PBI hosts European speaking tour with Paso del Norte lawyer Maricela Vazquez

On September 17, the Peace Brigades International-Mexico Project tweeted, “PBI accompanies Maricela Vazquez, lawyer of the Paso del Norte Human Rights Centre, on her European advocacy tour.”

Along with their tweet is this 1-minute video with English subtitles.

PBI-Mexico has previously noted, “The Centre’s main areas of work are a comprehensive defense of rights and the accompaniment of victims of human rights violations, with a focus on cases of torture and enforced disappearances.”

More than 40,000 people have disappeared in Mexico since 2006.

Vazquez will be speaking in Geneva on September 17 (with Olga Guzmán Vergara), in Bern on September 19 (with Sara Méndez) and in Brussels on September 24 (Yolanda Pérez).

GENEVA: PBI-Switzerland notes, “Olga Guzmán Vergara, is currently Director of Advocacy at CDMPDH. Previously, she worked on economic and socio-cultural rights issues, as well as on respect for human rights, especially among the most vulnerable populations. She will be present to share her advocacy experience and testify to the torture in Mexico.”

BERN: PBI-Switzerland adds, “Sara Méndez is Coordinator of Código DH in the State of Oaxaca. The organization does psychosocial and legal support of activists and victims of human rights violations.”

BRUSSELS: PBI-Belgium posts, “On the occasion of the 9 years of the arbitrary detention of environmental rights defender Pablo López Alávez, his wife, Yolanda Pérez, will be present to discuss her case and her husband’s rights violations from the moment he was arbitrarily deprived of his liberty by false accusations of homicide.”

The public forums will address questions including: What has changed since the beginning of the new government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador? Is there reason for hope?

PBI-Mexico has accompanied the Paso del Norte Human Rights Centre since 2013.