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Friday, May 11, 2012
Drug War News this was punctuated by the gruesome murders of journalists in Veracruz. Three photojournalists who covered the perilous crime beat in the violence-torn eastern Mexico state of Veracruz were found slain and dumped in plastic bags in a canal on Thursday, less than a week after a reporter for an investigative newsmagazine was beaten and strangled in her home in the same state. As might be expected, this recent wave of violence against the media is suppressing news in Mexico.
A group of 18 migrants-- an unfortunate wrong place, wrong time victim group in Mexico's battle against organized crime-- was freed from the Zetas Cartel in the northern state of Coahuila. Across the border in Texas, the Zetas suffered another blow as drug trafficker who worked with them was sentenced to 7 years in prison.
Rule of Law and Human Rights News offered a solemn but hopeful week of events, as Javier Sicilia readies the upcoming Movement for Peace and Justice with Dignity caravan through the United States and mothers of Mexico's disappeared marched on the capital. Students in Michoacan are also taking collective action as they demand the release of their imprisoned compatriots after university protests in Morelia.
Mexico Presidential Race News witnessed the first of two scheduled presidential debates in the run-up to the July election. The debate was seen as an important opportunity for leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and ruling party conservative candidate Josefina Vasquez Mota to cut into the commanding lead of the gaff-prone PRI candidate Enrique Pena Nieto. While both AMLO and Vasquez Mota badgered Pena Nieto throughout the debate with accusations of links to corruption and false promises, many debate observers cited little known fourth-placed candidate Gabriel Quadri de la Torre as the debate's winner; meaning that Pena Nieto escaped unscathed and still in control of a sizable lead in the polls.
Drug War News
3 Mexico journalists slain, dumped in bags in drug gang-plagued Veracruz
CBS News: Three photojournalists who covered the perilous crime beat in the violence-torn eastern Mexico state of Veracruz were found slain and dumped in plastic bags in a canal on Thursday, less than a week after a reporter for an investigative newsmagazine was beaten and strangled in her home in the same state. read more
Drug war slayings suppressing news in Mexico
The Seattle Times: Four of reporters and photographers covering the perilous crime beat have been slain in less than a week in violence-torn Veracruz state, where two Mexican drug cartels are warring over control of smuggling routes and targeting sources of independent information. read more
Navy frees 18 migrants in Piedras Negras
El Milenio: The Navy released 18 Central American migrants detained by Los Zetas in Piedras Negras, Coahuila. Their operation took place last Saturday and two members of the criminal group were arrested. The statement released by the federal agency does not specify the origin of the immigrants, although it was reported that they are of different nationalities. read more
Texas gun-trafficking suspect sentenced
The Seattle Times: A judge has given a prison sentence to a fourth Texas man federal officials say was linked to a gun used in a U.S. agent's death in Mexico. Otilio Osorio was sentenced Monday to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and other charges relating to a gun-running network. His brother, Ranferi Osorio, received a 10-year prison term for running the network. read more
Mexican Poet Javier Sicilia Leads U.S. Peace Caravan to Expose Drug War’s Human Toll
Democracy Now!: One of Mexico’s best-known poets, Javier Sicilia, laid down his pen last year after his 24-year-old son was murdered by drug traffickers in Cuernavaca, Mexico. In his son’s memory, Sicilia created the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity to urge an end to the drug violence — violence that has left an estimated 60,000 dead, 10,000 disappeared, and more than 160,000 Mexicans displaced from their homes over the past six years. Watch interview here
Rule of Law News
Mothers March on Mexico City
New America Media: Mothers of women and men missing in Mexico embarked May 8 on a national march/caravan that will culminate in protests and meetings in the nation’s capital this week. Like last year’s caravans organized by poet Javier Sicilia and other relatives of violence victims, the mobilizations will remind Mexicans of the deep emotional wounds and unhealed psychological scars that devour families of forcibly disappeared persons. read more
Mexicans take search for loved ones in own hands
AFP: Mexico's drug war has produced thousands of unexplained disappearances, especially in northern border states where families of the missing search for loved ones with no help from the law. Victor Rodriguez was 28 years old when he disappeared in the northern state of Coahuila in 2009. Employed by a company that imports cars, Rodriguez was returning from a work trip with his boss and a friend."We knew they were leaving May 11 at 1:00 am and were to reach Tijuana the next day, but we have heard nothing from them to this day," said his mother, Adriana Moreno. read more
Students Take Over City University in Michoacán
El Informador: Members of the Coordinating University Students in Struggle (CUL) took over Ciudad Universidad campus facilities and the preparatory high school at the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo (UMSNH). The measure, which came after the issuing of a detention order for 10 students involved in the burning of official vehicles, affects more than 50,000 students currently in the final phase of the school year. read more
Mexico Presidential Race News
Mexico’s PRI, leading to retake presidency, vows not to return to old ways
KansasCity.com: "The Institutional Revolutionary Party, known by its Spanish initials as the PRI, ruled Mexico for 71 consecutive years before it lost the presidency 12 years ago. Now, with its candidate the front-runner in the July 1 presidential election campaign, it’s trying to recast itself as no longer the corrupt, opaque and repressive machine that gripped Mexico for much of the 20th century in one-party rule.read more
This is a debate? Mexico's presidential face-off a scripted affair
CSMonitor.com: "The front-runner in Mexico's presidential race, Enrique Peña Nieto, might have movie star looks and a seemingly unbeatable lead ahead of the July 1 election, but he also has a knack for gaffes when straying from the script. So if anything is his to lose, it is the presidential debates, the first of which took place last night in Mexico City. read more
Mexican front-runner fends off debate attacks
Atlanta Journal Constitution: The front-runner in Mexico's presidential race fended off rivals' attempts to paint him as a liar with corrupt backers, emerging from the first of two debates with analysts saying his large lead appeared safe. read more
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
 The southern Colombian town where FARC guerrillas captured French journalist Romeo Langlois last weekend has a difficult history. La Unión Peneya is an object lesson in how difficult “counterinsurgency” is, even in a country that has substantially weakened its largest insurgency.
In 2004, Colombia’s armed forces launched one of the biggest offensives in its history. Backed by U.S. advisors and logistics personnel, “Operation JM,” the second and largest phase of what was known as “Plan Patriota,” sent about 18,000 Colombian soldiers deep into a broad swath of the southern departments of Caquetá, Meta and Guaviare that had been a FARC stronghold for decades.
As they launched the offensive from bases in western Caquetá, the first major town the troops hit was La Unión Peneya, a coca boomtown along the Caguán river in the municipality of Montañita. By the end of 2003, Colombia’s El Tiempo newspaper writes, the town had “7 pool halls, 20 bars, 2 bordellos, 4 drugstores, 3 gas stations and about 20 stores selling fine clothes and trinkets, as well as 5 apartment buildings and 400 houses.”
In January 2004 the FARC, aware of the coming offensive, told everyone in La Unión Peneya to clear out. The town center’s entire population of 2,500 displaced. According to a different El Tiempo report:
When the troops entered they found a well-cared for guerrilla cemetery and many pieces of the scrip, signed by José Benito Cabrera (Fabián Ramírez, one of the chiefs of the FARC’s Southern Bloc), that were used as money in that part of the country.
Even as the Army established its presence in the town center, la Unión Peneya remained a ghost town for at least three years. As “Plan Patriota” wound down in 2007, authorities announced plans to rebuild the abandoned town and the population began to trickle back. This rebuilding, and provision of other services, has been very slow as the government later decided to dedicate more resources to the “La Macarena” zone just to the northeast.
Today, more than eight years after the U.S.-backed “Plan Patriota” rolled through, the town where it all began still has a very heavy FARC presence, and a lot of coca and cocaine production.
Last Saturday, troops from the Colombian Army’s U.S-backed Counternarcotics Brigade helicoptered into the rural part of La Unión Peneya on a mission to destroy cocaine laboratories. They were accompanied by two embedded journalists: French reporter Romeo Langlois (creator of a documentary about Cauca’s “Indigenous Guard”) and Italian reporter Simone Bruno (creator of the documentary “Falsos Positivos”).
The army column and the reporters came under heavy guerrilla attack. A police officer and three soldiers were killed. Langlois was wounded in the arm and taken by the FARC. In a phone call yesterday, a guerrilla spokeswoman told reporters that Langlois is safe, but that because he was wearing a military helmet and jacket at the time, the FARC is holding him as a “prisoner of war.”
Since Langlois’s status as a journalist for France24 TV is confirmed, the FARC’s claim is invalid according to international humanitarian law. (Meanwhile, Colombian Air Force video seems to show the FARC fighters themselves wearing plainclothes, which also violates IHL.) The FARC must release Langlois immediately.
Last weekend’s tragedy highlights the frustrations of Colombia’s approach to counterinsurgency. With a constant military presence in the town center since 2004, La Unión Peneya today should not be the sort of place where the FARC can carry out this sort of attack, much less maintain cocaine laboratories. But the fatal flaw of “Plan Patriota” was that over the past eight years, the government presence has been almost entirely military. Behind the troops came nothing: the civilian part of the state failed to appear with roads, schools, health care, land titles and other services one would expect from a government.
This lopsided approach did not bring governance, and did not convince the population that it lived under a credible government. And so La Unión Peneya remains ungoverned.
Friday, April 27, 2012
 WOLA’s report about U.S.-Mexico border security, published last week, says that the Defense Department is not using drone aircraft for surveillance on the U.S. side of the border zone.
The main reasons for this are that most Pentagon drones are being used in war zones, and because there are still concerns about air traffic control (the possibility of drones crashing into commercial planes). The Homeland Security Department’s Customs and Border Protection agency, however, runs six Predator-Bs, plus one maritime variant, out of Sierra Vista, Arizona and Corpus Christi, Texas.
In fact, WOLA’s report is already out of date on this issue. Testimony last week by the Pentagon’s top homeland security official, Assistant Secretary of Defense Paul Stockton [PDF], reveals that, as of this year, four Defense Department drones are now operating out of Arizona.
They aren’t Predators or Global Hawks, though. They’re RQ-7Bs, far smaller craft with a 14-foot wingspan, usually launched by a catapult.
(Photo from Department of Defense.)
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
 Here are two top Defense Department officials’ recent statements on Iran’s influence in Latin America.
Gen. Douglas Fraser, commander, U.S. Southern Command, testifying in the House Armed Services Committee, March 6, 2012:
Primarily I see diplomatic as well as commercial interests, economic interests, and that’s how their relationship has been growing. There is connections, and that is our concern as we watch this, the connections with Hezbollah and Hamas, who have been in the region for a number of years, primarily still focused on supporting — conducting illicit activity to provide funding support and logistic support back to parent organizations within the Middle East. That is still the relationship that I see today. I don’t think that President Ahmadinejad had the impact that he was looking for, except with the ability to continue to strengthen his anti-U.S. connections in the region.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, aboard an aircraft en route to Colombia, April 23:
Well, we always have a concern about in particular the IRGC [Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps] and the efforts by the IRGC to expand their influence in — not only throughout the Middle East but into this region as well. And, that, in my book, that relates to expanding terrorism. And that’s one of the areas that I think all of us are concerned about. And I hope that we can work together to make sure that all the steps are taken to ensure that anything that encourages terrorism can be fought against.
Fraser talks about diplomatic and economic contacts, and possible Iranian “connections” to fundraising for terror groups’ activities in the middle east.
Panetta, on the other hand, sees the IRGC potentially “expanding terrorism” right here in the hemisphere.
The two Defense officials don’t quite contradict each other, but the difference in emphasis — especially on a topic as important as Iranian influence in Latin America — is still worth noting.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Alexander Quintero campaigned for justice for the victims of Colombia's 2001 Naya River massacre, committed by paramilitary forces. "He brought us all together, indigenous, Afro-Colombian and mestizo communities," said a colleague. "It could have been any of us," a sobbing defender said, as she told me about Alexander's May 2010 assassination.
Nahúm Palacios Arteaga was the anchor for a TV station in Tocoa, Honduras. He was reporting on land conflicts in Bajo Aguán, where campesino leaders were being threatened, evicted and murdered. Hit men killed Palacios and his friend, a doctor, in March 2010.
Dora Alicia Recinos Sorto was eight months pregnant when she was shot dead in December 2009, in El Salvador's Cabañas region. She belonged to an environmental group opposing a mining project, as did Ramiro Rivera, who was killed six days earlier.
Miguel Ángel González Ramiro was a member of the banana workers union SITRABI in Guatemala. He was killed while holding his son in February 2012. González is the seventh current or former SITRABI member killed since January 2011.
María Elizabeth Macías Castro's killers placed her body in front of a poster with a threatening note, and put a pair of headphones on her decapitated head. Her September 2011 killing appears to be related to her social media writing about drug cartel violence in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.
Killing human rights activists -- or "defenders," as we call them -- harms not only the people, their friends and family. It aims to destroy an organizing process and derail a struggle to defend the rights of many.
Latin America was the most dangerous region in the world to be a trade unionist in 2009 and 2010, according to the International Confederation of Trade Unionists. More than 80 percent of murders of trade unionists worldwide during those two years took place in the Americas.
Defenders working on land and environmental issues related to extractive industries such as gold mining were more at risk in the Americas than in any other region, according to the United Nations. Many were indigenous people or women.
Some of the countries that will be represented at the Summit of the Americas this weekend in Cartagena, Colombia, are more dangerous for defenders than others. Every eight days a human rights defender was killed in Colombia in 2011. Nineteen journalists have been killed in Honduras since the June 2009 coup, and 45 people associated with peasant organizations in Bajo Aguán have been murdered in the last two years. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has also singled out Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Venezuela as especially dangerous for defenders.
Who is behind the violence? Sometimes it is government agents, including police or military; in other cases, it is paramilitary groups, private security or organized crime. LGBT activists are killed as part of "social cleansing" campaigns, often by police. Sometimes the violence appears to be related to companies facing organizing drives or involved in controversial large-scale development projects.
This past December, I joined an international verification mission on defenders in Colombia, which heard direct testimony that people received death threats for protesting mining operations they feared would damage their communities.
Human rights defenders and journalists in Latin America face harassment by governments of all political stripes: from being jailed on baseless charges (Colombia, Cuba) and subjected to illegal surveillance (Colombia) to newspaper editors who are sued by government officials (Ecuador).
What should Latin American governments do to protect human rights defenders? Where there are widespread risks, governments should establish protection programs. Colombia has such a program, although it needs improvement. Mexico has agreed to establish a mechanism, but needs to effectively do so. Honduras and Guatemala urgently need to open protection programs.
Defenders say the most important action the state can take is investigate and prosecute the attacks against them. Yet most murders of defenders, and nearly all death threats, remain in impunity. At the very least, defenders ask that their governments to refrain from jailing and harassing them. For governments to just say the right words by publicly affirming the legitimacy of human rights work.
Latin American governments should take advantage of human rights support and monitoring provided by the United Nations and the OAS. It is disturbing that governments such as Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela have recently tried to limit the role of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression.
The U.S. government should speak out more for defenders in the Americas. It has an absolute obligation to take action, including enforcing human rights conditions, when police and military forces receiving U.S. aid endanger defenders.
President Obama should refuse to greenlight the implementation of the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement because the Labor Action Plan both governments signed is not yet fulfilled. Twenty-nine trade unionists were killed in Colombia in 2011, and the Colombian government is not yet doing enough to enforce labor rights and protect trade unionists from violence, including effectively prosecuting the threats and attacks against them.
The Canadian government must address the reality that many of the struggles around mining operations that give rise to threats and attacks against defenders involve Canadian-based companies.
There is always rhetoric about democratic values at these summits. Yet real democratic values include the space for people to defend their rights on a daily basis.
Presidents at the Summit: Protect your human rights defenders.
This post is cross-posted with the Huffington Post. It was written by Lisa Haugaard, Executive Director of the Latin American Working Group.
Friday, March 30, 2012
In Human Rights and Rule of Law News, the big announcement is that the race is on. Today is the official opening day of the Mexican presidential campaigns. The three major candidates, Enrique Peña Nieto (PRI), Josefina Vázquez Mota and Andrés Manuel López Obrador are holding major rallies to launch their campaigns and seeking to reach supporters and the large block of voters who still poll "undecided". Mexican government officials are taking measures to protect the elections from organized crime, while analysts warn that local elections are most at risk.
The week saw more reports on human rights violations, in this case against Mexicans on the border, journalists and anti-mining activists.
In Drug War News, as part of the elections, party leaders are already jostling to take credit for what's right and blame someone else for what's wrong. President Calderon said in a speech that drug war violence and chaos existed before and he just took the bull by the horns. An Army General echoed this line, throwing the blame on former President Vicente Fox, also of the National Action Party.
Statistics on drug war deaths are never precise, but this week there was some confusion when the Mexican daily La Jornada ran a front-page article reporting that U.S. Secretary of Defense Panetta used the staggering figure of 150,000. The Mexican Armed Forces later clarified that the figure applied to the Western Hemisphere. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey also weighed in on military strategy in the region this week.
Articles
Human Rights and Rule of Law News
Mexico opposition eyes return as campaign opens
AFP: Mexico officially launched its general election campaign Friday, with the main opposition party favored to regain the power it lost in 2000 after 71 years of rule... With over 50,000 people killed and mounting violence, PAN candidate Josefina Vazquez Mota, 51, will have to overcome deep public skepticism that the brutal offensive has dented the influence and wealth of drug cartels. Read more
Analysis: Drug gang menace overshadows Mexican election
Reuters: Rather than handing on a safer Mexico to his successor, Calderon's offensive against the cartels has laid bare the limits of the state's power against organized crime. Read more
Journalists Urge Mexico to Investigate Attacks on Media
Fox News Latino: The Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement Tuesday condemning recent attacks on a newspaper and television station in Mexico and demanding prosecution of the perpetrators. Both incidents took place in the northern border state of Tamaulipas, a battleground for warring drug cartels. Read more.
Human rights group accuses U.S. of abuses along Mexico border
Reuters: U.S. policing along the Mexico border discriminates against Hispanics and Native Americans and contributes to the deaths of illegal immigrants, according to a study by the human rights group Amnesty International USA. Read more.
The "fifth power": Transnational mining
La Jornada (Translation: Americas MexicoBlog): "So far this year, the Ocotlán Valley United Peoples Coalition (CPUVO) has reported two crimes and accuses the mining company, in conjunction with the San José del Progreso local government, of using armed groups against opponents of the mine... beyond the investigations required to arrest and prosecute the masterminds and perpetrators of these crimes, it's urgent that we look into the devastating effects of the policy of granting mining concessions without regard to the territorial rights of the peoples. Read more.
Drug War News
General Lozano Espinosa: Fox bequeathed a country taken over by organized crime
La Jornada (translation Americas MexicoBlog): Felipe Calderón Hinojosa inherited a country taken over by organized crime from Vicente Fox Quesada, in which a large number of the almost 2 million 500 towns "were imprisoned by crime and many mayors could not carry out their responsibilities... Therefore the Mexican Army had to step in to confront this phenomenon," said General Genaro Fausto Lozano Espinosa, commander of the 5th Military Regiment, based in Guadalajara... Read more.
United States: Mexican police, heavily infiltrated by narcotraffickers
El Universal (translation: Americas MexicoBlog): The state and local police in Mexico are heavily infiltrated by organized crime, said the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs William Brownfield on Thursday. Read more
Head of US Armed Forces Discusses Combating Transnational Organized Crime
American Forces Press Service: Transnational organized crime is not specifically mentioned in the new defense strategy, but leaders understand the threat, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said at U.S. Southern Command today. Read more.
Panetta Declares 150,000 Deaths (give or take) in Mexico's Drug War
Americas MexicoBlog: The Mexican daily La Jornada headlined "150,000 Deaths in Mexico for Narco-Violence: Panetta". The paper notes that the US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta made the statement at the first meeting of defense chiefs from Canada, the United States and Mexico, held in Ottawa on Mar. 27. Where did this figure come from? Read more.
The government distributes 200 million pesos belonging to El Chapo
El Universal (Translation: Americas MexicoBlog): More than 15 million dollars belonging to the Sinaloa Cartel, led by Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, as well as jewelry and property seized by the Army in November of last year, will be distributed among federal agencies after the Attorney General of the Republic (PGR) labelled them abandoned to the federal government when no one claimed it as their rightful property. Read more
'Colombia Drug Lords Tried to Turn in Sinaloa Cartel Boss Chapo Guzman'
Plaza Pública. (Translation of excerpt Insight Crime): Costa Rican Alejandro Jimenez Gonzalez, alias "El Palidejo", had 16 reasons to feel afraid. Jailed in Guatemala, accused of planning the killing of Argentine singer Facundo Cabral (July 9 2011), Jimenez could become involved in a drug trafficking and money laundering trial against 16 defendants in a Brooklyn, New York court. The accused belong to gang the Rastrojos, and their leaders, brothers Javier Antonio and Luis Enrique Calle Serna, are identified as the people who planned to protect Jimenez when he arrived in Colombia, according to the president of that country, Juan Manuel Santos. Palidejo was arrested nearly two weeks ago off the Colombian Pacific coast, where he'd arrived via boat from Panama. Days later, he was extradited to Guatemala for the Cabral case. Read more
This post was written by the Center for International Policy's Americas Program's Mexicoblog.
The Americas MexicoBlog blog team includes Laura Carlsen, Mikael Rojas, Michael Kane and Brenda Salas.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Drug War News this week saw mixed messages in the drug policy debate. On one side Commander of US Northern Command, General Charles Jacoby, admitted that capturing and killing Mexico's most wanted drug traffickers has had "no appreciable effect" on levels of violence in Mexico and the British Parliament sent an open letter to Latin American leaders that supported an international dialogue on drug decriminalization.
On the other hand, reports suggest that, Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina has lowered his expectations for drug legalization.
As the policy debate continues to alternate between progress and regression, the drug war rages on in Mexico and elsewhere, drawing the gaze of private security contractors looking for markets after Iraq and Afghanistan. And even as Mexico continues to use the US backed model of interdiction in their fight against cartels, the reach of these organizations' criminal activities continues to permeate the country's illegal economy, from extortion, to human trafficking, and even illegal logging.
In modern Mexico, the drug war is inescapable--and this new reality will come sharply into focus in the context of traditional Mexico when Pope Benedict XVI visits on March 23. In a country where 9 out of 10 people are self-described Catholics, the Pope's arrival will refocus attention on narco-church relations, with believers and non-believers alike keenly paying attention to what the Pope has to say. Movement for Peace and Justice leader Javier Sicilia traveled to the Vatican to meet with church officials on the eve of the Pope's visit.
Human Rights and Rule of Law News in Mexico was highlighted by speculation that Felipe Calderon will flee the country at the end of his presidency. Facing a war crimes lawsuit in the International Criminal Court and fears that he will be targeted by vengeful drug cartels, reports claim that that he may be seeking asylum abroad after his term ends.
