Mexico: submission to the 45th session of the Universal Periodic Review

Introduction

1. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) and Impulso 18 are human rights organisations specialising in the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). Both monitor the situation of FoRB in Mexico, raise awareness of human rights concerns and advocate for the full protection of human rights. This submission seeks to draw attention to particular concerns regarding the right to FoRB.

International legal framework and UPRcommitments

2. Mexico is a member of the Organization of American States and among other relevant human rights treaties and agreements, the following treaties have entered into force in Mexico: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights (ICESCR). The government of Mexico has committed to protecting FoRB in Article 24 of its constitution.

3. During the previous cycle, Mexico received 277 recommendations. Of these the state accepted 275 and noted two (a call to ratify the Kampala amendments to the Rome Statute by Liechtenstein and a call to respect and defend life from conception to natural death by the Holy See). Among the accepted recommendations, a number focused on the importance of tackling impunity, including by guaranteeing the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, as well as on the rights of human rights defenders (HRDs), minority rights including indigenous rights, the rights of women and girls, children, and recommendations relating to enforced disappearances.

4. Mexico received just three recommendations pertaining to the right to FoRB during the last review, including a recommendation from Poland to ‘take the necessary measures to effectively combat impunity for attacks against religious leaders, journalists or members of religious minorities’ and from Canada to ‘adopt comprehensive policies for the protection of human rights defenders, journalists and religious leaders, and ensure that existing mechanisms are adequately funded and staffed with trained personnel.’ Third, CSW was encouraged to see a recommendation pertaining to the right to FoRB among indigenous communities, which called on Mexico ‘to ensure freedom of religion for all, especially indigenous populations, so that they are not forcibly displaced and compelled to convert’. Regrettably, there has been limited implementation of these recommendations.

To read the full submission, you can download the pfd here.