Week's Top Articles on Mexico: July 6 – 12, 2012
Post-election news: As the official recount was drawing to a close, tens of thousands of protestors marched on Saturday to protest Enrique Peña Nieto and the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE). Lopez Obrador and his party have formally filed a petition contesting the election, which can be revoked until September 6. Based on how the 2006 election were resolved, Mexicans are not optimistic. The PAN and PRD, two of the major parties, have worked together to investigate voting irregularities. After the elections, it has become clear that the pre-election poll predictions were inaccurate. Enrique Peña Nieto, the president-elect, elaborated his political strategy for the drug war, which includes targeting lower-level criminals and reducing violence. In Congress, the PRI will not have an absolute majority. Human Rights issues: Central Americans in Mexico: While the number of Mexicans making the journey to the United States is decreasing, it is increasing for Central Americans, who are leaving violence behind, but running risks of being victims of organized crime. Human rights defender, Father Solalinde, who returned to Mexico to his shelter Brothers on the Road after leaving the country because of death threats, said, Central American migrants are being used by drug cartels in a form of human trafficking. More than 2,000 Central Americans have been stranded in Mexico after a train derailed in June 17th and the city of Coatzacoalcos has been struggling to handle the emergency. Violence against women: Amnesty International reports on the growing violence and discrimination against women in Mexico. Despite laws and institutions, there is a lack of investigations and justice, thus low prosecution rates and police who are not held accountable. The report's author noted that president-elect Peña Nieto's track record on tackling gender-based violence "is not strong," thus not giving much hope for the country. Death and violence against women in Ciudad Juarez continue, and some say are worse. Indigenous rights: Mining contracts have taken over 75% of the lands of the Wikiruta people, reflecting one of the many social-environmental rural and urban conflicts in Mexico. This community has been very openly resistant to these contracts, unlike other communities that have been less visible. On Sunday, two indigenous members of Cherán in Michoacan were kidnapped and killed. Community members protested outside the local congress to demand security and protection from organized crime. Violence against journalists: On Tuesday, two northern Mexican newspapers, El Norte and El Manana, were attacked by gunfire and grenades. The violence is assumed to be caused by criminal groups, and El Manana, while condemning attacks that limited the country’s freedoms, repeated that it would cease to cover violence among criminal groups. On a related issue, the Mexican Congress has demanded that the president enact a victims’ rights law after his rejection of the law last week. On Thursday, The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee issued a report criticizing the use of the military in Mexico to combat drug violence and has recommended spending for judicial and police reform to prevent corruption and human rights violations. 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, Anna Moses, and Brenda Salas.