Mexico: Persecuted Indigenous rights organisation

Members of the Me'phaa Indigenous Peoples Organisation (OPIM) have been repeatedly harassed and intimidated as a result of their activism. They have been attacked and threatened, many have been followed and one of their leaders has been killed.

Five OPIM members were arrested on fabricated charges in April 2008. Four were released in March 2009 but the fifth, Raúl Hernández was held until August 2010. Following his release, he and other activists were threatened.

UPDATE 22 JUNE 2011 Two OPIM leaders have received a threatening letter. ,a href="http://action.amnesty.org.uk/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1194&ea.campaign.id=11016">Take action now

UPDATE DECEMBER 2010: Leaders of OPIM receive new threats. Take action now

Background

OPIM was founded in 2002 to defend and promote the rights of the Me’ phaa (Tlapanecas) Indigenous People in Mexico. The southern state of Guerrero, which is home to some 116,000 Me’ phaa Indigenous People, has one of the highest levels of marginalisation and some of the lowest indicators of human development in the country. OPIM now has more than 200 active members working to promote Me’ phaa cultural traditions and practices and campaigning to end the discriminatory practices that have led to the poverty and marginalisation of so many Indigenous communities.

Mexico is a dangerous country in which to defend human rights. Human rights defenders have been killed, attacked, harassed, threatened and imprisoned on false charges.  In some cases, the authorities are behind these abuses; they sometimes prosecute Human Rights Defenders for crimes they haven’t committed simply to punish them for their campaigning.  Even when defenders win appeals against these false charges, they receive no apology or compensation from the authorities.

Indigenous human rights defenders can have a particularly hard job as they have to deal with the discrimination and exclusion faced by their communities as well as the risks involved with defending human rights.

Despite these difficulties and abuses, human rights defenders in Mexico continue to bravely stand up for justice, dignity and human rights. Read our report on human rights defenders in Mexico: Standing up for justice and dignity (pdf)

Members of the Me'phaa Indigenous Peoples Organisation (OPIM) have been repeatedly harassed and intimidated as a result of their activism. They have been attacked and threatened, many have been followed and one of their leaders has been killed.

Five OPIM members were arrested on fabricated charges in April 2008. Four were released in March 2009 but the fifth, Raúl Hernández was held until August 2010. Following his release, he and other activists were threatened.

UPDATE 22 JUNE 2011 Two OPIM leaders have received a threatening letter. ,a href="http://action.amnesty.org.uk/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1194&ea.campaign.id=11016">Take action now

UPDATE DECEMBER 2010: Leaders of OPIM receive new threats. Take action now

Write to the Mexican authorities, calling for the safety of OPIM members to be guaranteed and urging for a full review into Raúl Hernández’s prosecution

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