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Mexican dead remain unacknowledged, extreme risks to independent journalists

LONDON - The Mexican government’s latest official figures for the death toll in Mexico seriously under-represent the true number of people affected by the ongoing military offensive in the country. While officially the number of dead totalled 12,903 in 2011, the true figure is likely to be nearly twice as high.

The claim that the death rate grew at a lower rate than all of the previous years does not fit the evidence’ says AKE’s Latin American analyst, Taryn Evans. ‘The cartels have fractured into smaller groups with ever-shifting alliances and less and less accountability.

Their incursion across both the northern and southern borders, as well as their arrival in the country’s three main cities, illustrates the extent of their reach and the failure of the government forces in adequately protecting the civilian population’.

It is unsurprising that the government have been less than forthcoming in producing statistics on the death rate. As Evans explains, ‘2012 is an election year, and the government will be keen to vindicate itself before what will likely be an ignominious exit from power.’

The government is keen to detract attention from the role of the law enforcement agencies and military as accusations of their complicity in criminal activity, and of brazen human rights abuses, continue to grow.

The failure to keep accurate records may also be explained by poor administration on the part of individual states, or by the fact that the number of different agencies operating on the ground precludes the maintenance of a centralised record of every confrontation.

Evans argues, much of it comes down to the sheer volume of deaths and the secrecy surrounding their murders. ‘Not only are the numbers overwhelming, reaching in excess of 50 per day, there are few, if any, objective reports still emanating from the worst-affected areas.’

Indeed, one of the most significant casualties of the war against organised crime in 2010 has been independent reporting. Mexico is now the most dangerous country for journalists, with at least 42 having been killed since the beginning of the military offensive in 2006.

‘This figure is likely to be only a fraction of the true figure, and omits all those that die alongside media workers, including their partners and children’ Evans adds. ‘The failure to maintain an open and reliable record of the conflict in Mexico now could allow for the emergence of one of the worst humanitarian disasters on the continent in a generation’.

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