In commemoration of our 30th anniversary, we decided to sit down with people who have encountered SIPAZ along the way. One of them is Jorge Santiago Santiago, a renowned human rights defender, theologian, and pastoral advisor in Chiapas.
On July 7th, 2025, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) published its concluding observations and recommendations following the preparation and review of Mexico's tenth periodic report, presented on June 17th and 18th, 2025, in Geneva, Switzerland. Mexico was also evaluated on compliance with and implementation of the recommendations the Committee made in its previous report, presented in July 2018.
Negotiations between Mexico and the United States have become a constant since Donald Trump returned to the presidency in January of this year, within a relationship marked by political, economic, and military asymmetry.
The relationship between Mexico and the United States has historically been complex, with strong aspects of cooperation and interdependence, but also with trade tensions and sovereignty disputes that have been particularly significant since Donald Trump returned to the presidency in January, 2025.
For 22 years, Jennifer Haza Gutierrez was part of the organization that defends children’s rights, Melel Xojobal C.A., based in San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas. Last December, she left her position as director. In an interview, she shared her experiences, lessons learned, and her hopes with us.
November 2023 marked a significant moment for the Diocese of San Cristobal, celebrating 100 years since the birth of Samuel Ruiz Garcia, a bishop who dedicated his life to defending the rights of indigenous peoples and who, to this day, is fondly remembered as jTatik Samuel. His legacy lives on, reminding us of the importance of social justice and human dignity.
The elections in the United States revive the saying: “Poor Mexico, so far from God, so close to the United States.” The elected candidate, Donald Trump, has declared that he will impose a 25% tariff war against Mexico if Claudia Sheinbaum’s government fails to contain the flow of migrants and fentanyl trafficking across the 3,000 kilometers of border that both countries share.
For some years now, various human rights organizations and groups of searching families have been documenting and denouncing the crisis of disappearances in Mexico. In 2023, people spoke with surprise about the alarming figure that had been reached: 100 thousand missing people; today there are more than 116 thousand.
In September, the National Peace Dialogue was held in Puebla, after talks and Justice and Security Forums were held in the states in which more than 18 thousand people participated in the last ten months.
In June, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) recognized that during his government recorded homicides have exceeded those of previous administrations. In 2019, 34,690 murders were recorded, in 2020, 34,554, in 2021, 33,308 and in 2022, 30,968, while in the first quarter of 2023 there were 9,912, an average of 83 per day.
On December 21st and 22nd, 2022, various activities were held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Acteal Massacre, in which 45 people, mainly women and children, were murdered. Likewise, the 30th anniversary of Las Abejas Civil Society was celebrated, an organization to which the victims also belonged.