Teresa Magueyal was a woman human rights defender who searched for missing persons in the state of Guanajuato. On 6 April 2020, her 31 year old son José Luis Apaseo Magueyal disappeared in the town of Celaya, Guanajuato. Teresa Magueyal was part of the search collective Una Promesa por Cumplir.
Disappearances are endemic in Mexico, often happening with collusion from the state. HRDs working on the issue face serious risk, up to and including death. HRDs working in the defence of territory, particularly indigenous territory, face a similar level of risk. They are criminalised, imprisoned, defamed, and often killed. Journalists working on any of these issues, or issues related to the drugs trade and the government's complicity in this, also run the risk of losing their lives.
