Mexico - August 2022

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced he will place the national guard (GN) under the control of the Ministry of Defense before the end of his term. Speaking in a press conference on 8 August, López Obrador said that the GN, originally established under civilian command and administration, would be placed in the complete control of the armed forces through an executive decree or legislative amendment, regardless of whether his proposed public security reform passes in Congress. Human Rights Watch has raised concerns about López Obrador’s plans to formalize military control, warning such developments “pose a serious threat to human rights and transparency.”

Sources: El Pais, Human Rights Watch, Mexico News Daily (1), Mexico News Daily (2), Presidencia de la Republica, Mexico

After President Andrés Manuel López Obrador was elected to office in 2018, he established a Truth Commission tasked with investigating the 2014 enforced disappearance of 43 trainee teachers in the southern state of Guerrero. On 18 August the Commission delivered its report on the Ayotzinapa disappearances, determining that they had been state-sponsored and that public officials had participated in commission and cover-up. A few days later, the case saw its first high-level arrest, that of former Attorney General Jesús Murillo Karam, who oversaw the original investigation. On 24 August a judge ruled there was enough evidence to indict Murillo and ordered he remain in preventive detention until the trial date. The Mexican Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) has issued a further 83 arrest warrants related to the case.

Sources: British Broadcasting Corporation, El Pais, Secretaria de Gobernacion, Mexico

Attacks against journalists continue to rise, and at least 18 journalists have been killed in the last eight months. This is the deadliest year on record according to a report by Article 19, which reveals that the death toll for 2022 has already outpaced the 13 murders recorded in 2021 and 14 murders recorded in 2020.

Sources: Article 19, Reuters