Some LGBT members in Mexico believe that attacks against that community may be increasing as a result of Pope Benedict's upcoming visit to the country. The investigation into transgender activist Agnes Torres' death continues as five have been arrested. The case has also drawn condemnation from the Interamerican Commission on Human Rights.
While a wave of attacks against the LGBT community has struck the country in recent weeks, other activists and civil society members have also come under fire. An opponent of a silver mine in Oaxaca was ambushed and assassinated on his way home in Santa Lucía Ocotlán. Journalists in the northern state of Tamaulipas were also sent a stern message after a car bomb exploded in the parking lot of El Expreso.
Articles
Drug War
Eliminating Cartel Leaders had 'Little Effect' on Mexico Violence, US General says
InSight Crime: "US Northern Command leader General Charles Jacoby told the Senate's Armed Services Committee that Mexico had successfully killed or captured 22 out of 37 of Mexico's most wanted drug traffickers, as identified by the Mexican government. He added that such results had "no appreciable effect," as violence continued to increase in Mexico. The country saw a 10 percent rise in homicides linked to organized crime between 2010 and 2011, finishing the year with nearly 13,000 murders. read more
British Parliament committee supports decriminalization of drugs in Latin America
Milenio: "The British Parliament has sent a letter to the presidents of Mexico, Colombia and Central American countries to show their support for the initiative by Guatemala to begin an international dialogue on the decriminalization of drugs, reported the Guatemalan Embassy in London. read more
Guatemala's Perez lowers expectations for drug legalization
Christian Science Monitor: "Some analysts got excited when President Otto Perez Molina announced several weeks ago that the Central American presidents would meet in Guatemala to agree to a decriminalization proposal prior to the Summit of the Americas. It was never going to be that easy. read more
Official says US Should Resume Military Aid to Guatemala
InSight Crime: "Speaking to media during a visit to Washington D.C., Guatemalan Defense Minister Ulises Noe Anzueto (shown with President Perez in the photo) said, "We have complied with the declassification of military archives, we have included the issue of human rights in our military academies, and we have (addressed) the remaining concerns there were about this issue." read more
Security contractors see opportunities, and limits, in Mexico
The Washington Post: "With the Iraq war over and the American presence waning in Afghanistan, U.S. security contractors are looking for new prospects in Mexico, where spreading criminal violence has created a growing demand for battle-ready professionals. read more
In Mexico, extortion is a booming offshoot of drug war
LA Times: "Almost every segment of the economy and society, including businesses, teachers and priests, has been subjected to extortionists who exploit fear of cartels." read more
At least 16,000 children in Mexico affected by human trafficking
CNN Mexico: "The Mexico Chamber of Deputies, on Thursday, approved the General Law to prevent, punish and eradicate crimes relating to trafficking of humans and to protect and assist victims of this crime. The law provides for penalties for anyone who captures or transfer persons in situations of trafficking. This law will be now be considered by the Senate. read more
World Bank says Illegal logging generates $15 billion per year, controlled by crime
La Jornada: "The probability that Mexico, a veritable forest predator, is punished is one of the lowest in the world. A new international study found evidence of a connection between loggers and organized crime groups, with annual, multimillion dollar profits which fund their criminal networks. read more
Pope's visit to Mexico refocuses attention on narco-church relations
The Guardian: "All I do is say mass there every Sunday," says Father Erasmo Dorantes. "What's done is done and I don't have relations with those people." Those people are the Zetas drug cartel, or more specifically the group's leader, Heriberto Lazcano. Photographs of a plaque thanking the kingpin for building the church caused a scandal when they were published in a national newspaper in October 2010. read more
Javier Sicilia to be received at Vatican
Milenio: "The poet and writer Javier Sicilia announced that he will travel today to the Vatican, where he will be received by representatives of the Catholic Church. He will present to them the situation that exists in Mexico on the eve of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the country. The leader of the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity will be received by the Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace of the Vatican, Mario Toso." read more
Human Rights and Rule of Law News
Hague Court analyzing lawsuit against Calderon
Animal Politico: "Contrary to what predicted by President Calderon, the International Criminal Court (ICC) did not dismiss the claim that a group of 23 thousand Mexicans placed against him for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. read more
Calderon may plan to flee Mexico when his term ends
Proceso: "President Felipe Calderon may fear being killed when his term ends and may plan to flee Mexico, Dolia Estevez, a correspondent for U.S. news MVS, revealed. read more
Papal visit increases attacks against the LGBT community
La Jornada: The recent attacks against members of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community come two years after this group received the right to marry members of the same sex, but above all, these acts are occurring in the context of the upcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Mexico. Jaime Lopez Vela, coordinator of Agenda LGBT, warned that the visit has led to an increase in the climate of homophobia in the country. read more
InterAmerican Commission condemns murder of activist Agnes Torres
Proceso: "The InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has condemned the murder of transgender activist, Agnes Torres Sulca, whose body bore signs of torture when it was discovered on Saturday, March 10 in a ravine in Puebla. read more
Five people arrested for murder of Agnes Torres
CNN Mexico: "Five people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder of transgender activist, Agnes Torres Hernandez, according to a statement issued Friday by authorities in Puebla. The body of Agnes, an activist for the rights of transsexual people, was found March 10 in a ravine in the town of Atlixco. She was 28. read more
Alleged murderers of Agnes Torres are presented; her boyfriend is a fugitive
Milenio: "The reason that five young men, including her boyfriend, who is a fugitive from justice, killed Agnes Torres Hernandez, 28 year old political activist for transsexual and transgender rights, was the theft of her car, a Volkswagen Golf, the Attorney General of Puebla said, while he did not discard that it was a hate crime. read more
Oaxaca activist killed in ambush
La Jornada: The main opponent of the operation of a silver mine in the indigenous community of San José del Progreso and the leader of the United Peoples Coordinator in the Ocotlán Valley, Bernardo Vázquez Sánchez, was killed in an ambush in Santa Lucía Ocotlán, confirmed the Attorney General of Oaxaca (PGJO). read more
Car bomb explodes in parking lot of Tamaulipas newspaper
La Jornada: "A car bomb exploded in the parking lot of the newspaper El Expreso, in Ciudad Victoria, the capital of the state of Tamaulipas, in northeast Mexico, damaging six vehicles of workers at the newspaper. No injuries were reported. According to military sources in the capital of Tamaulipas, the explosion occurred around 8:15 PM on Monday," read more
Friday, March 16, 2012
Drug War News this week saw a series of important and game-changing developments. Mexican Presidential Candidate Andres Lopez Manuel Obrador of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) announced that if he were to win July's elections, he would halt the US-backed war on drugs, saying that the current model simply "doesn't produce results." AMLO (which is the candidate's popular nickname) said that his administration would instead focus on creating jobs for those without opportunities and battling governmental corruption.
