3 March 2021, 17:00 UTC
Mexican authorities repressed women who were peacefully protesting against gender-based violence in 2020, violating their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly by using unnecessary and excessive force, arbitrary detentions and even sexual violence, Amnesty International said in a new report published today.
The (r)age of women: Stigma and violence against women protesters analyzes five protests that women and feminist groups carried out against gender-based violence last year in the states of Guanajuato, Sinaloa, Quintana Roo, the State of Mexico and Mexico City.
“The violent response of the various authorities to the women's protests violated their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. During the arrests and transfers, police officers spoke to the women using violent and sexualized language, threatened them with sexual violence and subjected them to physical and sexual violence. Many women did not know where they were, who was arresting them or where they were taking them, meaning they were at risk of enforced disappearance,” said Tania Reneaum Panszi, executive director at Amnesty International Mexico.