CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION This Document Was

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION This Document Was CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION This document was created by Texas Department of Public Safety’s Border Security Operations Center in conjunction with federal, state, and local Unified Command partners as part of ongoing border security efforts and should be safeguarded and protected in accordance with the requirements of the above classification. The above classification CONTROLLEDincludes this UNCLASSIFIEDdocument andINFORMATIONany accompanying – LAW ENFORCEMENTattachments SENSITIVEand/or e-mails. Key Events and Findings • In the past two months, there have been two seizures involving marijuana concealed in the wall of ice chests: one in the Coastal Bend Sector and one in the Laredo Sector. • Since the end of JAN 2011, RGV and Coastal Bend Sectors continue to observe seizures of large amounts of marijuana over 1,000 lbs co-mingled with produce. • Since FEB 2011, there have been three incidences of narcotics (heroin and cocaine between 7 to 10 lbs) concealed in produce cans: one involving fruit cans and two Mahler Refried Black Bean cans. This week 7.76 lbs of brown heroin were concealed in fruit cans. • The largest single seizure occurred in the Marfa Sector involving $406,035 USD concealed in the gas tank of a 2003 Jeep Liberty. • The BSOC continues to observe DTOs targeting of parked law enforcement vehicles and officer‟s residences to obtain various types of weapons and tactical gear. • On 29 MAR 2011, Jaime Rodriguez Calderon, the Mayor of Garcia, survived a second attempt on his life involving armed men interdicting and shooting his motorcade. He survived a similar attack 32 days prior to this event. • On 26 MAR 2011, the Ministry of National Defense (SEDENA) said in a statement that the Mexican Army was able to capture Victor Emanuel Delgado Medrano, alias “El Chumil,” who is the leader of Los Zetas in Cancún, Quintana Roo. CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION – LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE Sherman Dallam Hansford Ochiltree Lipscomb Sig. Mexico Events 287 p. 100-107 Hartley Moore Hutchinson Roberts Hemphill 287 Oldham Carson Wheeler TTABLEABLE OFOF Potter Gray Statewide Corridor Seizures Collingsworth Deaf Smith Armstrong Randall Donley p. 94-99 27 Parmer Castro Swisher Briscoe Hall Childress Hardeman Lamb Floyd ONTENTS Hale Motley Cottle Wichita ONTENTS Bailey Clay C Foard C Wilbarger Montague Lubbock Lamar Crosby Dickens King Knox Baylor Archer Cooke Grayson Fannin Red River Cochran Hockley Bowie Delta Franklin Morris Morris Jack Titus Lynn Garza Denton Collin Yoakum Throckmorton Young Wise Hunt Hopkins Terry Kent Stonewall Haskell Cass Cam Rockwall p Rains Marion Dallas Wood Upshur Grant Tarrant Palo Pinto Parker Borden Fisher Gaines Jones Shackelford Stephens Scurry Dawson Harrison Kaufman Otero Van Zandt Dona Ana Howard Mitchell Eastland Hood Ellis Andrews Martin Taylor Johnson Somervell Henderson Gregg Nolan Callahan Erath Panola Luna Rusk Hill Navarro Ector Comanche Cherokee El Paso Hudspeth Loving Winkler Coke Runnels Bosque Anderson Shelby Glasscock Coleman Midland Sterling Brown Freestone Nacogdoches Hidalgo Hamilton Limestone Ward McLennan San Augustine Culberson Mills Hudspeth Crane Upton Reagan Coryell Houston Irion Tom Green Leon Sabine Concho Falls Angelina McCulloch Lampasas Reeves Trinity San Saba Bell Robertson Jasper Madison Newton Schleicher Menard Burnet Crockett Polk Tyler Milam Jeff Davis Jeff Davis Mason Llano Williamson Walker Pecos Brazos El Paso Sector Grimes Burleson San Jacinto Sutton Kimble Hardin Gillespie Lee Montgomery Blanco Travis Washington p. 05-17 Terrell Liberty Bastrop Waller Orange Kerr Hays Harris Edwards Kendall Austin Val Verde Fayette Comal Caldwell Presidio Real Jefferson Brewster Bandera Chambers Fort Bend Guadalupe Colorado Bexar Gonzales Galveston Kinney Uvalde Medina Lavaca Marfa Sector Wilson Brazoria Wharton DeWitt Jackson Frio p. 18-27 Zavala Karnes Matagorda Atascosa Victoria Goliad Live Dimmit Bee Coastal Bend Del Rio Sector Oak Refugio La Salle San Sector p. 28-40 Jim Patricio