Lost in Transition Bold Ambitions, Limited Results for Human Rights Under Fox
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Lost in Transition Bold Ambitions, Limited Results for Human Rights Under Fox Copyright © 2006 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-337-4 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: 1-(212) 290-4700, Fax: 1-(212) 736-1300 [email protected] 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel:1-(202) 612-4321, Fax:1-(202) 612-4333 [email protected] 2nd Floor, 2-12 Pentonville Road London N1 9HF, UK Tel: 44 20 7713 1995, Fax: 44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] Rue Van Campenhout 15, 1000 Brussels, Belgium Tel: 32 (2) 732-2009, Fax: 32 (2) 732-0471 [email protected] 9 rue Cornavin 1201 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 738 04 81, Fax: +41 22 738 17 91 [email protected] Poststraße 4-5 10178 Berlin, Germany Tel. +49 30 259 306 10, Fax. +49 30 259 306 29 [email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. We stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice. We investigate and expose human rights violations and hold abusers accountable. We challenge governments and those who hold power to end abusive practices and respect international human rights law. We enlist the public and the international community to support the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch conducts regular, systematic investigations of human rights abuses in some seventy countries around the world. Our reputation for timely, reliable disclosures has made us an essential source of information for those concerned with human rights. We address the human rights practices of governments of all political stripes, of all geopolitical alignments, and of all ethnic and religious persuasions. Human Rights Watch defends freedom of thought and expression, due process and equal protection of the law, and a vigorous civil society; we document and denounce murders, disappearances, torture, arbitrary imprisonment, discrimination, and other abuses of internationally recognized human rights. Our goal is to hold governments accountable if they transgress the rights of their people. Human Rights Watch began in 1978 with the founding of its Europe and Central Asia division (then known as Helsinki Watch). Today, it also includes divisions covering Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Central Asia and the Middle East and North Africa. In addition, it includes three thematic divisions on arms, children’s rights, and women’s rights. It maintains offices in Berlin, Brussels, Geneva, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, New York, San Francisco, Tashkent, Toronto, and Washington. Human Rights Watch is an independent, nongovernmental organization, supported by contributions from private individuals and foundations worldwide. It accepts no government funds, directly or indirectly. The staff includes Kenneth Roth, Executive Director; Michele Alexander, Development and Outreach Director; Carroll Bogert, Associate Director; Peggy Hicks, Global Advocacy Director; Iain Levine, Program Director; Dinah PoKempner, General Counsel; Aisling Reidy, Senior Legal Advisor; James Ross, Senior Legal Advisor; Joe Saunders, Deputy Program Director; and Wilder Tayler, Legal and Policy Director. The division directors of Human Rights Watch are Brad Adams, Asia; Joseph Amon, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights; Peter Bouckaert, Emergencies; Bruni Burres, International Film Festival; Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia; Richard Dicker, International Justice; Jamie Fellner, United States; Bill Frelick, Refugees; Arvind Ganesan, Business and Human Rights; Steve Goose, Arms; LaShawn R. Jefferson, Women’s Rights; Scott Long, Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender Rights; Joanne Mariner, Terrorism and Counterterrorism; Peter Takirambudde, Africa; José Miguel Vivanco, Americas; Lois Whitman, Children’s Rights; and Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa. The advocacy directors of Human Rights Watch are Steve Crawshaw, London; Loubna Freih, Geneva; Marianne Heuwagen, Berlin; Lotte Leicht, Brussels; and Tom Malinowski, Washington, DC. The members of the board of directors are Jane Olson, Chair; James F. Hoge, Jr., Vice-Chair; Sid Sheinberg, Vice-Chair; John J. Studzinski, Vice-Chair; Omar Amanat, Lloyd Axworthy, David Brown, Jorge Castañeda, Dorothy Cullman, Edith Everett, Jonathan Fanton (Chair 1998-2003), Michael Gellert, Richard Goldstone, Vartan Gregorian, Wendy Keys, Robert Kissane, Bruce Klatsky, Joanne Leedom- Ackerman, Josh Mailman, Susan Manilow, Kati Marton, Linda Mason, Barry Meyer, Joel Motley, Samuel K. Murumba, Catherine Powell, Sigrid Rausing, Victoria Riskin, Kevin Ryan, Domna