Ms Hautala called on 11 May the Presidency of the EU to strongly urge Mexico to investigate the killing of human rights observer Jyri Jaakkola in Oaxaca on 27 April.[:]

Mrs Silvia Escobar
Ambassador for Human Rights
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Serrano Galvache, 26
28044 Madrid, Spain

 
Dear Mrs Escobar,
While I would like to welcome the holding of the first EU – Mexico human rights dialogue this week, and the fact that the human rights dialogue figures on the agenda of the EU – Mexico Summit, I also want to take this opportunity to draw your attention to an issue of particular concern, which I hope you can raise at highest possible level.

Attacks on human rights defenders in Mexico continue unabated, and the EU must urge the authorities to take decisive action to protect the lives of individuals at risk.

On 27 April, we received the sad news of the deaths of Bety Cariño Trujillo, of the Centro de Apoyo Comunitario Trabajando Unidos (CACTUS) and Jyri Jaakkola, a Finnish national, in a violent attack near San Juan Copala, Oaxaca, Mexico.

In the particular case of the tragic events in Oaxaca, I would like you to specially ask the federal authorities to carry out an urgent, open, thorough and impartial investigation. The EU must urge Mexico to bring those responsible for the attack to justice, and to protect the lives of the other human rights defenders at risk as a result of the attack. High levels of impunity are indeed part of a pattern, where the lives of many human rights defenders in Mexico are put at risk. The fact that an EU national was involved increases the importance of also raising this issue at a high bilateral level.

I look forward to hearing from you on the outcome of the dialogue, as well as on the possibilities of raising human rights concern during the EU-Mexico Summit.

Yours sincerely,
Heidi Hautala