Wells Duval Nueces Webb p. 83-93 Overall Assessment Kleberg Jim Brooks Kenedy p. 108-113 Laredo Sector Hogg Rio Grande p. 41-51 Starr Willacy Valley Sector Cameron p. 52-82 CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION – LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE Operation BORDER STAR 23 MAR – 29 MAR 2011 CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION – LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE EL PASO UNIFIED COMMAND SECTOR 23 – 29 MAR 2011 EL PASO H P E T D S U H UNIFIED COMMAND MEMBERS USBP Horizon City PD CBP – OFO Ysleta Del Sur Tribal PD ICE El Paso ISD PD West TX HIDTA University of Texas El Paso PD EPIC El Paso Community College PD TMF El Paso Office of Emergency DPS Management TPWD US Army, Ft. Bliss CID Texas Tech University PD El Paso CO SO Texas Comptroller of Public Hudspeth CO SO Accounts Dona Ana CO SO (NM) Texas Attorney General, El Paso Grant CO SO (NM) Union Pacific Railroad PD Hidalgo CO SO (NM) Texas Alcohic Beverage Luna CO SO (NM) Commission Otero CO SO (NM) El Paso County Constables Anthony PD El Paso PD Full Map/Table of Contents CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION – –LAWLAW ENFORCEMENT ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE SENSITIVE El Paso Sector The Unified Command provided the following reports: Contraband Seizures Illegal Alien Apprehensions Marijuana 981.14 lbs IAs/Referrals 0 Cocaine 49.21 lbs IAs/USBP 248 OTMs 8 Heroin 0.002 lbs Guatemala 2 Methamphetamine 0 lbs Bangladesh 1 Currency $14,775.00 Germany 1 OTM Countries Hydrocodone-5 pills, Ecuador 1 Psilocybin-0.007 lbs, Other Ecstasy-9 pills, Honduras 1 Xanax-33 pills Brazil 2 Handgun(s) 1 Vehicles Stolen / Recovered Weapons Long Gun(s) 0 Stolen 31 Explosive(s) 0 Recovered 43 Absconds 0 Bailouts 0 Criminal Arrests 132 Fugitive Arrests 42 Gang Related Criminal Arrests 7 Pursuits 0 Scouts/Decoys 0 CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION – LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE El Paso Sector The Unified Command statistics over the past 4 weeks: El Paso UC Currency Seizures El Paso UC Marijuana Seizures $25,000 4,500.00 3,839.59 $23,680 4,000.00 $20,000 3,500.00 2,876.92 3,000.00 $14,775 $15,000 2,500.00 2,789.38 2,000.00 $10,000 $10,121 1,500.00 1,000.00 $5,000 981.14 Pounds of MarijuanaPounds Seized 500.00 Amount of US of US AmountCurrency Seized $0 $0 0.00 11-Mar-11 18-Mar-11 25-Mar-11 1-Apr-11 11-Mar-11 18-Mar-11 25-Mar-11 1-Apr-11 El Paso UC Cocaine Seizures El Paso UC Illegal Aliens 120.00 400 351 98.83 350 100.00 297 300 340 80.00 250 248 60.00 200 49.21 150 40.00 42.14 100 20.00 Pounds of CocainePounds Seized 50 24.51 of IAs NumberApprehended 0.00 0 11-Mar-11 18-Mar-11 25-Mar-11 1-Apr-11 11-Mar-11 18-Mar-11 25-Mar-11 1-Apr-11 CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION – LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE Gang activity Seven gang-related incidents were reported during this period involving seven criminal arrests of members from six different gangs. The incidents involved: Assault Causing Bodily Injury/Family Violence, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Public Intoxication, Criminal Trespass, Failure to Identify, Assault on a Public Servant, Resisting Arrest, Escape From Custody, Terroristic Threats against a Public Servant, Criminal Mischief, and DWI. Sixth Street Barrio Azteca Barrio Meadow Trece Sureno Florencia 13 Varrio Glenwood FLORENCIA 13 is a California born Sureno gang. They originated in the Florence area of South Central Los Angeles. They are mostly seen in the Central and North East regions of El Paso. According to the El Paso PD’s gang data base, there are approximately 109 confirmed FLORENCIA 13 gang members in El Paso. CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION – LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE BARRIO AZTECA (BA) Update: JAN – MAR 2011 • In the first two months of 2011, there has been a significant amount of internal activity within the BA organization. There have been attempted kidnappings and assaults on both active and non-active members. • On 03 JAN 2011, BA member ERIC “SONNY” GOMEZ, DOB 03/17/1977, was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He