International migrants tribunal declares 37 states guilty of violating migrants’ rights

Mexico, US guilty of massive crimes against migrants

In his own testimony, Mexican human rights activist Medina said there is a continuing need to defend the rights of mobility and transit of migrants bound for the US. He said his group organizes mobilizations, social centers and Union defense for undocumented workers in the western states of the US.

“The fourth GFMD and governments supporting it promotes policies which are contrary to international human rights conventions on human mobility that were signed and ratified by their respective countries. Countries like the US, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Columbia, Brazil, Morroco, Libya, Israel, South Africa, the Philippines, Canada and the members of the European Union (EU) are guilty of crimes against humanity because of their brutal treatment and exploitation of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers,” he said.

Medina said that in a previous tribunal M3 joined – the International Tribunal of Conscience of the Peoples in Movement – he presented cases of past and present violations against the human rights of migrant workers from Mexico. The same cases were the ones he also presented to the 1st International Migrants Tribunal of the ILPS et al.

“The governments of Mexico and the US are guilty for the slaughter or massacre of 72 migrants in San Fernando, Tamaulipas on the borders of the US. The victims came to Mexico, on the the way to the US, and they were from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Brazil. on August 23, 2012, their bodies were found in Rancho San Fernando: 58 men, 14 women and several children,” he said. “It was the worst collective crime of its nature in Mexican history.”

Medina also brought to the tribunal’s attention the matter of the disappearance of 70,000 migrants en route to the US through the bordering Mexican states. He said the M3 has secured the testimonies of survivors of the systematic pattern of harassment and attacks of state authorities against migrants who use the US-Mexican border to enter the US.

“The perpetrators and the states they represent are guilty of murder (executions), kidnapping and enforced disappearances besides their violations against migrant rights such as the right of freedom of transit. Mexico’s pro-imperialist government is tainted by the blood of more than 60,000 people who were murdered in the so-called war against organized crime, drug trafficking and human trafficking. It sold and betrayed Mexico’s national sovereignty in the interest of transnational financial capital. The Mexican people have paid a hefty price for this policy and Mexico’s pronouncement that the country’s security is no less the security of the US itself,” he said.

The human rights advocate said that in the name of national security, which is actually the exclusive defense of US security, the Mexican territory has become the largest immigration checkpoint in the world.

“Without official statistics but based on the estimates of experts, reports and testimonies of the families of the disappeared, there have been more or less 60-70,000 missing migrants since the beginning of the Mexican-US ‘war against organized crime since 2006. The Mexican government and the US both deny this, they simply divert blame to so-called organized crime syndicates, but there are multiple accusations and evidence of government complicity as shown by their acts, omission or simple neglect to address the situation,” he pointed out.

In his concluding statement, Media said the Mexican government is subservient to the demands of the US and continues to be deaf, dumb and blind to the violations against the rights of migrants.

“The policy it has adopted has been anti-migrant, anti-people, pro-capitalist and pro-imperialist, which has resulted in the oppression and repression of migrants and their rights,” he said.