In October, 32 men sued the government presidential administration continued to for their unlawful detention in ferry boats, deploy the largest number of military positioned outside territorial waters to personnel in the streets since the beginning circumvent human rights obligations, of the “war on drugs” in 2006, according to between late April and early June 2020. They official data released following freedom of were among over 400 people detained by the information requests. It also presented a bill government in boats unequipped for long to formally incorporate the National Guard stays, without being provided with legal into the armed forces. The National Guard grounds for their detention. was the security force with most complaints Three asylum seekers remained on trial for filed against it before the National Human opposing their unlawful return to Libya, with Rights Commission, with an increase over 100 other people, by the captain of the in complaints received compared to the ship that rescued them at sea. Witnesses previous year. described how the young men, known as the A truth and justice commission was “El Hiblu 3”, were only trying to mediate established in relation to grave human rights between the survivors and captain. They violations committed during the “Dirty faced charges, including under counter- War” (1960s to 1980s). Civil society terrorism legislation, punishable by life organizations praised the inclusion of victims imprisonment.1 in the process yet highlighted the need to guarantee collaboration from the army in 1. Malta: The El Hiblu 3 Case – Update. The Long Wait for Justice (Index: making historic archives available. EUR 33/3884/2021), 26 March The independence of the judiciary was put at risk by a legislative reform to extend the term of the Chief Justice of the Supreme MEXICO Court and the counsellors of the Federal Judiciary; it was declared unconstitutional by United Mexican States the Supreme Court in November. Head of state and government: Andrés Manuel López In June, the Supreme Court declared Obrador unconstitutional articles of the General Health Law prohibiting the recreational use of The government continued to make public cannabis. statements attacking civil society In October, the Supreme Court ruled organizations, the media, human rights unconstitutional some articles of the National defenders and academics, as well as women Law on the Use of Force and asked Congress protesting against gender-based violence. to legislate on several principles that were left There were repeated reports of excessive out of the law. However, it did not rule on the use of force by police officials when creation of an external police observatory, as detaining people or policing protests and by ruled by the Inter-American Court of Human members of the National Migration Institute Rights, regarding the serious human rights (INM) and the National Guard against violations committed in San Salvador Atenco migrants. Women and girls continued to in May 2006. face high levels of gender-based violence ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES AND and criminal investigations for feminicides IMPUNITY remained inadequate. The Supreme Court issued a historic ruling decriminalizing Authorities registered at least 7,698 cases of abortion. missing and disappeared persons during BACKGROUND 2021, of which 69% were men and 31% were women. This brought the total number Despite international recommendations, as of reports of missing and forcibly disappeared part of its public security strategy, the people in Mexico since 1964 to over 97,000 Amnesty International Report 2021/22 249