Front Line is deeply concerned regarding threats that have been made against human rights defender and President of the non-governmental Law and Human Rights Council, Consejo para la Ley y los Derechos Humanos, Fernando Ruiz Canales. Fernando Ruiz Canales works with families that have been victims of kidnappings allegedly committed by members of the Mexican Armed Forces.

Further Information

Posted 22/01/2008 In the early morning of 14 January 2008, Fernando Ruiz Canales was traveling from his home in Tlaxcala to Mexico City when three vehicles without registration plates followed him for more than an hour. The occupants of the vehicles threatened Fernando Ruiz Canales, saying “perro mal nacido te vas a morir, escúchalo bien, tú ya estás muerto” (“...you are going to die, pay attention, you are already dead”). They also displayed their guns at him in an intimidating manner.

Since September 2007, Fernando Ruiz Canales has been the subject of acts of intimidation, including death threats; attempts to arrest him; and clandestine surveillance, which has included interference with his telephone calls. On 30 October 2007, he received an email from the address: lavenganza666@yahoo.es which said: "tu nota, tú sabes de que te hable Fernando Ruiz, tu nota ya está en manos de gente que te va a cobrar caro. Tú vida tiene fecha de caducidad, date por muerto. No nos importan lo que hagas ni el tiempo que pase, tú ya estas muerto... tu siguiente video que salga en la prensa será sobre tu muerte" (“You know what I am saying to you Fernando Ruiz, you are now in the hands of people that will make you pay dearly. Your life has an expiry date, a date for your death. We don't care what you do, nor how much time passes, you are already dead...the next video that you publish in the press will be about your death”).

On 31 October 2007, Fernando Ruiz Canales received a telephone call from the number 555-211-3953 in which an unidentified person insulted him and threatened to kill him. Front Line believes that the death threats that have been made against Fernando Ruiz Canales are related to his work in defence of human rights, in particular his work to protect the rights of victims of kidnapping allegedly committed by the Mexican Armed Forces. Front Line expresses profound concern for the security of Fernando Ruiz Canales, as well as that of all members of the Consejo para la Ley y los Derechos Humanos, A.C.