Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto arrived in Canada for the Three Amigos Summit on June 27. He went on a public run with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in advance of the anticipated Three Amigos Summit, and that seemed to be all anyone could pay attention to.
However, there are more pressing issues the public should be aware of. The Toronto Star says the five things people should be aware of during the summit are the impending American election, the Brexit vote, issues like climate change and public health, trade issues and a discussion on human rights. Yet the Star quickly warns: “Don’t expect that to happen.”
Since Nieto’s administration began, more than 20,000 people have disappeared in Mexico, purportedly at the hands of police or military, and at least the same have been killed. Attacks against journalists and protestors are constant — anyone speaking against the government is in danger of threats, kidnapping, torture, or death.
John M. Ackerman, a professor at the Institute of Legal Research of the Universidad Nacional Autonóma de Mexico, pointed out that though multiple international human rights groups and countries have launched investigations into Mexico, “official diplomatic circles in the United States and Canada” have not really addressed the issue.
According to Vice, the state of Veracruz has become the most dangerous states, especially for journalists. Correspondents for the state’s main journals have been killed, notably Ruben Espinoza and Nadia Vera, journalists who reported receiving death threats for their work from the state. Deaths and disappearances are not hidden, since the drug cartel in the state has so much power that any violence can be attributed to them, even if it was ordered by the government. Edgardo Buscaglia, a lawyer, told Vice that because of the impunity of the government and the power of the cartel, “anybody can take advantage of the situation — whether they be organized crime groups, police officers, the military or politicians.”
Amnesty International has been pushing for this summit to be a chance to hold Nieto accountable for what has happened during his time in power. Though I would like to think this possible, I am inclined to agree with the Toronto Star. The issue of Mexico’s human rights violations is not one I have seen in North American media.
A group of Mexican human rights activists have urged Trudeau to confront Nieto about human rights issues, claiming levels of sexual abuse of women by Mexican forces. Amnesty International is pushing for human rights to be the focus of this summit. Though Nieto has “pushed legislative reforms,” according to Perseo Quiroz, Amnesty’s executive director in Mexico, “the problem with Mexico is the gap between what the law says, and what happens, is really big.”
This summit is a chance for a real turnaround in how North America deals with Mexico. It’s time for Canada to confront Nieto. If they’re close enough to go for a run, they’re close enough to talk human rights.
