Nincs tárgy megadva

Lic. Vicente Fox Quesada
Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Residencia Oficial de "Los Pinos"
Col. San Miguel Chapultepec
México D.F., C.P. 11850
MÉXICO

Dear President Fox:

I am saddened and outraged to learn of the death of human rights activist
Digna Ochoa y Plácido, who had been threatened on numerous occasions in
relation to her work as a human rights lawyer.  She was found murdered on
October 19, 2001, in her office in Mexico City.  A note left with her body
warned that more assassinations of human rights defenders could follow.

Digna Ochoa had worked for many years with the human rights organization
Centro de Derechos Humano "Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez" (PRODH).  In August
1999, she was seized by two men, beaten and threatened with death.  A month
later, PRODH received three separate letters containing death threats.  In
October 1999, three men entered Ms. Ochoa's house, blindfolded her and
interrogated her for several hours about members of PRODH.  They bound her
to her bed and locked her in a room with an open gas canister.
Fortunately, she managed to escape.  According to Amnesty International,
none of these incidents were properly investigated.  Had they been, perhaps
the killing of Digna Ochoa could have been prevented.

Your administration has repeatedly declared its commitment to the
protection of human rights, and yet it has done little to translate these
fine words into action.  By murdering a prominent defender like Digna
Ochoa, the opponents of human rights in Mexico display their disregard for
the government's rhetoric of human rights and reveal a confidence that they
and their activities are beyond the law.  Their actions are the consequence
of a culture of impunity that has thrived for too long in Mexico.

Mr. President, now is the time to transform your administration's human
rights ideals into concrete actions.  If Digna Ochoa y Plácido can be
murdered in broad daylight, then no human rights defender is safe in
Mexico.  The killers of Ms. Ochoa must be found and brought to justice.  I
urge you to take immediate steps to make this happen.  I further urge you
to take swift action to protect other human rights defenders, especially
those at PRODH.

I thank you in advance for your efforts, and I look forward to hearing from
you about the actions your government is taking to end the violence against
human rights defenders in Mexico.

                              Sincerely,


copy to:
Ambassador Juan José Bremer Martino
Embassy of Mexico
1911 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C.  20006
(fax: 202-728-1698)

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