Earlier this week, WOLA, the Latin America Working Group (LAWG), and Peace Brigades International (PBI) sent a letter to President Obama requesting that he include a meeting with members of Mexican civil society during his upcoming visit to Mexico in order to consider human rights concerns from a non-governmental perspective.
In the letter, the groups emphasize that such a meeting is of vital importance given the numerous human rights challenges Mexico currently faces. “Your upcoming visit to Mexico provides a valuable opportunity for you to collect information from diverse sources regarding how the both countries can effectively address human rights challenges that span the border,” they remind President Obama, and they emphasize the potential positive outcomes of a meeting with civil society, including greater respect for human rights defenders within Mexico. Human rights defenders in Mexico continue to suffer threats, attacks, harassment, criminalization, and killings as a result of their work.
