AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2016/17

2014. The GIEI confirmed that the
authorities’ assertion that the students had
been killed and burned in a local rubbish
dump was scientifically impossible. The GIEI
also revealed that in October 2014, officials
had irregularly visited a scene later linked to
the crime and handled important evidence
without proper permission or documentation.
A man held in custody in relation to the case
was forced by the authorities to participate in
the visit without his lawyer present or any
oversight from a judge. The visit took place a
day before the government discovered a
small piece of bone in the same place, later
identified as belonging to student Alexander
Mora Venancio. The leading official involved
in these investigations resigned from his post
within the Federal Attorney General’s Office,
even though an investigation into his actions
was ongoing. He was immediately appointed
by President Peña Nieto to another senior
federal position. In November, the IACHR
presented its work plan for a follow-up
mechanism on the Ayotzinapa case after the
GIEI recommendations and the 2014
precautionary measure issued by the IAHCR
ordering Mexico to determine the status and
whereabouts of the 43 missing students.
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS
AND JOURNALISTS
Human rights defenders and journalists
continued to be threatened, harassed,
intimidated, attacked or killed. At least 11
journalists were killed during the year. The
federal Mechanism for the Protection of
Human Rights Defenders and Journalists left
human rights defenders and journalists
inadequately protected. In February,
international human rights organizations
denounced the smear campaign against the
GIEI and local NGOs involved in the
Ayotzinapa case – a campaign that appeared
to be tolerated by the authorities. The
number of requests for protection under the
Mechanism remained steady in relation to
the previous year.
In July, Humberto Moreira Valdés, former
governor of the state of Coahuila and former
president of the Institutional Revolutionary
Party, sued prominent journalist Sergio
Aguayo for US$ 550,000 in a civil lawsuit for
alleged moral damage to his reputation due
to an opinion piece published by Sergio
Aguayo. The excessive amount demanded
could constitute a form of punishment and
intimidation, potentially affecting freedom of
expression in public debate.
In August, prisoner of conscience and
community environmental defender Ildefonso
Zamora was released after nine months’
imprisonment on fabricated charges.
FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY
The Supreme Court continued to analyze a
legal challenge to Mexico City’s 2014 Law on
Mobility. It ruled in August that the law
should not be interpreted as imposing a prior
authorization regime for demonstrations, but
only as a rule allowing people to notify
authorities in advance of any planned
demonstration. The Court considered that the
lack of provisions on spontaneous
demonstrations did not mean that such acts
were forbidden in any way. Finally, it voted in
favour of a rule banning protests in the city’s
main avenues.
RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL,
TRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLE
In May, President Peña Nieto presented two
draft bills to Congress to reform the
Constitution and the Federal Civil Code. The
proposed constitutional reform to expressly
guarantee the right to marry without
discrimination was rejected by Congress
in November.
The second proposed reform to the Civil
Code would prohibit discrimination on
grounds of sexual orientation and gender
identity in allowing couples to marry and
people to adopt children; the reform also
included the right of transgender people to
have their gender identity recognized by
Mexico. The bill had yet to be discussed in
Congress.
In September, Supreme Court
jurisprudence upholding same-sex couples’
rights to marry and adopt children without
being discriminated against on the basis of
Amnesty International Report 2016/17 253