Mexican Senate approves proposed law to protect HRDs and journalists

On 24 April, the Mexican Senate approved a proposed law to establish a National Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) and journalists.

PBI, with eight other international human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, Frontline and Protection International, wrote to the Senate and Chamber of Deputies to request their support for the bill, which was drawn up by a group of Mexican nongovernmental organisations.

Mexico is one of the world’s most dangerous places to be a journalist, as has been noted by the UN’s Human Rights Commission.

Human rights defenders and journalists in Mexico are subject to intimidation, legal harassment, arbitrary detention, death threats, acts of physical aggression, forced disappearances and killings as a result of their activities defending human rights and the freedom of expression.

The proposed law is supported by numerous international organisations, rights bodies and lawyers’ organisations. All welcome the Senate’s decision and urge the Chamber of Deputies to pass the bill into law before the end of the current legislative period.

For more information, see the complete article on the PBI Mexico website.