AMLO's comments make him the latest in a growing number of political leaders from Latin America calling for alternatives to the strategy of interdiction against drug trafficking. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said that the war on drugs "is failing" and vowed to lead an honest debate on the topic at the upcoming Summit of the Americas in April. The United States, while steadfastly standing behind the current model agreed to participate in the discussion.
Proponents of the current drug war strategy hope to land a high profile victory in the run-up to this summer's elections by capturing the man who has been identified as the world's most powerful narco: Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. The Mexican government claimed it nearly caught the country's no. 1 fugitive in Baja California last month. Capturing "El Chapo" would mark two major busts this year, as authorities apprehended Erick “El 85” Valencia Salazar, presumed leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Human Rights and Rule of Law News was highlighted by the tragic and brutal death of Agnes Torres Hernandez, the transgender activist who was murdered by decapitation in Puebla. LGBT groups in Mexico have claimed that this was the sixth murder of a member of that community in Puebla alone this year.
International human rights groups such as the United Nations and Amnesty International, among others, have criticized the Mexican government for failing "to properly investigate the cases of thousands of people who have disappeared in areas beset by conflict between drug gangs and security forces" and the "chronic impunity" that plagues its justice system.
Finally, Mexico's leading researcher on governmental corruption, Irma Sandoval, opines about how a new law will allow special interests, most notably big business, to exert more influence in government reform and public works projects.
Articles
Drug War
Lopez Obrador vows to end the war on drugs by creating jobs
La Jornada: If I become president, “we’re going to stop the war (against organized crime) and there will be procurement of justice. We are not going to use this strategy, because it has not produced results. There will be employment, we’ll battle corruption and calm down the country, we know how to do it, I’m sure,” affirmed Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador yesterday. read more
Drug War Violence: Data and Analysis Through 2011
TransBorder Institute: This is the third annual report by the Trans-Border Institute (TBI) on drug violence in Mexico. As with previous reports, the purpose of this study is to examine the available data, specific patterns, contributing factors, and policy recommendations related to growing toll of the drug war in Mexico." read more
Santos will Encourage Discussion on Drugs in the Summit of the Americas
El Milenio- "After admitting that the fight against drug trafficking 'is failing,' President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, host of the sixth Summit of the Americas, announced today that he will encourage a debate about illicit drugs in the upcoming continental forum April 14th and 15th." read more
US agrees to discuss drug legalization at regional summit
Colombia Reports: "The United States will discuss drug legalization in a multilateral setting for the first time at the upcoming Summit of the Americas in Colombia.... There is no indication the U.S. position firmly against legalization has changed. "We are ready to discuss the issue to express our opinion on why it is not the way to address the problem," said Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Mike Hammer." read more
With Near Capture and Exclusive Video, El Chapo in Spotlight Again
InSight Crime: "Authorities in Mexico nearly captured Joaquin Guzman, alias 'El Chapo,' in late February 2012. Along with a rare video showing Guzman at work, the elusive Sinaloa Cartel leader has been unusually visible in recent days. According to an Associated Press exclusive, Guzman narrowly escaped a raid on a mansion in Los Cabos." read more
Who's Tipping Off Drug Lord El Chapo Guzman?
ABC News: Time and again, the U.S. provides Mexican law enforcement with precise intelligence about the safe houses where Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, is hiding. And every time the Mexicans raid a house, the man that the U.S. government calls 'the most powerful drug trafficker in the world' manages to escape at the last minute through the back door." read more
Mexico drug lord's fate is focus of election year speculation
Chicago Tribune: "Reporting from Mexico City— A tantalizing question is spicing up talk shows and opinion columns as Mexican voters prepare to elect a new president: Will the government spring a "June surprise" by finally nabbing Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman? read more
Arrest of “El 85” generates chaos in Guadalajara, Mexico
Justice in Mexico: "On Friday March 9th, members of the Mexican Army captured Erick “El 85” Valencia Salazar –alleged leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and Otoniel “Tony Montana” Mendoza, allegedly second in charge of the same organization. The army ... conducted a precise operation in Zapopan –the wealthiest municipality of the Metropolitan Zone of Guadalajara– in the state of Jalisco, where the two leaders of CJNG were captured." read more
“Zetas” Bribe Police with payments of up to 600 Thousand Pesos
El Universal- "Commanders of the Federal Investigation Agency (AFI) and the Federal Prosecutor’s Police Office (PFM) received between 60,000 ($4,735) and 600,000 pesos ($47,357.40) per month in order to move police off the highways of Coahuila and notify the organized crime group, Los Zetas, about the actions of the armed forces ordered to combat them, informed the Mexican Attorney General’s Office (PGR). read more
Human Rights and the Rule of Law
Autopsy Reveals Activist Agnes Torres was Killed by Decapitation
El Milenio- "The State’s Attorney General’s Office in Puebla confirmed the murder of Agnes Torres Hernandez, political activist and transgender, who was found dead on a slope near a Puebla highway after being decapitated." read more
U.N. criticizes Mexico on drug war disappeared
Houston Chronicle: "'The Mexican government has failed to properly investigate the cases of thousands of people who have disappeared in areas beset by conflict between drug gangs and security forces," the UN said in a report published on Wednesday. Mexico has no protocol to register the disappearances, has poor procedures to identify corpses and the justice system is wracked by chronic impunity, the report by the United Nations said." read more
Amnesty International Says Forced Disappearances a “Recurring Pattern” in Mexico
Latin American Herald Tribune: "Amnesty International said Thursday that forced disappearances once again have become a “recurring pattern” in Mexico, blaming the scourge on “official inaction.” To support its allegations, the London-based human rights group alluded to a recent report from the U.N. ... that underscores the “terrible scale of this grave violation of human rights in Mexico” amid the country’s current climate of violence. read more
A Requiem for Public Control in Mexico
La Jornada: "The ominous proposal ... to privatize jails and prisons has become part of the profit motive and predatory logic of public services that has left the national economy in ruin over the last 30 years. The horrible daily reality that is lived in penitentiaries, which was cruelly manifested in the recent prison break and massacre in Apodaca, Nuevo León, isn’t a result of bad public stewardship. Rather, it is the fault of the federal and local governments that have abdicated the administration of these facilities and left them to the control of private actors and powerful factions." read more
Friday, March 9, 2012
Drug war news this week from Mexico was dominated by the one-day visit of U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden to Mexico City, where he met both with current President Calderón and the three main candidates in the presidential election to be held in July. Each of the three, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) of PRD, Enrique Peña Nieto of PRI and Josefina Vasquez Mota of PAN had his/her own take on their meetings.
