National Safety Mechanisms - Mexico
National Safety Context
According to the Observatory of Killed Journalists over 150 killings have been recorded in Mexico since 1993. Approximately 12% of these crimes have been judicially resolved according to the latest Director-General's Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity. Mexico has responded 11 times to the Director-General's requests for information on the judicial status of the cases of these killed journalists since 2009. For more information on Mexico's rate of response and impunity rate see the Country Profile on the Observatory of Killed Journalists.
There are 6 national safety mechanisms being implemented in Mexico to prevent, protect and prosecute crimes committed against journalists from crimes committed against them. More information on these initiatives is summarised below including relevant links.
Special Prosecutor's Office for the Attention of Crimes Committed against Freedom of Expression
The Special Prosecutor鈥檚 Office for the Attention of Crimes Committed against Freedom of Expression (Fiscal铆a Especial para la Atenci贸n de Delitos cometidos contra de la Libertad de Expresi贸n) has been active since 2006.
What activities are carried out?
The Prosecutor鈥檚 office engages in actions to prevent attacks against journalists by publishing statistics on cases of attacks on journalists and reporting to UNESCO鈥檚 request for information on the judicial status of journalist killings.
The Special Prosecutor is in charge of directing, coordinating and supervising investigations and, where appropriate, prosecuting crimes committed against those who carry out journalistic activity or committed due to the exercise of the right to information or freedom of the press and expression.
How is it implemented? / Who are the stakeholders?
The Special Prosecutor operates at the national level with specific allocated funding, by appointment of the Fiscal铆a General de Mexico.
Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists
The Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists (Mecanismo de Protecci贸n de las Personas Defensoras de Derechos Humanos y Periodistas) has been active since 2012.
What activities are carried out?
The Protection Mechanism implements protective measures in cases of imminent danger to journalists and human rights defenders. It has a quick response mechanism which acts within three hours.
How is it implemented? / Who are the stakeholders?
The Protection Mechanism operates at both a federal and a regional level, with 24 of 32 states having regional representations, and 8 with a specific budget for the regional implementation of the Mechanism. Several branches of government cooperate through this mechanism to implement the measures, including the Ministry of the Interior, the Attorney General鈥檚 Office, the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Human Rights Commission
The Protection Mechanism鈥檚 decision-making body is the Governing Board, which has 9 permanent representatives from government agencies. The OHCHR also has a representative in the Board.
Veracruz State Commission for the Attention and Protection of Journalists
The State of Veracruz Commission for the Attention and Protection of Journalists (Comisi贸n Estatal para la Atenci贸n y Protecci贸n de los Periodistas) has been active since 2012.
What activities are carried out?
The Commission implements measures to protect journalists from attacks through the provision of protective equipment, bodyguards and other material needs. It also has a dedicated rapid response procedure in cases of imminent risk which can take action within 72 hours.
How is it implemented?
The Commission operates regionally within the State of Veracruz. It can be contacted directly by a journalist who is a victim of threats, but also by third parties submitting a request. The request is then reviewed by the Commission according to admissibility procedures.
The Commission has a specific protocol which incorporates a gender dimension into the implementation of protective measures.
Who are the stakeholders?
The main implementing authority are law enforcement agents of the State of Veracruz. The Commission, however, receives directives from an internal Plenary made up of four journalists, two representatives from media outlets, two representatives from civil society organisations and an academic representative.
Guanajuato State Council for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists
The Guanajuato State Council for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists (Guanajuato Consejo Estatal para la Protecci贸n de Defensores de Derechos Humanos y Periodistas) has been active since 2019.
What activities are carried out?
The Council engages in several actions to prevent against and protect from attacks on journalists. The mechanism does yearly monitoring of cases of threats against journalists and human rights defenders, trains journalists on self-protection and trains law enforcement agents on matters of human rights and freedom of expression.
The Council provides protective equipment and has an alert system allowing journalists and human rights defenders to request immediate support in case of threats.
How is it implemented?
The Council operates regionally in the State of Guanajuato.
Who are the stakeholders?
The Council is constituted by representatives from the State Attorney General鈥檚 Office, the Public Security Secretariat, the Transparency and Accountability Secretariat, the Council of the State Judicial Power and the Human Rights Attorney鈥檚 Office of the State of Guanajuato, alongside with three representatives from human rights organisations and three journalist representatives.
Specialized Unit for the Investigation of Crimes Committed against Journalists and Human Rights Defenders
The Specialized Unit for the Investigation of Crimes Committed against Journalists and Human Rights Defenders (Unidad Especializada de Investigaci贸n de Delitos Cometidos contra Periodistas y Defensores de Derechos Humanos) has been active since 2020.
What activities are carried out?
The Specialized Unit aims to provide support and advice to journalists who have been victims of aggressions, threats, and other crimes in relation to their work. Investigations are carried out in a specialized manner considering the professional activity of the victim.
How is it implemented? Who are the stakeholders?
The Specialized Unit is located within the Attorney General鈥檚 Office of the State of Puebla. The Unit operates regionally in the State of Puebla.
Mechanism for the Integral Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists of Mexico City
The Mechanism for the Integral Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists of Mexico City (Mecanismo de Protecci贸n Integral de Periodistas y Personas Defensoras de los Derechos Humanos de la Ciudad de M茅xico) has been active since 2021.
What activities are carried out?
The Mechanism implements protection measures for journalists, such as the provision of material needs for journalists in case of threats, and also has a quick response mechanism which acts within 10 days of an initial threat report to implement a risk assessment and protection plan.
How is it implemented? / Who are the stakeholders?
The Mechanism has a Governing Board constituted of representatives from several departments, secretariats and ministries of the Federal District, as well as representatives from civil society linked to journalists and human rights defenders. The Mechanism operates at a regional level.
For more specific information on the national safety mechanisms in Mexico and those in other countries please follow the links in order of appearance.
