance as evidence of confessions that are not made before a judge, and incorporate the presumption of innocence.  However, these reforms have yet to be approved. In spite of measures undertaken by the government, torture and other human rights abuses are common even today.