Killing of activist amidst wave of violence in Chiapas

Introduction

Mexico’s judicial reform sparks concerns over independence and human rights

On 15th September 2024, Mexico’s Congress passed a controversial judicial reform law mandating the popular election of all judges nationwide—an unprecedented move in global judicial systems. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador first proposed “Plan C” in February 2024, advocating a sweeping overhaul to replace the judiciary via popular elections.

Despite judicial suspensions granted through federal injunctions, Congress expedited the reform’s approval, publishing it in September 2024. Civil society organisations have criticised the lack of deliberation during the legislative process, and that the reform undermines judicial independence and prioritises political control over the administration of justice.

Proponents of the reform frame the popular election of judges as a democratic innovation. However, the model has drawn comparisons to Bolivia, the only other country in Latin America with a similar system, where it has yielded poor results. Two Bolivian elections for high court judges saw widespread voter disillusionment, with high rates of blank and spoiled ballots and a notable decline in the quality of judicial candidates.

Critics contend that the “popular election” model masks a political agenda. By controlling the selection of candidates, governing parties can ensure judicial compliance, eroding the judiciary's role as an independent check on executive power. Margaret Satterthwaite, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, warned of the risks: “Candidates may seek to appease voters or campaign sponsors to secure re-election, rather than basing decisions solely on legal principles and norms.”

The reform has faced significant opposition domestically and internationally. Judges, magistrates, legal professionals and students have staged protests, while civil society organisations warn of its detrimental impact on judicial independence.

Association

Human rights leader shot dead in San Cristóbal de Las Casas

On 20th October 2024, two masked individuals on a motorcycle fatally shot human rights defender Father Marcelo Pérez Pérez while he was in his vehicle. He had just finished officiating Mass at the Church of Cuxtitali in San Cristóbal de Las Casas and was en route to a morning service at the Church of Guadalupe. He was travelling alone without security when several bullets struck the driver’s side window, causing his immediate death. On 22nd October 2024, the State Attorney General’s Office announced the arrest of an individual alleged to be the perpetrator of the homicide.

Father Marcelo led the Catholic movement Pueblo Creyente de Simojovel, dedicated to promoting peace, defending land and territory and combating violence through civil and peaceful resistance. He organised peaceful pilgrimages advocating for peace and addressing poverty in the region. He also actively supported organisations and groups defending the rights of Indigenous peoples, including their autonomy, religious freedom and collective rights, particularly in the context of resistance to displacement caused by large-scale projects. Since 2015, he had precautionary measures from the IACHR due to the risk he was exposed to.

His work earned him a nomination for the 2020 Per Anger Prize by the Swedish government for his defence of Indigenous people's rights in Chiapas. On 13th September 2024, Father Marcelo led his final peace pilgrimage in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, attended by over 10,000 participants calling for an end to violence in Chiapas.

On 24th October, the IACHR urged Mexican authorities “to immediately implement all measures necessary to protect the rights to life, personal integrity, and safety of all other individuals who have been granted precautionary measures. It also emphasised the need to provide protection for Father Pérez Pérez’s family and those who were close to his work, including the members of his religious congregation and the communities that he defended.”

The killing of Father Marcelo occurs amid unprecedented violence in Chiapas. Between 2017 and 2024, the United Nations Office for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented at least 134 killings of human rights defenders in Mexico, allegedly linked to their work. In 2024, at least seven human rights defenders have been killed.

Ayuujk human rights lawyer missing

On 4th October 2024, human rights defender Sandra Domínguez and her husband, Alexander Hernández, disappeared from their home in María Lombardo de Caso, San Juan Cotzocón municipality, Oaxaca. Domínguez, an Ayuujk Indigenous lawyer specialising in cases of violence against women, has faced risks for her advocacy work. In 2020, she exposed a WhatsApp group used by Oaxaca state authorities to circulate explicit images of Indigenous women, including images of herself, and filed a criminal complaint against one of the officials involved.