attempted to kidnap and kill Ex-BA member OSCAR “LONELY” MARTINEZ, DOB 09/10/1975. Gomez has since bonded out of jail and was released on 02 FEB 2011. • Several weeks later, three BA members assaulted GILBERT MENDOZA, DOB 06/13/1961. In that assault, BA member ANGEL “SMALLS” HERNANDEZ, DAVID “CASPER” TREVIZO, DOB 08/27/1967, and another person, identified only as “POISON," were named as suspects; however, no report was filed. • During the final weeks of JAN 2011, the El Paso PD received information that there was a subject with a gun at a local gentlemen‟s club called “Tequilla Sunrise.” In that incident, RENE “FLACO” HOLGUIN, DOB 11/14/1979, a BA associate, was named as a suspect. According to witnesses, HOLGUIN attempted to force an unknown male out of the business and kidnap him; this incident did not generate a report. • On 07 FEB 2011, Socorro PD Officers were dispatched to a stabbing incident and found BA member PAUL “POLLO” CHACON, DOB 03/19/1973, severely beaten. • At a monthly gang meeting on 10 FEB 2011, it was reported that OSCAR “WONDERER” MORA, a well known BA, was assaulted and his money and drugs were stolen from his home. • On 17 FEB 2011, a murder victim was reported at North Loop and Nevarez. He was identified as JUAN JOSE ESQUIVEL, DOB 07/05/1979, a possible BA associate. If all of these BA ties are confirmed, there would be six criminal incidents involving BA members and associates in less than two months. CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION – LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE BARRIO AZTECA (BA) Update (cont) • In addition, the internal BA communications systems in the County Jails has been shut down for most of 2011. Obviously, internal communications must be occurring through visitation conversations.
Recommended publications
  • In the Shadow of Saint Death
    In the Shadow of Saint Death The Gulf Cartel and the Price of America’s Drug War in Mexico Michael Deibert An imprint of Rowman & Littlefield Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK Copyright © 2014 by Michael Deibert First Lyons Paperback Edition, 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available The Library of Congress has previously catalogued an earlier (hardcover) edition as follows: Deibert, Michael. In the shadow of Saint Death : the Gulf Cartel and the price of America’s drug war in Mexico / Michael Deibert. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7627-9125-5 (hardback) 1. Drug traffic—Mexican-American Border Region. 2. Drug dealers—Mexican-American Border Region. 3. Cartels—Mexican-American Border Region. 4. Drug control—Mexican- American Border Region. 5. Drug control—United States. 6. Drug traffic—Social aspects— Mexican-American Border Region. 7. Violence—Mexican-American Border Region. 8. Interviews—Mexican-American Border Region. 9. Mexican-American Border Region—Social conditions. I. Title. HV5831.M46D45 2014 363.450972—dc23 2014011008 ISBN 978-1-4930-0971-8 (pbk.) ISBN 978-1-4930-1065-3 (e-book) The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence
    [Show full text]
  • 2015 Mexico Peace Index
    ANALYZING THE CHANGING DYNAMICS OF PEACE IN MEXICO QUANTIFYING PEACE AND ITS BENEFITS The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank dedicated to shifting the world’s focus to peace as a positive, achievable, and tangible measure of human well-being and progress. IEP achieves its goals by developing new conceptual frameworks to define peacefulness; providing metrics for measuring peace; and uncovering the relationships between business, peace and prosperity as well as promoting a better understanding of the cultural, economic and political factors that create peace. IEP has offices in Sydney, New York, Mexico City and Oxford. It works with a wide range of partners internationally and collaborates with intergovernmental organizations on measuring and communicating the economic value of peace. For more information visit economicsandpeace.org CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 02 HIGHLIGHTS 04 1 RESULTS AND FINDINGS 06 2015 Mexico Peace Index Ranking 06 Most and Least Peaceful States 10 Trends in Peace: 2003–2014 17 Verifying the Trend: is Violence Really Declining in Mexico? 22 Metropolitan Peace Index 27 2 POSITIVE PEACE IN MEXICO 38 The Pillars of Peace 39 Correlates of Peace 41 2015 Mexico Positive Peace Index 46 Positive Peace in the Last Decade 49 3 ECONOMIC VALUE OF PEACE IN MEXICO 53 Impact of Violence on Business 62 4 EXPERT CONTRIBUTIONS 66 The Adversarial System and the Peace Index in Mexico by Guillermo Zepeda Lecuona, Director, Jurimetria 66 Building the Foundations for Peace by María
