Photo: Héctor Hugo Arreola Galván and Elizabeth Guadalupe Mosqueda Rivera from Espacio OSC on Wellington Street in Ottawa in front of the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada.
The Civil Society Space of Organizations for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists (Espacio OSC) has posted on social media:
STATEMENT ‼️
🇲🇽🤝🇨🇦 From Sep 22 to Oct 3, the #EspacioOSC conducts an advocacy tour in #Canadá with meetings with parliamentarians, government, unions, academia, and #human rights organizations to raise awareness about the situation of human rights defenders and journalists
📢 From 2016 to 2025, 177 human rights defenders and 88 journalists have been murdered in 🇲🇽.
Although the @Mecanismo_MX exists, serious protection and access failures persist. Canada is urged to demand guarantees and a #HumanRights chapter in the #USMCA.
The first hyperlink in their social media post leads to the Espacio OSC website that further explains:
From September 22 to October 3, the CSO Space for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, through the Zeferino Ladrillero Human Rights Center and the Consortium for Parliamentary Dialogue and Equity Oaxaca, together with Peace Brigades International (PBI), are conducting an advocacy tour in Canada with meetings with parliamentarians, representatives of the government, trade unions, academia, journalists and human rights organizations.
The objective is to expose the serious situation in Mexico, where between 2016 and 2025 177 defenders and 88 journalists have been murdered, in addition to documenting attempted homicides, disappearances, criminalization and forced displacement.
Despite having the Federal Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, created in 2012 and which has provided protection to 2,605 people, being an example at the regional level for its model of network governance and civil society participation, through an Advisory Council, critical challenges still persist: Between January 2023 and July 2025, only 116 of 361 applications from defenders and 136 out of 246 from journalists were admitted, which has led to a lack of protection and an increase in legal resources. In this same period, they have had to litigate, for which 85 amparos and 44 appeals of disagreement were filed against the Mechanism, leaving those who cannot take on litigation defenseless.
The tour also aims to highlight the relevance of the bilateral relationship between Mexico and Canada, marked by strong economic, social and investment ties. In particular, sectors such as mining and gas concentrate a significant presence of Canadian capital in Mexico. In this context, the organizations consider it essential that the next negotiation of the USMCA incorporates a specific section on human rights and the protection of human rights defenders and journalists, as part of the commitments shared by both countries in favor of human rights and democracy.
They also recall that in the 4th cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), Canada made recommendations to Mexico on key issues such as:
-Implement guidelines for the investigation of femicide in all states.
-Conduct prompt and impartial investigations into enforced disappearances.
-Adopt comprehensive policies for the protection of defenders, journalists, and religious leaders, ensuring sufficient resources and trained personnel in existing mechanisms.
-Ensure universal and non-discriminatory access to quality sexual and reproductive health services.
-Develop a legal framework and public policies to address forced displacement, which disproportionately affects indigenous communities.
In this regard, the organizations underscore the importance of Canada providing support and technical cooperation for the implementation of these recommendations, strengthening bilateral commitment to human rights and especially to guarantee the work of defenders and journalists
The organizations call on the Canadian authorities and international society to support the work of human rights defenders and journalists in Mexico, and to demand that the Mexican State fulfill its duty to guarantee their safety and protection.
Space for Civil Society Organizations for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists (Espacio OSC). The organisations that make up the CSO Space: ARTICLE 19; Casa del Migrante Saltillo; Tlachinollan Mountain Human Rights Center; Zeferino Ladrillero Human Rights Center (CDHZL); Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA); National Center for Social Communication (Cencos); Communication and Information of Women A.C. (CIMAC); Consortium for Parliamentary Dialogue and Equity Oaxaca (Oaxaca Consortium); Institute of Environmental Law (IDEA), National Network of Civil Human Rights Organizations All Rights for All, All and All (RedTDT); SMR: Scalabrinianas, Mission with Migrants and Refugees; Services and Advice for Peace (Serapaz), Project on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (PRODESC). The CSO Space is accompanied by Peace Brigades International (PBI) – Mexico Project.
Photo: Elizabeth and Hugo arrive in Ottawa accompanied by Peace Brigades International.
