IACHR Grants Precautionary Protection Measures to Pascuala López and Her Immediate Family

February 1, 2023

Washington, D.C. — On January 26, 2022, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 3/2023, through which it granted precautionary protection measures in favor of Pascuala López and her immediate family in Nicaragua, whom it deems to be at serious, urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm to their human rights.

The petitioners alleged that Pascuala López and her family have received threats and been the targets of harassment and acts of violence committed by an armed group in the Cuxtitalli el Pinar district in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas. The alleged risk situation seems to be related to the beneficiary's position on the election of local authorities and the demands for justice over the murder of her son, which took place in February 2020. The proposed beneficiary and her family members have continued to be exposed to risk, prompting her to leave her home.

The State reported on the protective actions that it has implemented for the entire population of the area as well as those that are specifically for the proposed beneficiary. It expressed its willingness to take the necessary action to channel the case of Ms. López and her family through the competent institutions, in order to ensure the corresponding protection measures are put in place.

The IACHR analyzed the information presented by both parties and evaluated the actions taken by the State. It identified that the rights to life and personal integrity of the beneficiary and her family continue to be at grave risk in Mexico.

Consequently, in accordance with Article 25 of its Rules of Procedure, the IACHR requested that the State of Mexico:

1. adopt the necessary measures to protect the rights to life and personal integrity of Pascuala López López and the members of her family who have been identified in Resolution 3/2023. Specifically, these measures should include guaranteeing their safety and preventing harassment, intimidation, and violence against them by third parties, and should include differentiated approaches that consider their gender and cultural significance;
2. agree on any measures to be implemented with the beneficiaries and their representatives; and
3. report on the actions it implements to investigate the alleged events that led to the adoption of this resolution so as to prevent them from being repeated.

The IACHR's granting of this precautionary measure and its adoption by the State of Mexico does not entail a prejudgment on any petition that may eventually be filed before the inter-American system to allege that the rights protected by any applicable instruments have been violated.

A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for and to defend human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in an individual capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 013/23

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