    [Show full text]
  • Border Security and Migration: a Report from South Texas
    Border Security and Migration: A Report from South Texas By Adam Isacson and Maureen Meyer, Senior Associates Since 2011, WOLA staff have carried out research in six different zones of the U.S.-Mexican border, meeting with U.S. law enforcement officials, human rights and humanitarian groups, and journalists, as well as with Mexican officials and representatives of civil society and migrant shelters in Mexico. As part of this ongoing work, the authors spent the week of November 26-30, 2012 in south Texas, looking at security and migration trends along this section of the U.S.- Mexico border. Specifically, we visited Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Mexico. We found that unlike other sections of the border, the south Texas sections have seen an increase, not a decrease, in apprehensions, particularly of non-Mexican migrants; migrant deaths have dramatically increased; and there are fewer accusations of Border Patrol abuse of migrants. We also found that the Zetas criminal organization’s control over the area may be slipping and drug trafficking appears to have increased, yet these U.S. border towns are safer than they have been in decades. Lastly, in spite of the ongoing violence on the Mexican side of the border and the failure of the Mexican government to reform local and state police forces, U.S. authorities are increasingly repatriating Mexicans through this region, often making migrants easy prey for the criminal groups that operate in these border cities. Bucking the migration trend: One of the biggest changes along the entire U.S.-Mexico border since the mid-2000s has been a sharp reduction in the number of migrants being apprehended by U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • The State of Texas Defines 'Spillover Violence' As Mexican
    “The state of Texas defines „spillover violence‟ as Mexican Cartel-related violence that occurs in Texas, including aggravated assault, extortion, kidnapping, torture, rape and murder. The victims of these crimes include illegal immigrants being smuggled into the United States, Mexican or U.S. citizens working with the Cartels or their innocent family members, and those who are not associated in any way with the Cartels or transnational gangs.” –Director Steve McCraw, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). Mexico Spillover: From 2005 – 2011 2011 February 2011 On Saturday, 02-05-11 at approximately 16:00, three teenagers were shot to death at the Super Autos Porvenir car lot in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Two of the victims, Juan Carlos Echeverri-Luna and Carlos Mario Gonzalez-Bermudez were U.S. citizens attending private schools in El Paso, Texas. The third victim, Cesar Yalin MIRAMONTES-Jimenez was a Mexican National and a student at Tecnologico de Monterrey in Ciudad Juarez, Mx. (EPIC, Texas Rangers, Associated Press http://www.valleynewslive.com/Global/story.asp?S=13990800 ) On 02/06/11, information received from a Houston CHS who has proven to be very reliable in the past provided the following information: "Gulf Cartel in Nuevo Laredo is planning on having a female or maybe a male walk across Laredo International Bridge 1 POE and drop a live hand grenade toward the US Border Patrol underneath Bridge I. The purpose of the grenade attack is to create an incident where to place blame on the Zetas." (FBI) Received on 02-11-11 that FBI Houston re-contacted FBI-Laredo for dissemination that a highly placed Sub-Source of CHS who is a Ministerial Police with direct contact with HERIBERTO LAZCANO-LAZCANO unwittingly provided information as to a planned grenade attack at the Laredo POE Bridge I IN NUEVO LAREDO.
