UN and OAS Rapporteurs for freedom of expression conclude joint visit to Mexico

Mexico City ( 24 August 2010) – The situation of freedom of expression in Mexico requires urgent attention according to the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Catalina Botero Marino, and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion, Frank La Rue.

“The full enjoyment of freedom of expression in Mexico is up against serious and diverse obstacles, including most notably the murder of journalists and other very serious acts of violence against those who disseminate information, ideas and opinions, and the widespread impunity in those cases”, the Special Rapporteurs said. 

The two experts recently concluded their official joint visit to Mexico, (9-24 August, 2010) to observe the status of freedom of expression in the country.  During the official visit, the Special Rapporteurs were in Mexico City and in the States of Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Guerrero and the State of Mexico.

They met with over one hundred state and federal employees of the executive, legislative and judicial branches, as well as with representatives of autonomous bodies. In addition, they held meetings with more than one hundred journalists, representatives of civil society organizations, relatives of murdered journalists, and members of the international community based in Mexico.

In a preliminary report published immediately after their mission the experts described a situation in which 64 journalists have been murdered in the last ten years and 11 have disappeared, making Mexico the most dangerous country in the Americas in which to practice journalism.  The Special Rapporteurs were able to verify that most of the recent murders, disappearances and kidnappings of journalists have occurred in States where organized crime has a strong presence.

They expressed great concern at criminal laws which penalize expression at the federal level, and in a significant number of states.

The Special Rapporteurs also noted that the diversity and pluralism of ideas in democratic speech is limited because of the highly concentrated ownership and control of the media, because of the absence of an equitable legal framework for the allocation of frequencies, and because of a lack of regulation of government advertising.

Finally, the Special Rapporteurs observed with concern an emerging trend toward the restriction of the right to access public information.

Ends

Frank La Rue was appointed as Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression in August 2008 by the UN Human Rights Council. As Special Rapporteur, he is independent from any Government or organization and serves in his individual capacity. The UN first decided to appoint a Special Rapporteur to examine questions relevant to the right to freedom of opinion and expression in 1993. The mandate, since reviewed and extended in 2008, involves reporting annually to the Human Rights Council on issues related to freedom of opinion and expression.

Learn more about the mandate and activities of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, please visit: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/opinion/index.htm