Urgent Action: Human Rights Defender Mario Gómez López is detained, organizations demand his immediate release.

Photo: Abejas de Acteal

The National Network of Civil Human Rights Organizations “Todos los Derechos para Todas, Todos y Todes” (All Rights for Everyone, Red TDT) called on the Mexican State to respect the precautionary measures granted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights MC-892-22 to the human rights defender Mario Gómez López, who was arrested on the 24th of January.

The Network is made up of 87 organizations in 23 Mexican states, as a space for collaboration to develop common strategies for the defense and promotion of human rights. In this regard, they received information on January 24, 2025 around 8:00 am, when elements of the Municipal Police made the arrest at the guardhouse located on the Periférico Norte entrance to the Santa Cruz neighborhood of Ejido el Pinar in the municipality of San Cristóbal de las Casas.

To date, the whereabouts of Mr. Mario Gómez López are unknown. The municipal, state and judicial authorities have refused to provide information to family members and human rights organizations, they said.

The Network considered the detention of Gómez López to be arbitrary, without being informed of the reason for his arrest. Neither he, nor his family, nor the representatives know as a result of which arrest warrant he has been detained and possibly taken to the Social Reinsertion Center for Sentenced Persons No. 14 “El Amate”, located in Cintalapa (more than 150 km from San Cristobal de las Casas.)

It should be noted that Ciro “N”, arrested for the crime of attempted femicide against Pascuala López, is also being held in El Amate. This implies a serious and immediate danger for Mario Gómez López if he were to be transferred to the CERSS.

In 2023, an arrest warrant was issued in criminal case 194/2023 against the beneficiary Mario Gómez López, in an attempt to criminalize his denunciation actions, as well as his closeness to Pascuala López López. However, he filed an injunction (amparo 1957/2023), resolved by the 2nd district court of Tuxtla, which ordered the definitive suspension of the arrest warrant. In other words, said order was without validity.

Therefore, the Network requested the immediate and urgent release of Mr. Mario Gómez López to the federal and state authorities, as well as to the authorities in charge of the administration of justice in Chiapas. The life, liberty and personal safety of Mr. Mario Gómez López must be guaranteed at all times. And that urgent measures be issued in favor of the beneficiary Mario Gómez López, in order to avoid irreversible damage that would be difficult to repair and that would put his freedom and life at risk.

Original text by Andrés Domínguez published in Chiapas Paralelo on January 26th, 2025.
Translation by Schools for Chiapas

By signing this Urgent Action you will automatically send an email to government authorities to demand the immediate release of Mario Gómez López, human rights defender in Chiapas. See the list of authorities to whom your petition will be sent at the end of this post. Urgent action reads as follows:

Link to and sign the URGENT ACTION HERE

Arbitrary detention of Mario Gomez Lopez, human rights defender in Chiapas

Mexico City on January 24, 2025

02/2025

Information has been obtained through Mrs. Pascuala López López regarding the arbitrary detention of her husband, human rights defender Mario Gómez López, who has been awarded precautionary measures by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights MC-892-22. Both are members of the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists of the Ministry of the Interior.

On January 24, 2025 at around 8:00 am, elements of the Municipal Police made the arrest at the guardhouse located on the Periférico Norte entrance to the Santa Cruz neighborhood of Ejido el Pinar in the municipality of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas.

To date, the whereabouts of Mr. Mario Gómez López are unknown; municipal, state and judicial authorities have refused to provide information to family members and human rights organizations.

Mario Gómez López was arbitrarily detained, without being informed of the reason for his arrest. Neither he, nor his family, nor the representatives know on the basis of which arrest warrant he was detained and possibly taken to CERSS 14 El Amate, located in Cintalapa (more than 150 km from San Cristóbal de las Casas).

It should be noted that Ciro “N”, arrested for the crime of attempted femicide against Pascuala López, is also being held in El Amate. This implies a serious and immediate danger for Mario Gómez López if he were to be transferred to the CERSS.

In 2023, an arrest warrant was issued in criminal case 194/2023 against the beneficiary Mario Gómez López, in an attempt to criminalize his denunciation actions, as well as his closeness to Pascuala López López López.

However, he filed an injunction 1957/2023, which was resolved by the 2nd district court of Tuxtla, which ordered the definitive suspension of the arrest warrant. In other words, said order was without authority.

We therefore urgently request that the federal and state authorities in the state of Chiapas, as well as those responsible for the administration of justice in the state of Chiapas, order the immediate release of Mario Gómez López:

To order the immediate release of Mario Gómez López.

Guarantee at all times the life, liberty and personal safety of Mr. Mario Gómez López.

To issue urgent measures in favor of the beneficiary Mario Gómez López, in order to avoid irreversible damage that would be difficult to repair and that would put his freedom and life at risk.

Authorities: 

Office of the President of the Republic: Lic. Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo:atencionciudadana@presidencia.gob.mx

Undersecretary of Human Rights and Migration: Felipe Arturo Medina Padill: subsedhpm@segob.gob.mx

Head of the Human Rights Unit: Dr. Froylan Enciso: fenciso@segob.gob.mx

National Human Rights Commission: Lic. Rosario Ibarra Piedra: presidencia.cndh@cndh.org.mx

Attorney General of the State of Chiapas: Mr. Jose Luis Llaven Abarca: staff_secretarial@fge.chiapas.gob.mx

Governor of the State of Chiapas: Dr. Eduardo Ramírez Aguilar.: secparticular@gubernatura.chiapas.gob.mx

Secretary of Government of the State of Chiapas: Lic. Patricia del Carmen Conde Ruiz : unidad.apoyo@sgg.chiapas.gob.mx

State Human Rights Commission: Horacio Culebro Borrayas: presidencia@cedhchiapas.org

Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders: Mary Lawlor: hrc-sr-defenders@un.org

Published by Red TDT on January 24th, 2025.
Translation by Schools for Chiapas.

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