The Human Rights breach in southeast Mexico

In the same way the human rights (HR) are supposedly violated by the Americans while Mexicans try to cross the border with the U.S., also the southern Mexico´s frontier shines like a “red bulb” in eyes of the HR activists. Every day hundreds of migrants, particularly from Central America (but also Latin America in general and Africa), cross the Mexico-Guatemala border to get to the north of Río Grande seeking for a better life. Chiapas is the first Mexican state which they have to cross.

Sometimes, their experience resembles to a nightmare. The officers of the Mexican Institute of Migration (INM) as well as Mexican army are hunting day by day the migrants, in the streets and motorways near Tapachula, the largest Chiapas´s town at the southern border. They hunt migrants instead of hunting the drug lords. Why? As it is much easier to chase the unarmed. The migrants who can appear in Chiapas come from more than 60 nationalities (!) according the director of the local UNHCR office, H. K. Hartmark. Each week, each day and hour – the same view. Human beings deprived from their rights to information, to a just process, with their dignity seriously humiliated. The HR don´t constitute a major issue neither for the local people nor for the government. Despite the kind speeches of politicians, state governor or Federal government about the importance of the HR issue and the proud highlighting of the leading role of Chiapas (el Estado de Vanguardia). They say they want to protect HR. But they don´t. Occurs only the opposite than in the speeches and slogans (hechos, no palabras) that decorate walls and fences.

The Mexican government has continuously failed to honour their word. Tapachula and the southeast Mexican border in general “should” be the priority of the government due to dozens of reasons. Thousands of young Mexicans from this region migrate to the US because they don´t see any future here, besides the extreme poverty and poor possibilities of a good education.

On one hand, just under the sign “Welcome to Mexico” there is a note that kindly inform the incoming foreigners that any abuse of authority should be announced. On the other, there are the untouchables INM officials. Highly problems-seeking, often corrupted and uneducated. They abuse the doubtful power they think they have, they abuse HR, they abuse the HR treaties and covenants Mexico ratified, thinking they resemble gods.

The double face policy of Mexico has been already explained in the post "En la fabrica de focos trabajan sin luz". In other words: "We are more than interested in respecting HR in the world...but not in Mexico”. The last noteworthy case of the sad situation occurred when the diplomats from Central American countries were forbidden to enter with their laptops into the INM detention centre in Tapachula. The diplomatic immunity and Vienna Conventions were breached. In a few days, local newspaper hurried up with an article with a big dose of national propaganda (again) about alleged case of a Honduras´ migrant being forced by her own diplomat to give a false testimony against the misbehaviour of INM officials.

Why can´t we read about the thousand cases of misbehaviour of INM officials instead? But maybe this occurs everywhere.

I´m conscious that I may face expulsion due to my behaviour (involving in political issues of Mexico) according the well known Art. 33 of the Mexican Constitution, however I don´t consider human rights issue political, ladies and gentlemen.

Fuente de foto del INM: http://static.aztecanoticias.com.mx/imagenes/2011/19/838337.jpg