Better to Light a Candle than Curse the Darkness

Lic. Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza
Procurador General de la República
Procuraduría General de la República
Av. Paseo de la Reforma Nð 211-213, Piso 16
Col. Cuauhtemoc, Delegación Cuauhtemoc
Mexico D.F., C.P. 06500
MÉXICO

Dear Procurador General:

I express my deep concern regarding the case of Barbara Italia Mendez and 25 other women detained 3 and 4 May 2006 in San Salvador Atenco.

I join with the human rights organization Amnesty International in calling for an effective, prompt, and impartial investigation of Barbara Italia Mendez and the 25 other women during their detention. I also call for the criminal prosecution of those responsible for these acts of abuse.

At the time, Barbara Italia Mendez was a 27-year-old student and volunteer working with street children. She had gone to a public protest to show support for the community after violence between the police and protesters resulted in the death of a child. Police officers broke into the house where Barbara Italia Mendez was seeking refuge, arrested and detained her without explanation.

The officers pulled her hair, beat her, and forced her into a state police vehicle with her shirt pulled over her head. She was made to lie on top of other detainees. During the journey to the prison, police officers raped her repeatedly.

More than two years later, Barbara Italia Mendez and the other women are still waiting for justice. And Barbara Italia Mendez still faces criminal charges from the protest incident.

Police duties must be carried out per the UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials. We respectfully urge you to claim jurisdiction in Barbara Italia Mendez's case, conduct a thorough, impartial, and prompt investigation into these alleged abuses, bring those responsible for the abuses to justice and implement the recommendation issued by the National Human Rights Commission in October 2006.

Respectfully,


Cc: Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan Casamitjana, Embassy of Mexico, 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006