General information on the rights and situation of indigenous people, 1994-95 [MEX20855.E]

Please find attached several documents that provide information on the rights and situation of indigenous people in Mexico. Please note that most of these documents do not focus on the situation in Chiapas, but rather discuss the general situation of indigenous people throughout Mexico. Information on the ongoing situation in Chiapas can be obtained at your Regional Documentation Centre and from the DIRB upon further request.

The constitution of Mexico contains numerous articles describing the rights of Mexicans (Apr. 1988). However, references to rights exclusively attributed to indigenous people could not be found in the document consulted by the DIRB.

Please note that Mexico: A Country Guide states in its chapter entitled "Native People" that different things can be taken into consideration when "defining the subtle frontier between Indians and non-Indians in Mexico (1993, 223). The attached document states that marriage between indigenous and non-indigenous people has occurred for a long time, and language is not necessarily an indicator of affiliation or a person's perceived belonging to a native group (ibid.).

The attached excerpt from Democracy and Human Rights in Mexico (May 1995) discusses briefly racial and social attitudes, and provides a statistic on ethnic composition of the country: approximately 60 per cent mestizo or "mixed indigenous-Spanish," 30 per cent indigenous or predominantly indigenous, and nearly 10 per cent white or predominantly white (ibid., 40). The report refers also to some cases in which indigenous activists or communities and individuals defending indigenous populations have been victims of abuse (pp. 41-46).

The attached pages of the June 1994 issue of Latin American Special Reports entitled "Indians: New Factor on the Latin American Scene" discusses indigenous populations and issues in Latin America, with various references to Mexico.

The attached articles from Cultural Survival refer mostly to the situation in southern Mexico, including Chiapas. One was published in 1994; the other was published in 1992, before the armed insurgency in Chiapas, and is included for background information.

The attached section of a March 1994 report from Americas Watch entitled "The Rebellion and Its Causes" includes references to the general situation in rural Mexico. For additional information on this and other specific issues, please consult the documents attached to this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References


Cultural Survival [Cambridge, MA.]. Spring 1994. Duncan Earle. "Indigenous Identity at the Margin: Zapatismo and Nationalism."

_____. Spring 1992. June Nash and Kathleen Sullivan. "Return to Porfirismo: The View From Mexico's Southern Frontier Contradicts Headier Visions Propounded in Mexico City or on the U.S. Border."

Flanz, Gisbert H. and Louise Moreno. April 1988. "Mexico," Constitutions of the Countries of the World. Edited by Albert P. Blaustein and Gisbert H. Flanz. Dobbs Ferry, NY: Oceana Publications.

Latin American Special Reports [London, UK]. June 1994. "Indians: New Factor on the Latin American Scene."

Mexico: A Country Guide. 1993. Edited by Tom Barry. Albuquerque, N. Mex.: The Inter-Hemispheric Education Resource Center.

News from Americas Watch [New York]. 1 March 1994. Vol. 6, No. 3. "Mexico: The New Year's Rebellion: Violations of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law During the Armed Revolt in Chiapas, Mexico."

_____. October 1993. Vol. 5, No. 10. "Mexico: Human Rights Watch/Americas Watch Writes to President Clinton Urging Nafta Summit on Human Rights."

Reding, Andrew. May 1995. Democracy and Human Rights in Mexico. New York: World Policy Institute

Attachments

Cultural Survival [Cambridge, MA.]. Spring 1994. Duncan Earle. "Indigenous Identity at the Margin: Zapatismo and Nationalism," pp. 26-30.

_____. Spring 1992. June Nash and Kathleen Sullivan. "Return to Porfirismo: The View From Mexico's Southern Frontier Contradicts Headier Visions Propounded in Mexico City or on the U.S. Border," pp. 13-16.

InterPress Service. 17 February 1994. "Indians Continue to Suffer Poverty and Discrimination." (Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 14-27 Feb. 1994, p. 5)

La Jornada [Mexico City]. 1 November 1994. Manuel Enriquez Osorio. "State Police Formally Accused in Torture and Death of Indians." (Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 24 Oct.-6 Nov. 1994, p. 6)

_____. 23 October 1994. "80 Percent of Children Under Six Years Old Malnourished in Oaxaca." (Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 24 Oct.-6 Nov. 1994, pp. 6-7)

_____. 18 August 1994. Teresa Garza. "Indians Block Three Highways in Michoacan." (Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 15-28 Aug. 1994, p. 7)

_____. 20 March 1994. José Gil Olmos et al. "Tzotzil Indians and Resident of San Juan Chamula Demand Land." (Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 14-27 Mar. 1994, p. 7)

_____. 23 February 1994. "Tzeltal Indians Occupy Ranches and Estates in Chiapas." (Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 14-27 Feb. 1994, p. 6)

_____. 31 January 1994. Evangelina Hernandez. "Indian Children Suffer From Malnutrition and Child Labor." (Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 31 Jan.-13 Feb. 1994, p. 9)

_____. 28 January 1994. David Aponte and Jose Benitez. "Guerrero Police Commit Abuses Against Indians of La Montaña." (Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 31 Jan.-13 Feb. 1994, pp. 8-9)

Latin American Regional Reports: Mexico & NAFTA Report [London, UK]. 11 May 1995. "Indian Areas: Constitutional Changes-Possibly," p. 5.

Latin American Special Reports [London, UK]. June 1994. "Indians: New Factor on the Latin American Scene," pp. 1-6, 8.

Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 9 February 1995. "Mexico: Indian 'Economic Asylum'," p. 7.

_____. 13 May 1993. John Ross. "New Mexican Law Dismantling 1910 Land Reforms," p. 3.

Mexico: A Country Guide. 1993. Edited by Tom Barry. Albuquerque, N. Mex.: The Inter-Hemispheric Education Resource Center, pp. 222-226.

News from Americas Watch [New York]. 1 March 1994. Vol. 6, No. 3. "Mexico: The New Year's Rebellion: Violations of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law During the Armed Revolt in Chiapas, Mexico," pp. 3-7.

_____. October 1993. Vol. 5, No. 10. "Mexico: Human Rights Watch/Americas Watch Writes to President Clinton Urging Nafta Summit on Human Rights" pp. 12-14.

New York Times. 31 October 1994. Anthony DePalma. "Dying Infants Witness to Proud People's Crisis." (Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 24 Oct.-6 Nov. 1994, p. 7)

_____. 16 February 1994. Anthony DePalma. "Mexico's Indians Heed Rumble of Distant Guns." (Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 14-27 Feb. 1994, pp. 4-5)

Reding, Andrew. May 1995. Democracy and Human Rights in Mexico. New York: World Policy Institute, pp. 40-46.

San Antonio Express News [San Antonio, Tex.]. 23 March 1994. Anita Snow. "Latest Victims Mourned." (Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 14-27 Mar. 1994, pp. 6-7)