Washington D.C. — Maureen Meyer, Director for Mexico and Migrant Rights at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a leading research and advocacy organization advancing human rights in the hemisphere, issued the following statement today, after Mexico’s Congress approved the Internal Security Law (Ley de Seguridad Interior, LSI):
“By approving this law, Mexico has further empowered its military to take the leading role in its fight against organized crime, despite widely documented human rights concerns. Soldiers shouldn’t be out patrolling city streets trying to investigate and prevent crimes. Those are tasks for well-trained, professionalized police forces and a functional justice system, and this law does nothing to help them. If Mexico is serious about upholding its commitment to human rights and implementing the reforms needed to reduce impunity and strengthen rule of law, President Enrique Peña Nieto must reject this law.”
Read WOLA’s analysis on the Internal Security Law and see the response of international, regional, and Mexican human rights bodies to the law.
