[WHRD Alert] MEXICO / Campeche state police brutally repress and detain women defenders protesting against appointment of public official accused of gender-based violence

On the night of Sunday, 28 September, a contingent of more than thirty agents from the Campeche state police violently repressed members of the collectives Ley Sabina Campeche and “Campeche por las 40 Horas”, who were demonstrating the State Congress concourse to express their rejection of the appointment of a new judge to the State Supreme Court of Justice who is accused of having exercised gender-based violence. As part of this repression, three people participating in the protest were arbitrarily and violently repressed, among them Ley Sabina founder, Aremi García, who is pregnant. After their release, the three protesters had to receive medical treatment due to the injuries caused by the police violence against them; Aremi was hospitalized under medical observation.

The persons detained denounced that after their detention, on the way to the Prosecutor’s Office, they were subjected to insults and beatings. Meanwhile, their organizations stated that it was only after the Campeche State Human Rights Commission (CODECHAM) intervened that they were able to have access to information about the persons’ whereabouts and legal situation, which is another serious rights violation.

The National Network of Women Human Rights Defenders in Mexico and IM-Defensoras reject and condemn these intolerable acts perpetrated by the Campeche state police, and we demand that the authorities promptly investigate all those responsible and establish measures to ensure that such incidents do not recur and that the damage caused is repaired.

We also demand that the Campeche state authorities refrain from taking any legal action against those who were attacked, recalling that they were illegally repressed and detained while exercising their legitimate right to protest.

Furthermore, we recognize the human rights defense work carried out by the women of the collectives Ley Sabina Campeche and “Campeche por las 40 Horas”; we embrace our sisters who were attacked and call on the international community to express solidarity with them and denounce the abuse to which they were subjected.

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