    [Show full text]
  • State of Siege: Drug-Related Violence and Corruption in Mexico Unintended Consequences of the War on Drugs
    PHOTO BY LAURIE FREEMAN, WOLA LAURIE PHOTO BY Altar to La Santa Muerte outside Nuevo Laredo State of Siege: Drug-Related Violence and Corruption in Mexico Unintended Consequences of the War on Drugs By Laurie Freeman he war on drugs plunged Mexico into violent depths in 2005, especially along its northern border. Drug-related homicides soared, and former elite soldiers on the Tpayroll of a drug cartel were responsible for numerous kidnappings and killings. Murder victims’ tortured bodies frequently appeared on roadsides in key drug trafficking hubs throughout the country – and scores more victims, including more than 40 U.S. citizens, vanished without a trace. From within maximum security prisons, cartel lead- ers continued to run their illegal enterprises, killing rival inmates and ordering hits on enemies beyond the prison walls. Wild shootouts erupted on city streets as police and soldiers battled criminals, who on occasion were themselves law enforcement officials in the employ of traffickers. This record-breaking year of drug-related violence closed on a chilling note – with the release of a video showing four bound and bloodied men describing to unseen inter- rogators their work as drug cartel assassins and alleging corruption in the highest levels of Mexican law enforcement. The video ends when one man is shot point-blank in the head by his off-camera captor. Hundreds of soldiers and federal police were deployed to a number of Mexican cities ravaged by drug-related violence, but the killings continued, in some cases at accelerated rates. The border city of Nuevo Laredo, for example, which recorded 180 killings in 2005, witnessed 93 in the first four months of 2006 alone.
    [Show full text]
  • Mexico 2019 Crime & Safety Report: Matamoros
    Mexico 2019 Crime & Safety Report: Matamoros This is an annual report produced in conjunction with the Regional Security Office at the U.S. Consulate in Matamoros, Mexico. The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this report’s publication assesses Mexico at Level 2, indicating travelers should exercise increased caution due to crime. Do not travel to the state of Tamaulipas. Overall Crime and Safety Situation The U.S. Consulate General in Matamoros does not assume responsibility for the professional ability or integrity of the persons or firms appearing in this report. The ACS Unit cannot recommend a particular individual or location and assumes no responsibility for the quality of service provided. Review OSAC’s Mexico-specific webpage for proprietary analytic reports, Consular Messages, and contact information. Matamoros is located on the U.S. - Mexico border, across from Brownsville, Texas and 50 miles from the Reynosa-McAllen border area. The Matamoros Consular District is nearly the entire State of Tamaulipas. Areas not in the Matamoros Consular District are those located north of the Falcon Dam, as well as the City of Tampico. The random nature of violence, combined with one of the highest kidnapping rates in Mexico, exposes everyone to a high risk of being subject to dangerous situations. Crime Threats There is serious risk from crime in Matamoros, Violent crime, such as murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, extortion, and sexual assault, is common. Gang activity, including gun battles and blockades, is widespread. Armed criminal groups target public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles traveling through Tamaulipas, often taking passengers hostage and demanding ransom payments.
