http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/3301723

Aug. 9, 2005, 12:55AM



Mexico blasted for killings in Juarez
Rights group leader says an air of impunity allows slayings of women to go on
By IOAN GRILLO
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

MEXICO CITY - The head of the human rights group Amnesty International on Monday blasted the Mexican government for failing to stop the killings of hundreds of women in the border city of Ciudad Juarez.

Speaking to reporters in the state capital of Chihuahua, Amnesty International Secretary-General Irene Khan said there was an atmosphere of impunity that led to the slayings continuing after more than a decade.

Amnesty said the appointment of a special federal prosecutor for Ciudad Juarez "is a clear step in the right direction but has had very limited impact," the Associated Press reported.

Khan praised the new state governor and attorney general, saying "the treatment of families by the new authorities is in marked contrast with the past, but this must be accompanied by concrete advances if their work is to be meaningful," according to AP.

Since 1994, more than 360 women have been slain in Ciudad Juarez, a dusty industrial city across the Rio Grande from El Paso. In about 100 cases, the victims were young, slim brunettes who were raped, killed and dumped in the desert.

More than 20 women have been killed in Juarez this year.

Khan is leading a delegation of Amnesty International workers to discuss Mexican human rights issues with officials and activists across the country. On Monday, she met with Chihuahua's governor and head prosecutor, as well as family members of some of the victims.

Last year, special federal prosecutor Maria Lopez Urbina charged that state detectives bungled many investigations into the Ciudad Juarez killings.

Furthermore, several men who have been convicted in some of the killings say they were tortured before they signed confessions.

President Vicente Fox has said the defense of human rights issues is a pillar of his government policy and encouraged groups such as the London-based Amnesty International to work in Mexico. However, some activists say the president has done little to improve Mexico's human rights record.

"Fox uses these international groups as a mask to make it look like he is taking action," said Ciudad Juarez human rights lawyer Sergio Dante Almaraz. "But behind the mask, we are seeing the same old abuses Mexico has had for years."