Ahead of the Mexican president’s visit to the U.S., Amnesty International joined with six other human rights groups to call on the U.S. government to once again withhold aid to Mexico’s security forces. The groups submitted a joint memorandum to the State Department and U.S. Congress concerning the Mexican government’s failure to meet human rights requirements set out in the Merida Initiative.
Under the Merida Initiative, 15 percent of funds allocated to the Mexican security services are contingent upon the State Department reporting that Mexico has made substantial progress in safeguarding human rights. Last year, the U.S. withheld these funds for the first time since 2008.
“The Mexican government has failed to make significant progress in investigating and prosecuting human rights violations, said Marselha Gonçalves Margerin, advocacy director for the Americas with Amnesty International USA. “It is crucial that the U.S. not be a party to prolonging these failings by providing aid to the Mexican military, that continues to commit human rights violations without accountability.”
The groups signing on to today’s memorandum include Amnesty International; Centro de Derechos Humanos Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez (Centro Prodh), Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña Tlachinollan; Ciudadanos en Apoyo a los Derechos Humanos A.C. (CADHAC); Fundar, Centro de Análisis e Investigación; Latin America Working Group (LAWG); and Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA).