The whereabouts of human rights defenders mandatory criterion to be applied by judges Grisell Pérez Rivera, Claudia Uruchurtu Cruz in all states. and Irma Galindo, who disappeared in March Months earlier, Hidalgo and Veracruz joined and October in the states of Mexico and the list of states that authorized abortion up Oaxaca, remained unknown at the end of the to the 12th week of pregnancy; Baja year. In June, the OHCHR expressed concern California did so in October and Colima in about the disappearances and killings of December. By the end of the year abortion several leaders of the Yaqui Indigenous was legal in six states. people in Sonora state. The Supreme Court also invalidated the In November, the media reported that clause on conscientious objection to abortion instead of investigating the 2011 San by medical professionals contained in the Fernando massacre of 193 people, the health law and asked the legislature to Public Prosecutor’s Office opened criminal approve a new clause that guarantees that proceedings in 2016 for kidnapping and refusals to provide abortion care is exercised organized crime against a journalist and two without putting at risk the human rights of human rights defenders who had been others, especially the right to health. documenting and accompanying the families. The Interior Minister reported that by REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS October, 1,506 people were beneficiaries of Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers the Mechanism for the Protection of Human continued to face excessive use of force, Rights Defenders and Journalists, of whom arbitrary detention and unlawful returns by 1,011 were human rights defenders. He the authorities, as well as abductions and announced reforms to consolidate the killings by non-state actors. In January, the Mechanism and strengthen investigations burned bodies of 19 people, including 16 into attacks against defenders. Guatemalans, were found in a vehicle in By the end of the year, the Camargo municipality, Tamaulipas, an area recommendations of the OHCHR regarding where criminal gangs operate and migrants the creation of a comprehensive policy to often try to cross the border with the USA. By protect human rights defenders had yet to be November, authorities had detained 252,526 implemented. people in overcrowded immigration detention RIGHT TO HEALTH centres that did not comply with basic sanitary measures, despite the pandemic. During the year, 55.9% of the population Children were among those held, although received full Covid-19 vaccination. The the law expressly prohibits the detention of authorities ignored WHO standards by children. omitting private sector health professionals The country’s refugee agency received from the first stage of vaccination. 131,448 asylum applications in 2021, the One year on from his unfair dismissal after highest to date. For the first time, the largest he spoke out about poor working conditions, number of asylum seekers came from Haiti, Jorge Pérez, a 70-year-old cleaner in a public followed by Honduras. Tens of thousands of hospital, had not obtained justice or redress. people, mostly Haitians, were stranded in SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS precarious conditions in Tapachula, state of Chiapas, for months as the asylum system In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court collapsed due to high demand, and the INM determined in September that the initially refused to issue humanitarian visas criminalization of abortion in the state of allowing them to work or move to another Coahuila was unconstitutional. The Court state, as required by law.5 opened the way for decriminalization in the Local organizations reported that from rest of the country by establishing this as a August onwards the authorities carried out unlawful deportations at the border with Amnesty International Report 2021/22 252