Back in Washington, Biden announced the implicit deal that had been made: all three committed themselves to continuing the war against the Mexican drug cartels and he had assured them the U.S. would respect the election results, work with whomever won and continue U.S. aid to Mexico. For the Americas Program take on all of this politicking, see "Doing Biden's Bidding".
Meanwhile, the voices of political and community leaders calling for a change in drug policy continued to grow. The secretary general of the Organization of American States said, "We are not close to winning the war ... and need to try something else." And the head of a Mexican national business association--a constituency that has been largely silent to date--called the violence "regrettable" and called for "a better strategy."
Human rights and the rule of law news brought a report of a UN group concluding that there are public officials in Mexico who have participated or colluded in forced disappearances. A report by the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights reported that 61 activists were killed in Mexico between 2006 and 2010. And a colloquium of experts on displaced persons addressed the failure of the Mexican government to acknowledge displacements of 1,600,000 persons within the country, caused by its war against drugs.
Meanwhile, the Mexican Senate approved a bill to establish a national registry of disappeared persons.
The Articles:
Drug War
Biden Travels To Latin America Amid Drug Decriminalization Debate
Fox News: "Vice President Joe Biden heads to Latin America Sunday amid unprecedented pressure from political and business leaders to talk about something U.S. officials have no interest in debating: decriminalizing drugs. Presidents of Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Colombia and Mexico, all grappling with the extremely violent fallout of a failing drug war, have said in recent weeks they'd like to open up the discussion of legalizing drugs." read more
Biden agrees not to intervene in the electoral process: AMLO
Milenio: "Andres Manuel Lopez Obrado said that the vice president ... pledged not to intervene in the electoral process and to accept the results next July 1. "It was important what he told me, that the U.S. will respect the will of Mexico and reach agreement with whomever is president," said the presidential candidate of the left. read more
We agreed to greater cooperation against crime: Peña Nieto
La Jornada: "PRI presidential candidate, Enrique Peña Nieto, said ....(that) one of the points on which (he) made the greatest emphasis was security, and that he made to Biden "the clear commitment ... to combat organized crime, working in a close and productive collaboration that allows us to deliver results in this area. It is a task and an obligation of the State to do this head on and create conditions of security." read more
U.S. sees the possibility of a woman president as "normal": Vázquez Mota
Milenio: "...the PAN's candidate for President of the Republic, Josefina Vazquez Mota, .... commented on the position of U.S. government towards her candidacy. "I saw him as respectful of the Mexican electoral process and with a view that for Mexico to have a woman president would be absolutely normal. ... he spoke of the importance of female winners, successful ones, and the effort it represents." read more
Mexico's presidential candidates committed to fighting drug: Biden
Milenio: "U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said today that continuing the fight against drug trafficking is on the agenda of the three leading candidates for President of Mexico. ... Biden said that Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Enrique Peña Nieto and Josefina Vazquez Mota ... assured him that they will continue the fight against criminal groups." read more
Doing Biden's Bidding
MexicoBlog: "Vice President Joe Biden landed in Mexico City last night and he’s left little doubt about his mission—to lock in the regional drug war. ... A real discussion on effective strategies has to include the option of legalization. The Obama administration seems determined to block that option..." read more
We are not close to winning the war against the narcos: Head of OAS
La Jornada: "The secretary general of the Organization of American States, José Miguel Insulza, said that "we need to try something else" in the fight against drugs that is being let loose on the continent, because "we are not close to winning" this war: ... He said it is necessary to seek other strategies that place greater emphasis on demand in the drug-consuming countries and on the attack on bank secrecy and hidden money flows. read more
Mexican business association calls the security situation of the past six years “Regrettable”
La Jornada: "The new president of the Mexican Business Confederation (Coparmex), Alberto Espinosa Desigaud, criticized the environment of insecurity in Mexico over the last six years as “regrettable” and called for a “better strategy” to combat organized crime that will guarantee Mexican citizens peace and tranquility as soon as possible.” read more
Human Rights and the Rule of Law
UN says Mexican state is complicit in abductions
Milenio/EFE: Geneva, Switzerland: "The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances of the United Nations says it has detailed information which demonstrates the involvement of public officials in disappearances in Mexico. It says that the disappearances are not only the work of organized criminal groups, but also includes participation from the Mexican state." read more
In four years, 61 human rights defenders were killed in Mexico
La Jornada: "The InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) announced today its Second Report on the Situation of the Defenders of Human Rights, it which it reported--using information provided by local organizatios--that 61 activists were killed in Mexico between 2006 and 2010. read more
One million 600 thousand people displaced in Mexico
La Jornada: "While the government of Mexico continues not to recognize the existence of forced internal displacement caused by its war strategy against organized crime, it is increasingly difficult to determine the real dimension of the phenomenon and assist victims. So specialists in the field warned during the "Day of Training in Internal Displacement", organized by the National Commission on Human Rights." read more
Mexico senate approves bill to create a registry of lost and missing persons
La Jornada: "By unanimous vote yesterday, the Senate approved the National Data Registy Act for Missing or Disappeared Persons..." read more
Friday, March 2, 2012
Week's Top Articles on Mexico: Feb. 24- Mar. 1st, 2012
Drug War, Human Rights and Rule of Law News was centered on the growing drug decriminalization debate taking shape in Central America. US Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, visited Latin America this week in a five country tour, during which she strongly reiterated the United States' position against decriminalization and continued support for the drug war model.
