18 de junio de 2014 Comunicado de Prensa

CEJIL Celebrates Historic Reform of Mexico’s Military Justice Code

San Jose, Friday, May 2, 2014. On April 30, 2014, the Mexican congress passed reforms to the Military Justice Code, establishing for the first time restrictions on military jurisdiction. As a result, cases of human rights violations against civilians will be tried in a civilian court system rather than in the military courts.

The Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) celebrates the Mexican State’s action as a step forward in strengthening human rights in Mexico and responding to the calls made by organized civil society, academia and other bodies specialized in the protection of human rights.

It should be noted that the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ordered the Mexican State in four different cases to reform Article 57 of the Military Justice Code, three of them were represented by CEJIL along with the Centro de Derechos Humanos Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez (Centro Prodh) and the Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña “Tlachinollan”.

“The reform is a significant step forward in Mexico’s human rights agenda and shows what can be accomplished through democratic processes of discussion,” stated Viviana Krsticevic, CEJIL’s Executive Director.

On May 24, 2013, the reform was unanimously passed in the Senate and sent to the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house of the Congress), where it also passed unanimously on April 30. Remaining to be removed from military jurisdiction are cases of human rights violations committed against military personnel, an obligation that should be effectively met in order to comply with the recommendations made by the diverse bodies of international protection, particularly the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Dictamen Aprobado (Spanish only)

Press releases:

ONGs denunciarán ante Comisión Interamericana aplicación del fuero militar a violaciones de derechos humanos (Spanish only)

Casos de Inés Fernández y Valentina Rosendo fueron remitidos al fuero común en México

Restricción de la jurisdicción militar en casos donde haya civiles: triunfo histórico de las víctimas frente a la impunidad castrense (Spanish only)

Press Contact

Daniela Araya

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