I must say, excellent timing!!!

Amnesty International Urges Mexican President to Support Rights for Citizens and Migrants Alike on Official U.S. Visit

NEW YORK, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On the eve of Mexican
President Felipe Calderon's first official visit to the United States,
Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA, called on the
Mexican president to support human rights at home with the same vigor that
he shows in seeking greater protections for the rights of Mexican migrants
in the United States.

As the U.S. Congress deliberates President Bush's "Merida Initiative"
to give Mexico $950 million to fight drug cartels, Cox said the aid will
benefit Mexican security and criminal justice institutions with long
histories of human rights violations.

"Amnesty International has documented torture, arbitrary detention,
excessive use of force and the denial of due process," said Cox in a letter
to President Calderon ahead of his official visit Sunday through next
Thursday (Feb. 10-14). "The public security and criminal justice
institutions have too frequently been characterized as abusive, ineffective
and lacking independence and transparency."

The Mexican president has been vocal about his concern over arbitrary
detentions and mass deportations of Mexican migrants in the United States
as well as the militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border.

"Amnesty International USA commends your efforts to highlight the
rights of Mexican migrants in the United States and to insert human rights
into the immigration debate to ensure a more humane immigration policy,"
Cox wrote.

"I urge you to also commit during your visit to ending serious human
rights violations in Mexico -- be they violations of civil and political
rights like the widespread use of torture, or economic, social and cultural
rights like the lack of gainful employment for millions of Mexico's
citizens."

Calderon's trip is focused on immigration and migrants' rights along
with other issues such as regional competition and the environment. He will
visit cities with large Mexican migrant populations, including New York,
Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles.

For more information, please contact Suzanne Trimel at 212-633-4150.
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