Stanton, John Taylor, and Shibley Telhami. Emeritus Beard members are Roland Algrant, Lisa Anderson, Robert L. Bernstein (Founding Chair 1978-1997), William D. Carmichael, Adrian W. DeWind, Alice H. Henkin, Stephen L. Kass, Marina Pinto Kaufman, Peter Osnos, Kathleen Peratis, Bruce Rabb (Secretary), Orville Schell, Gary Sick, and Malcolm B. Smith. Acknowledgements This report was written by Tamara Taraciuk, Alan R. and Barbara D. Finberg Fellow at Human Rights Watch, and Daniel Wilkinson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Americas Division. It was edited by José Miguel Vivanco, executive director of the Americas Division, Wilder Tayler, Human Rights Watch’s legal and policy director, Joseph Saunders, deputy program director, Ian Gorvin, consultant to the Program Office, María McFarland Sánchez-Moreno, Colombia researcher, Marianne Mollmann, advocacy director of the Women’s Rights Division, Michael Bochenek, deputy director of the Children’s Rights Division, and Adam Abelson, Princeton in Latin America Research fellow with the Americas Division. Americas Division associates Jennifer Nagle, Danielle Wainer, and Joanna Edwards contributed to research logistics and production. Americas Division interns Joanna Klonsky, Vanessa James, Christian Wlaschütz, Helena Cárdenas, Eloise Fluet, Casey Paschoaloti, Sarah Wright, Sarah Fick, Maria Sarabia, Sara Milstein, Carmen Laura Martinez Lopez, Joshu Harris, and Maira Magro provided valuable research support. Human Rights Watch would like to thank the numerous organizations, government officials, and individuals that contributed to this report. We are especially grateful for the critical insights and advice we received from Edgar Cortez and Michel Maza from the Red Nacional de Organismos Civiles de Derechos Humanos “Todos los derechos para Todas y Todos,” and Fabián Sánchez, Mario Solórzano, Sergio Mendez Silva and Maria Sirvent from the Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humamos. We also received valuable input from Denise Dresser and Miguel Sarre from ITAM University, Sergio Aguayo from El Colegio de México, Andrés Rozental from COMEXI, Emilio Alvarez Icaza from the Human Rights Commission of Mexico City, Lucy Tacher from PRODERECHO, Ernesto Villanueva from LIMAC, Ana Luisa Ligouri from the MacArthur Foundation, Laurie Freeman from the Washington Office on Latin America, Benjamin Naimark-Rowse and Martin Schoenteich from Open Society Justice Initiative, as well as from Paulina Vega, Pilar Noriega, Guillermo Zepeda, Bernardo Leon, Jan Perlin, Susana Camacho, Mario Bronfman, and Mariclaire Acosta. Human Rights Watch takes full responsibility for any errors or omissions in this report. We are deeply grateful to the numerous victims and relatives of victims of human rights abuses who shared information regarding their cases for us. Finally, Human Rights Watch would like to thank the Ford Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Robert Field Bullock Foundation, and Denise Dresser (member of the board of the General Service Foundation) for their generous funding of our work in Mexico. Table of Contents I. Summary and Recommendations........................................................................1 Openness and Transparency ................................................................................................ 2 A New Foreign Policy..........................................................................................................3 The Transparency Law.........................................................................................................3 Ongoing Threats to Openness and Transparency..........................................................4 Accountability and Law Enforcement................................................................................ 5 The Special Prosecutor’s Office.........................................................................................6 Justice Reform .......................................................................................................................7 Reconciling Rights and Security .........................................................................................8 The Lessons of Ciudad Juárez ............................................................................................. 9 Recommendations ............................................................................................................... 10 II. Openness: A New Approach to Foreign Policy................................................ 12 The Old Closed-Door Policy ............................................................................................. 15 A New Approach to Foreign Policy ................................................................................