International Women's Day- 8 March 2012 -
Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world in which to be a writer. Take action for murdered and disappeared women writers in Mexico.
Since 2006, at least 45 journalists, writers and bloggers have been murdered or disappeared, most of them in the course of their work.
Yolanda Ordaz de la Cruz, one of five women journalists murdered in 2011
Since 2009 there has been an escalation in violence against writers, with women increasingly being targeted. Five of the nine Mexican writers killed in 2011 were women; their murders were particularly savage. This document (PDF) tells the horrific stories of some of these women writers and journalists.
On International Women’s Day, PEN International calls on PEN members to remember our fallen and missing female colleagues.
Please write to the Mexican authorities calling for an end to impunity and a thorough investigation into the killings and disappearances of these women and of all the murdered and disappeared Mexican writers.
Write to the President, Attorney General and Special Prosecutor for Crimes Against Freedom of Expression, and the Mexican Ambassador to Australia (addresses below):
- Protesting the continuing attacks on journalists;
- Calling for an end to Mexico’s climate of impunity in which attacks such as these take place;
- Calling on the government of President Felipe Calderón to fulfil promises to make crimes against journalists a federal offence, by amending the Constitution so that federal authorities have the power to investigate, prosecute and punish such crimes.
Please let us know if you take action to commemorate the murdered and missing women writers of Mexico on International Women’s Day.
President
Lic. Felipe De Jesús Calderón Hinojosa
Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Residencia Oficial de los Pinos Casa Miguel Alemán
Col. San Miguel Chapultepec, C.P. 11850, DISTRITO FEDERAL, México
Fax: (+ 52 55) 5093 4901/ 5277 2376
Email: felipe.calderon@presidencia.gob.mx
Salutation: Señor Presidente/ Dear Mr President
Attorney General
Lic. Marisela Morales Ibáñez
Procuradora General de la República
Av. Paseo de Reforma No. 211-213, Piso 16
Col. Cuauhtémoc, Delegacion Cuauhtémoc
México D.F. C.P. 06500
Tel: + 52 55 5346 0108
Fax: + 52 55 53 46 0908 (if a voice answers, ask “tono de fax, por favor”)
E-mail: ofproc@pgr.gob.mx
Salutation: Señora Procuradora General/Dear Attorney General
Special Prosecutor for Crimes against Freedom of Expression
Dr Gustavo Salas Chávez
Fiscal Especial para la Atención de Delitos Cometidos contra la Libertad de Expresión (FEADLE)
Email: gustavo.salas@pgr.gob.mx, feadle@pgr.gob.mx
Ambassador to Australia
Her Excellency Mrs Maria Luisa Beatriz LOPEZ GARGALLO
Embassy of Mexico
14 Perth Avenue
Yarralumla ACT 2600
Fax: (02) 6273 1190
Email: embamex@mexico.org.au
FURTHER INFORMATION
BBC Online: “Mexico: Missing journalist Yolanda Ordaz found killed”, 27 July 2011
Index on Censorship: “Mexico: Journalists Found Dead”, 02 Sept 2011
PEN International: “PEN International to Mexican Government: Killings of Journalists Must End”, 30 Jan 2012
Reports Without Borders: “World Report: Mexico”, September 2011
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