Monday, March 8, 2010

Mexican President Wants the Human Rights of All Protected

Presidency of the Republic

Mexican President Felipe Calderón declared that the federal government's aim is to be a government characterized by its respect for human rights. That is why, he said, this administration is fighting to combat the main threats to these rights.

"The best legacy we can leave tomorrow’s generations is for Mexico to be a country of laws, in which the law is obeyed and enforced, and where there is an effective rule of law, and corruption, impunity and the lack of law and order become a thing of the past and stop posing the greatest threat to the fundamental rights of all citizens,” he said.

During the presentation of the National Human Rights Commission’s Activity Report, and accompanied by President of the Commission Raúl Plascencia, as well as Interior Secretariat Fernando Gómez, the President said that he is aware of the need to eradicate any case of human rights violations by any government representative.

“As President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, it is my duty and my conviction to guarantee that in this fight for legality, order and security, that Mexicans’ basic rights are scrupulously respected. And let it be quite clear that during this government, anyone who violates human rights will have to face the full force of the law,” he stated.

However, he pointed out that the protection of human right is not a task for a single power or order of government. “Protecting and guaranteeing human rights is a task that concerns all members of the Mexican state, all orders of government, authorities and powers.”

“That is why the federal government, with all the mistakes inherent in any institution formed by human beings, is striving to play its role in this crucial task of establishing the rule of law and reconstructing the organizational and structural life of Mexican institutions,” he said.

The President said that the main threat to human rights in Mexico is organized crime, which is why it must be fought with the full force of the law, with no exception: “That is why we are fighting to enforce the country’s laws and institutions.”

“That is why we are fighting against the lack of law and order, and organized crime, with the full force of the law, because that is the way it should be, but with full respect for human rights, which we are fully aware of. Because the force of the state is simply the force of legality and reason, because state authority can only act within the bounds of law,” he said.

President Calderón added that 2009 marked the year with the greatest number of attacks on the country’s journalists, an issue of great concern to the federal government.

“Today, the main threat to the full exercise of freedom of expression comes from organized crime. Those that subdue, kidnap, abduct and unfortunately eventually kill journalists are unscrupulous criminals who feel that they own society and do not tolerate any suggestions or criticism. It is criminals who, with their violent actions, which they now criticize, who in fact threaten and restrict journalists’ work,” he said.

That is why, he said, rather than regressing, we must redouble our efforts in the fight against criminals, because attacks on journalists and members of the media constitute an attack on society as a whole.

“This is just a part of what these unscrupulous groups are capable of doing and do to society as a whole,” he added.

The President listed measures his administration has implemented to protect the fundamental rights of the groups exposed to the violation of their guarantees.

Examples are the urgent need to strengthen the protection of crime victims; the implementation of actions to protect disabled persons; the commitment to women’s rights and gender equity; and to guarantee the admission of undocumented persons into Mexico, where actions to sanction abuses and to combat cases of corruption have been reinforced.

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