    [Show full text]
  • Border and Intergovernmental Affairs January 2011
    InterIm report to the 82nd texas LegisLature House Committee on Border and Intergovernmental affaIrs January 2011 HOUSE COMMITTEE ON BORDER AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES INTERIM REPORT 2010 A REPORT TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 82ND TEXAS LEGISLATURE VERONICA GONZALES CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE CLERK DAVID WILKIE Committee On Border and Intergovernmental Affairs January 10, 2011 Veronica Gonzales P.O. Box 2910 Chairman Austin, Texas 78768-2910 The Honorable Joe Straus Speaker, Texas House of Representatives Members of the Texas House of Representatives Texas State Capitol, Rm. 2W.13 Austin, Texas 78701 Dear Mr. Speaker and Fellow Members: The Committee on Border and Intergovernmental Affairs of the Eighty-first Legislature hereby submits its interim report including recommendations and drafted legislation for consideration by the Eighty- second Legislature. Respectfully submitted, _______________________ Veronica Gonzales _______________________ ______________________ Dan Flynn, Vice Chair Kino Flores _______________________ ______________________ Richard Raymond Ryan Guillen _______________________ ______________________ David Leibowitz Dora Olivo _______________________ ______________________ Joseph Moody Mark Shelton Dan Flynn Vice-Chairman Members: Kino Flores, Richard Raymond, Ryan Guillen, David Leibowitz, Dora Olivo, Joseph Moody, Mark Shelton TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 2 INTERIM
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, 2004
    ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS OEA/Ser.L/V/II.124 Doc. 27 February 2006 Original: Spanish AANNNNUUAALL RREEPPOORRTT OOFF TTHHEE IINNTTEERR--AAMMEERRIICCAANN CCOOMMMMIISSSSIIOONN OONN HHUUMMAANN RRIIGGHHTTSS 22000055 VOLUME III REPORT OF THE OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION GENERAL SECRETARIAT ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES 1889 F St. N.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20006 2006 Internet: http://www.cidh.org E-mail: [email protected] ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS OEA/Ser.L/V/II.124 Doc. 27 February 2005 Original: Spanish RREEPPOORRTT OOFF TTHHEE OOFFFFIICCEE OOFF TTHHEE SSPPEECCIIAALL RRAAPPPPOORRTTEEUURR FFOORR FFRREEEEDDOOMM OOFF EEXXPPRREESSSSIIOONN Dr. Eduardo Bertoni Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression GENERAL SECRETARIAT ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES 1889 F St. N.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20006 2006 Internet: http://www.cidh.org E-mail: [email protected] OAS Cataloging-in-Publication Data Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Annual report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, 2004. v. ; cm. (OAS official records ; OEA/Ser.L) 0-8270-4764-9 – Vol I (English) 0-8270-4766-5 – Vol II 0-8270-4767-3 – Vol III 1. Human rights--America--Periodicals. I. Title. II Series. OEA/Ser.L/V/II.122 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER I GENERAL REPORTS ............................................................................. 7 A. Mandate and competence of the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression .................................................... 7 B. The Office of the Special Rapporteur’s principal activities.......................... 9 1. Promotion and dissemination activities.......................................
    [Show full text]
  • When the Writers in Prison Committee of PEN International Was Formed In
    When the Writers in Prison Committee of PEN International was formed in 1960, we were a committee of three individuals campaigning on behalf of 56 imprisoned writers, in Albania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, France and Romania. The Committee itself now comprises more than 70 PEN centres, and the 2014 WiPC case list contains the names of some 900 writers, journalists, publishers, editors, bloggers under threat in every region of the world. The WiPC has published a formal case list for more than 20 years, usually updating it every six months. We are now publishing an annual case list and, when resources permit, we will move to an online database. The case list is the bible for PEN's freedom of expression work on behalf of individual writers. It’s an invaluable research tool for PEN centres and other organizations; it is also a unique historical document, the record of PEN’s work over decades in some of the world's most repressive regimes. But the case list is not only a catalogue of names; it is an account of charges, imputed crimes and sentences: defamation, splittism, terrorism, incitement, disturbing public order, subversion of state powers, insulting the state, the people, the King, the Sultan, religious leaders, "waging war against God." The case list is the basis of our campaigning against repressive regimes that threaten, incarcerate and kill writers, and many PEN centres use it to identify individuals to adopt as honorary members for whom they engage in sustained and long-term support of many different kinds. So it is essential that we are as precise and accurate as possible.
