Death threats against Soledad Jarquín and feminist organisation Consorcio Oaxaca
On 15 June 2020, members of Consorcio para el Diálogo Parlamentario y la Equidad Oaxaca (Consorcio Oaxaca) found a cardboard sign with a death threat written on it and a black bag filled with pieces of meat, outside the organization’s office door.
Soledad Jarquín is a feminist journalist and woman human rights defender, and the winner of the 2006 National Journalism Award in the category Gender News. She is a columnist in Mujeres y Política (Women and Politics) and editor of ‘Las Caracolas’, an independent media outlet that focuses on giving visibility to cases of femicide and sexual assault in the context of the historical political conflict in Oaxaca.
On 15 June 2020, members of Consorcio para el Diálogo Parlamentario y la Equidad Oaxaca (Consorcio Oaxaca) found a cardboard sign with a death threat written on it and a black bag filled with pieces of meat, outside the organization’s office door.
Consorcio para el Diálogo Parlamentario y la Equidad Oaxaca (Consorcio Oaxaca) is a feminist organisation with 15 years of experience working in Oaxaca, promoting the recognition, respect and exercise of women’s human rights as well as gender equality. The organisation also promotes the development of civil society networks and capacity for human rights advocacy as well as training on gender-based rights and participation in democratic processes and community affairs.
Soledad Jarquín is a feminist journalist and woman human rights defender, and the winner of the 2006 National Journalism Award in the category Gender News. She is a columnist in Mujeres y Política (Women and Politics) and editor of ‘Las Caracolas’, an independent media outlet that focuses on giving visibility to cases of femicide and sexual assault in the context of the historical political conflict in Oaxaca.
On 15 June at 8:40 am, members of Consorcio Oaxaca found a black bag filled with pieces of meat – supposedly from an animal’s head - outside the office door, next to a cardboard sign with a death threat written on it with violent and misogynistic language. It was signed ‘CJNG’, the alleged initials of the drug cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel. Later that day, Consorcio Oaxaca issued a press release on the incident, in which they stated that the threats against them and against Soledad Jarquín, are in reprisal for their advocacy, investigation and support for the campaign ‘Hasta que la Justicia Llegue’ (‘Until Justice Arrives’). The campaign advocates for justice for the femicide of Soledad Jarquín’s daughter, María del Sol Cruz Jarquín, a young photojournalist murdered on 2 June 2018, in Juchitán de Zaragoza.
As a result of her efforts to seek justice for the femicide of her daughter which have been supported by several civil organisations, embassies, national and international human rights organisations Soledad Jarquín has been subjected to constant threats, acts of intimidation and harassment, including digital attacks and death threats. The threats against her have increased since she began appealing to judicial authorities to identify and punish the perpetrators. In 2018, due to the imminent risk to her life, Soledad Jarquín was included in the National Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, however, she was not granted protection measures. The defender was also a beneficiary of state protection measures, until June 2019, when the measures were unilaterally withdrawn by the State Attorney General's Office (FGEO).
The threats and harassment that Soledad Jarquín and Consorcio Oaxaca have faced as a result of their efforts to seek justice for the femicide of María del Sol Cruz Jarquín serves to highlight the impunity and complicity of the authorities in Oaxaca, who are allegedly involved with the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel. The response of the State Attorney General's Office (FGEO) has been to delay and hinder investigations which involve individuals with great political and economic power.
Front Line Defenders expresses serious concern regarding the death threats and the acts of intimidation and harassment against Consorcio Oaxaca and the defender Soledad Jarquín, which continue to be perpetrated with impunity and without serious investigations and effective protection measures. Front Line Defenders believes that these attacks are part of a comprehensive strategy to intimidate human rights defenders and are solely motivated by their peaceful activities promoting freedom of expression, an end to gender violence and the fight against impunity in Mexico.
