Judges and magistrates ask the COIDH and the OAS to stop “a coup d’état in Mexico”

MEXICO CITY.— One thousand 100 judges and magistrates of the Judicial Branch of the Federation (PJF) today requested the urgent intervention of the Inter-American Commission on Rights
Humans (IACHR) and the Organization of American States (OAS) to stop what they call a “coup d’état in Mexico“.

They requested that the Inter-American Commission request from the Mexican State all documentation with data, not words, that supports the judicial reform underwaywhich is perversely masked under a democratizing discourse, but in reality it perceives the total concentration of power that nullifies the essential principles of democracy itself.

In a virtual press conference, four representatives of the Judicial Branch of the Federation read the brief they presented to the IACHR at its headquarters in Washington DC, United States, a document that warns of the serious consequences of this reform promoted by the federal government in power ( Morena, PT and PVEM) and ask Mexico to apply the Article 41 and evaluate the option of temporarily suspending the ongoing judicial reform process,
to carry out a comprehensive and exhaustive review of its conventionality, which could be carried out through a mechanism duly agreed upon before that commission, between the Mexican state itself and those who are now defenders of the national constitution and who sign this petition.

They also asked the IACHR that, due to the systematic infringement of the independence of the Judiciary, Mexico be included in the chapter of its annual report to the OAS General Assembly where Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Guatemala are already present, with the purpose of subject Mexico to greater permanent scrutiny over compliance with its international human rights obligations.

The virtual press conference began with the request made by 1,100 judges and magistrates to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to urgently exercise its powers derived from Article 41 of the American Convention on Human Rights to avoid the so-called judicial reform in Mexico.

They said that with the signature of each of the judges and magistrates they expressed in the writing that they fulfill their duty to warn as national guarantors of human rights of all Mexicans, that this judicial reform points to a coup d’étatparadoxically and perversely masked under a democratizing discourse, but in reality it perceives the total concentration of power that nullifies the essential principles of democracy itself and limits democratic power.

“With absolute responsibility and courage, those of us who signed make this Commission see that at this moment the first step has already been taken. The simulated and useless dialogues that gave rise to an opinion scheduled to be discussed in the Chamber of Deputies, even exacerbates the coup attempt and makes it even more clear that there is no, absolutely no concern for improving justice in Mexico, they are not interested the right of
People just want to concentrate all the power,” they denounced.

“We are on the eve of the next step to get rid of those who act independently, based on our technical capacity as a result of the judicial career and away from interests outside each case, especially political ones,” they highlighted. “We have been a stop to their abuses of power. They intend to appoint constitutional control judges by popular election through a mechanism as arbitrary as it is random that guarantees their submission. They do not want judges who limit arbitrariness, they want people who pretend that they are judges, and who endorse all the sanctions of the rulers in power. “They seek an access model that guarantees loyalty to the party in power instead of loyalty to the rights of the people.”

They explained that this request they make to the Inter-American Commission is based on international standards because the massive dismissal of judges is an international illicit act as it is a clear attack against multiple human rights and especially access to justice, judicial protection and the judicial guarantees.

They recalled that this same commission has already established in various precedents that these dismissals are clearly violative of human rights, not only of the judges, but of all the people who need justice.

“We want to draw the attention of that Commission because the party in power (Morena) intends to establish a court of judicial discipline that can punish and remove judges who are uncomfortable for the regime, encourages political favors instead of judicial impartiality, which will govern judges who They do not have guarantees of independence to resist pressure and that they will not be subject to any control, for example, the amparo trial,” they stated.

“Specifically, we warn that we are faced with an instrument that brings together everything that should not be done in a state of law, because by overruling the judges they leave people helpless in the face of the authorities. This serious situation is what leads us to request from the Inter-American Commission, among others, the following actions aimed at stopping this coup d’état.

1) That this Commission request that the Mexican state send it all the information that supports the ongoing judicial reform process, especially the data that supports the assessment that the mass dismissal of all judges and their replacement by popularly elected judges , is the solution to our justice problems that we face, data does not
words.

2) That due to the systematic infringement of the independence of the Judiciary, Mexico be included in its chapter of its annual report before the general assembly of the OAS where Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Guatemala are already present, with the purpose of subjugating Mexico to greater permanent scrutiny of compliance with its international human rights obligations.

3) That this Commission carry out an in-person observation in Mexico, here and now, in order to learn about the situation, receive information from various actors and listen to testimonies from those of us who subscribe to this request, but above all from society in general.

4) Prepare a report on the situation that Mexico is going through in terms of democracy and judicial independence, install a special monitoring mechanism on the matter.

5) Request the Mexican state to answer 20 questions that we ask here, related to the foundations, causes and consequences in terms of human rights of the judicial reform. In essence, they demonstrate that it is a necessity and not a whim.

6) Request the Mexican state, in application of Article 41, to evaluate the option of temporarily suspending the ongoing judicial reform process, to carry out a comprehensive and exhaustive review of its conventionality, which could be carried out through a mechanism duly agreed upon before that commission between the Mexican state itself and those of us who now, as defenders of the national constitution, sign this petition.

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