More than 3,500 women human rights defenders from Oaxaca, Mexico and Mesoamerica raised the alarm regarding the disappearance of Domínguez Martínez. Since 2020 and again in 2023, Domínguez had reported gender-based violence, particularly sexual violence, perpetrated by Donato Vargas Jiménez, who serves as the State Coordinator of Delegates for Peace in the Government of Oaxaca. He was part of a WhatsApp group named “Sierra XXX,” where intimate photographs of Dominguez were circulated:

“As members of the networks supporting this statement, we have documented for over a decade that Oaxaca systematically ranks among the states with the most frequent and severe attacks against women human rights defenders at the national level. Oaxaca is among the regions with the highest numbers of murders and has also reported various cases of enforced disappearances that remain unresolved, leaving no information about the whereabouts of defenders, as seen in the cases of Claudia Uruchurtu Cruz and Irma Galindo Barrios.”

According to Amnesty International, this case exemplifies the worsening crisis of enforced disappearances in Mexico. In 2024 alone, the National Search Commission (CNB) recorded 10,228 new cases, contributing to a total of 116,615 people officially registered as missing or disappeared since 1952. Families and communities often conduct their own searches, exposing themselves to significant risks, including violence and repression. Women searchers, who constitute the majority of those seeking justice for the disappeared, face gender-specific threats.

Attack on human rights defender and Indigenous community

On 5th September 2024, human rights defender Hortensia Telésforo Jiménez and members of the Indigenous community of San Gregorio Atlapulco, Xochimilco, Mexico City, faced verbal and physical attacks during a peaceful protest (see peaceful protest). The demonstration aimed to support Telésforo Jiménez, who had been summoned in August 2024 to appear before the Public Prosecutor’s Office in a case widely perceived as criminalisation of her advocacy work.

Telésforo Jiménez has long championed the defence of her community’s territory, water rights and the preservation of chinampa agriculture, an ancestral farming technique. Her work has made her a target of intimidation, including violent repression in December 2022, when public forces cracked down on peaceful opposition to an unconsulted infrastructure project by the Mexico City Water System. On 2nd August 2024, authorities initiated an investigation against her for reclaiming the town library, now repurposed as the Casa del Pueblo Tlamachtiloyan, a cultural space for the community.

Front Line Defenders condemned the violence and highlighted the broader risks of criminalisation and repression targeting human rights defenders and Indigenous communities in Mexico: “Mexican authorities must investigate these attacks, prosecute those responsible, and ensure the safety of Telésforo Jiménez and the San Gregorio Atlapulco community to uphold their rights and freedoms.”

Expression

Mexican journalists killed within 24 hours

In October 2024, two Mexican journalists were murdered within 24 hours, underscoring the alarming dangers faced by the press in one of the world’s most perilous countries for media professionals.

On 29th October 2024, journalist Mauricio Cruz Solís, founder of the news website Minuto x Minuto and anchor for Radiorama Michoacán, was shot dead in Uruapan, Michoacán. The attack occurred shortly after Cruz interviewed Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo regarding a recent fire at a local market. Cruz was known for his coverage of politics and security issues. According to his colleague Julio César Aguirre, Cruz had not reported receiving threats. The Michoacán state prosecutor’s office confirmed an investigation is under way but has not provided further details.

Jan-Albert Hootsen, Mexico representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), condemned the killing as “brutal and brazen,” urging authorities to ensure a transparent and thorough investigation. Hootsen warned that impunity in this case would perpetuate the cycle of violence against the press in Mexico.

Less than 24 hours later, on 30th October, entertainment journalist Patricia Ramírez González, also known as Paty Bunbury, was gunned down at her restaurant in Colima’s state capital. The Colima state prosecutor’s office reported that an unidentified assailant entered the establishment around 2 p.m., fired multiple shots, and fled the scene.

Ramírez worked for the newspaper Hechos and primarily focused on entertainment reporting. According to Mario Alberto Gaitán, vice president of the local journalists’ association Periodistas Colimenses, Ramírez did not cover sensitive topics such as politics or security and had not reported any threats against her. Authorities have yet to confirm whether her murder was linked to her journalistic work.

The killings, which occurred in the first month of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration, spotlight systemic impunity and the urgent need for decisive government action to protect journalists and uphold freedom of expression.

Attack on offices of El Debate

On 17th October 2024, unidentified attackers fired multiple shots at the offices of El Debate newspaper in Culiacán, Sinaloa, at approximately 11 p.m. The attack caused significant damage to the building’s facade, two company vehicles and two personal cars belonging to staff members. No injuries were reported.

El Debate, one of the oldest and most widely read regional newspapers in Culiacán, is known for its investigative reporting on organised crime and escalating violence in Sinaloa. This latest attack underscores the persistent threats faced by journalists and media outlets operating in regions heavily impacted by criminal violence.