    [Show full text]
  • OSAC Country Security Report Mexico
    OSAC Country Security Report Mexico Last Updated: August 6, 2021 Travel Advisory The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory for Mexico at the date of this report’s publication indicates that travelers should reconsider travel due to COVID-19. Note that Mexico’s Travel Advisory is unique in that each individual state—as well as Mexico City, which functions like an independent state in many regards—receives its own advisory level, which may be higher or lower than the country’s overall level depending on the assessment of the local security environment. Each state’s advisory lists the reason for its designation, as well as areas of particular concern. At the date of this report’s publication, 5 states are designated at Level 4 (Do Not Travel), 11 states are designated at Level 3 (Reconsider Travel), 14 states are designated at Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution), and 2 states are designated at Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions). Read the entire Travel Advisory when planning travel to multiple states. Review OSAC’s reports, Understanding the Consular Travel Advisory System and Understanding Mexico’s Travel Advisory The Institute for Economics & Peace Global Peace Index 2021 ranks Mexico 140 out of 163 worldwide, rating the country as being at a Low state of peace. Crime Environment The U.S. Department of State has assessed Mexico City, Ciudad Juárez, Matamoros, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo, and Tijuana as being CRITICAL-threat locations; Guadalajara, Hermosillo, and Monterrey as HIGH-threat locations; and Mérida as a MEDIUM-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • 2000 Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor February 23, 2001
    Mexico Page 1 of 22 Mexico Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000 Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor February 23, 2001 Mexico is a federal republic composed of 31 states and a federal district, with an elected president and a bicameral legislature. On July 2, voters elected Vicente Fox Quesada of the opposition Alliance for Change Coalition president in elections that domestic and international observers judged to be generally free and fair, and which ended the Institutional Revolutionary Party's (PRI) 71-year hold on the presidency. Observers described the election as a historic turning point of the most profound significance and made recommendations for further electoral reform. Fox began his 6-year term on December 1, replacing Ernesto Zedillo. Sporadic outbursts of politically motivated violence continued to occur in the southern states of Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca. The peace process in Chiapas between the Government and the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) remained stalled throughout most of the year; however, some progress was made in December after President Fox ordered the dismantling of military checkpoints, submitted to Congress a bill to implement the peace accords, and closed two contentious military posts in Chiapas. In addition, during December the state government released 16 EZLN prisoners and the EZLN, through its spokesman, set 3 conditions for the resumption of dialog. The judiciary is generally independent; however, it occasionally has been influenced by the executive branch. In addition, judicial effectiveness is hampered by inefficiency, a high caseload, and limited resources at almost all levels. The police forces, which include federal and state judicial police, the Federal Preventive Police (PFP), municipal police, and the various police auxiliary forces, have primary responsibility for internal security.
    [Show full text]
  • Justice in Mexico Trans-Border Institute ! !
    JUSTICE IN MEXICO WWW.JUSTICEINMEXICO.ORG TRANS-BORDER INSTITUTE ! ! ! ! September 2010 News Report ! ! MONTHLY SUMMARY Cartel-related killings slow slightly in August and September • Mass killing of migrants in Tamaulipas linked to Zeta operations • Mayors continue to be targets of assassinations • Major cartel arrests dealt to remnants of Beltrán Leyva cartel • Kidnapping incidents up, according to official statements • U.S. State Department demonstrates concern over Mexican security situation • Prison break of some 80 prisoners in Tamaulipas • Continued debate and action in unified police force initiative • 3,200 Federal Police agents let go • Crackdown on corruption ring in a branch of the Secretary of Public Education • Number of judges who have faced sanctions since 2007 released • Transparency evaluations in cities and federal agencies revealed • UNAM criticized by IFAI for public information requirements • Money laundering initiative forwarded to congress from President Calderón • Future of Mérida Initiative funds dependent on human rights issues • International press groups pressure Mexican government after reporter’s death • Guanajuato modifies sentencing guidelines for infanticide • Chihuahua’s Congress votes to restructure Attorney General’s Office • LAW AND ORDER CARTEL-RELATED VIOLENCE Cartel-related killings slow slightly in August - September According to Reforma’s running nationwide tally of ejecuciones, or cartel-related killings, the 4-week period between August 21 and September 17 saw a series of spikes and declines in violence that represented an overall downward shift from the continuous increases that had prevailed from early June through mid- summer. There were a total of 927 ejecuciones in late August and early September, reaching a 2010 total of 8,427.
    [Show full text]