CSW welcomes appointment of Jorge Lee Galindo

CSW welcomes the appointment of Jorge Lee Galindo as Mexico’s new Federal Adjunct Director General of Religious Associations, advising Sub-Secretary for Citizen Participation, Democratic Participation and Civil Society Organisations Diana Álvarez Maury on issues relating to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). The appointment was announced after the swearing in of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on 1 December.

Lee Galindo is a lawyer whose work has focused on issues related to FoRB. In 2013 he founded Impulso 18, a non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to responding to violations of FoRB in Mexico.

Lee Galindo said: “We are living in a very important moment for our country. There is a new president who has called the whole country to live in peace and concord, so peace and justice among all communities of faith is very important. From the government we will have to work so that the freedom of religion or belief of all is fully respected.”

Serious FoRB violations take place on a regular basis in Mexico, and numbers are particular high in the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Hidalgo and Guerrero. Violations range from discrimination against religious minorities to cases of violence, arbitrary detention and forced displacement, and while they mostly take place at the local village or municipal level, state governments and the federal government have largely failed to hold those responsible for the violations to account.

CSW Head of Advocacy, Anna-Lee Stangl, said: “We have worked with Jorge and Impulso 18 on religious freedom issues in Mexico for many years and are optimistic that his appointment at the federal level will be a significant step forward in beginning to ensure that protections for FoRB are strengthened across the country. We congratulate Jorge on his appointment, which is in and of itself a recognition of his many years of hard work defending FoRB, and call on President López Obrador to ensure that FoRB for Mexicans is a priority of his government.”

Notes to editors:

1.Click here to read CSW’s General Briefing on FoRB issues in Mexico.