Unlike fellow Central American president Mauricio Funes of El Salvador, Guatemalan president Otto Perez Molina remained steadfast in pushing an international discussion on the merits of decriminalization, reaffirming his stance directly to Secretary Napolitano in Guatemala City.
A tempered calm has recently crept over two of Mexico's bordertown murder capitals: Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez. Some are claiming that the drop in violence and a measured return to normalcy is the result of gains made by the authorities against organized crime; others merely point to one cartel's victories over its rivals as responsible for the new tranquility.
Meanwhile, across the border in El Paso, Texas, a County Commissioner was arrested for allegedly facilitating the sale of over 110 pounds of marijuana, begging the question of how deep corruption runs not only in the Mexican government, but also in the United States.
Finally, two analytic articles comment on the fundamental mechanics of what moves hemispheric drug trafficking. The first reviews the game-changing moment when the Cali Cartel decided to pay Mexican couriers in product, changing power dynamics forever. The second comments on a report that suggests the drug trade could be fundamentally changing again: this time with more power flowing through Central America.
Articles
Should Central America Legalize Drugs?
The Atlantic: "Last week, the president of Guatemala joined former and current presidents of Colombia and Mexico in expressing interest in considering the regional legalization of the drug trade...It is easy to see why. The drug war has been a disaster for the Latin American countries fighting it, especially Mexico, and Central Americans' suspicion that legalization could be less painful and costly is reasonable." read more
US Homeland Security Secretary visits Guatemala
Prensa Libre: "Combating drug trafficking will be another issue addressed during the meeting between Napolitano and Perez Molina—the Guatemalan President has recently proposed to lead a debate about drug decriminalization and Vice President Roxana Baldetti will begin a lobbying tour this week on the issue throughout Central America." read more
U.S. not budging on drug decriminalization stance
The Tico Times: 'The United States does not view decriminalization as a viable way to deal with the narcotics problem,' she said. She suggested a regional effort that would prevent drug use, intercept production and distribution, and stop money laundering. But Pérez Molina was firm. 'We are calling for a discussion, a debate. And we continue to insist it. ... We want to open a debate to find a more effective way to fight drug trafficking.'" read more
Stirrings Of Nightlife Return To Ciudad Juárez
Fronteras Desk: "In the violent city of Ciudad Juárez, one industry is making a strong and sudden comeback: nightlife. Thanks to police protection in certain parts of this Mexican border city, business owners have decided to reopen. That means recently abandoned hot spots for clubs and bars have come alive again." read more
In revived Tijuana, a new calm delights - and mystifies
Kansas City Star: Security officials credit better policing and the arrival of army patrols. Activists say that emboldened citizens began ratting out gangsters...But some experts cite a more sinister reason. They say the calm is because Mexico's most powerful crime group has seized control of Tijuana's key drug-trafficking corridor and now enforces the peace. Rival drug gangs that used to gun down one another simply are working together now." read more
The Dark Side to Juarez's Security Gains
InSight Crime: "Mexican border city Juarez, formerly the most dangerous place in the world, made significant security advances in 2011. But this may have come at a steep cost in terms of human rights, as Mexico’s Proceso argues." read more
Arrest of Texas Official Raises Questions of Cross-Border Corruption
InSight Crime: Last week, DEA agents arrested El Paso County Commissioner Guillermo “Willie” Gandara Jr. on suspicion of being part of a mid-size drug trafficking network. Gandara, who is running for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives, stands accused of distributing more than 110 pounds of marijuana since November 2010, and laundering the profits." read more
Gandara Moved to Federal Courthouse to Arrange for Release
KVIA El Paso: "El Paso Sheriffs deputies tell ABC-7 that Guillermo "Willie" Gandara Jr. was moved from the El Paso County Jail to the U.S. Federal Courthouse this morning where he is making arrangements to bond out of jail. Gandara is expected to officially resign his seat on Commissioners Court on Wednesday, according to County Judge Veronica Escobar." read more
The Cali cartel, Mexican smugglers and the war on drugs
The Los Angeles Times, Opinion: "Throughout the 1980s, Mexican smugglers were traditionally paid as couriers for hire by the Colombian cartels. They transported cocaine across the U.S. border for commissions that started as low as 20% of a load's wholesale value. As the flow of drugs increased, so did pressure to raise that commission to 30%, then 35%, 40% and more, until the Colombians said: "No mas." No more." read more
Cocaine seizures drop in Mexico as traffic moves
CBS News: "Cocaine seizures have dropped precipitously in Mexico in recent years, and a top U.N. drug-control official said Tuesday the trade appeared to be moving to Central America because of law enforcement pressure and infighting among cartels." read more
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