Threats and intimidation against journalists

On 4th September 2024, journalist Dalia Villatoro received a handwritten message, attributed to a drug cartel in Chiapas, that was left outside her home, accusing her of being linked to anonymous Facebook pages spreading misinformation—allegations she categorically denies. The message included chilling death threats, warning her of severe harm.

In response to the threats, Villatoro filed a formal complaint with the State Attorney General’s Office, demanding an investigation into the anonymous Facebook pages allegedly spreading false accusations. She also requested urgent protection for herself and her family: “I requested protection for my family and me as the initials on the card appear to belong to a criminal cartel,” Villatoro stated.

Fearing for her safety, Villatoro has temporarily left her municipality, following the advice of Villaflores Mayor Mariano Rosales Zuarth, who admitted his inability to control the region’s violence.

This incident follows the brutal attack on her colleague Ariel Grajales Rodas, who was seriously injured by armed assailants at his home. Together, these events underscore the worsening risks faced by journalists in Chiapas and the systemic failure to protect them.

In a separate case, on 13th September 2024, investigative journalist Humberto Padgett announced his resignation following an assault in Cuitzeo, Michoacán. Armed assailants intercepted Padgett’s vehicle, stealing his car, identification and work equipment.

Padgett, renowned for his reporting on organised crime, has been a vocal critic of governmental inaction. The press organisation Article 19 called on Mexico’s Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists to ensure Padgett’s safety.

Journalists arbitrarily detained and assaulted during a protest

On 5th September 2024, police in Xochimilco, a southern borough of Mexico City, used excessive force during a human rights protest in support of human rights defender Hortensia Telésforo (see peaceful assembly). Authorities reportedly beat at least two journalists and arbitrarily detained two others. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), witnesses described police brutality during the clashes, which began in the afternoon. Penélope Estefanía Galicia Argumedo, a reporter for Radio Zapote, and freelance journalist Elizabeth Díaz were arbitrarily detained and later released after several hours.

Galicia stated that she had been handcuffed and subjected to intimidation by the police, who denied her the right to communicate with a trusted individual. For several hours, her family and colleagues were unaware of her whereabouts until her detention at Tlalpan Public Prosecutor’s Office No. 3 was confirmed. In response, a demonstration was held at the facility to demand her release and that of at least three other human rights defenders who were also arbitrarily detained.

In Díaz’s case, she was one of the journalists covering the protest in support of Galicia. Inside the Public Prosecutor’s Office, there were approximately 15 people, while outside, over 100 riot police reportedly forced their way in, spraying tear gas and assaulting the protesters. During this incident, Díaz was stripped of her camera, beaten and sprayed with tear gas directly. She was also subjected to acts of sexual violence.

Freelance journalist José Meza and another unidentified journalist reported sustaining minor injuries after being beaten by police. Additionally, officers confiscated work and personal phones from an attorney associated with Article 19 Mexico and Central America.

Peaceful Assembly

Violent crackdown on peaceful protest in Xochimilco

On 5th September 2024, a peaceful protest in Xochimilco Borough Square, Mexico City, was met with violence, leaving dozens injured and highlighting systemic issues of judicial harassment and police misconduct. The protest was organised in support of Indigenous activist Hortencia Telésforo Jiménez, who, along with other activists, had visited the Prosecutor’s Office to review her case file and challenge the criminal charges levied against her (see association).

As protesters, including members of the Indigenous Otomí community, civil society organisations and students, gathered to demand an end to the criminalisation of Telésforo, the event was disrupted by a group of unidentified assailants armed with sticks, knives and firearms. Protesters were subjected to physical attacks while law enforcement, instead of intervening to protect them, escalated the violence by deploying tear gas and detaining at least five individuals, including journalists (see expression).

Eyewitnesses and victims reported that more than 31 people were injured during the events. Injuries included severe head trauma, fractures requiring surgery, and multiple contusions, resulting from both the assailants’ attacks and the police’s heavy-handed response.

While those detained were released later that night, they were charged with rioting, public disorder, assault, and resisting authority. Civil society organisations condemned these charges as unfounded and politically motivated, pointing to the lack of action against the attackers or the police involved in the violent crackdown. They also called for an independent investigation into the events, accountability for the perpetrators and immediate cessation of judicial harassment against Telésforo.