Ex-president’s new movement calls itself the only opposition to Morena

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February 24, 2020

Zavala speaks at Sunday's assembly in Mexico City.

Former President Felipe Calderón claims that the political movement he co-founded with his wife will become the sole alternative to the ruling Morena party.

México Libre (ML), or Free Mexico, was launched by former first lady Margarita Zavala just over a year ago as a center-right political movement. It has now fulfilled all the requirements to be formally registered as a political party with the National Electoral Institute, Calderón said.

Speaking at the soon-to-be party’s national assembly in Mexico City on Sunday, the former National Action Party (PAN) president asserted that ML will restore balance to Mexico’s political landscape and provide people with a “different option” at the ballot box. (Midterm federal elections will be held in July 2021).

ML will be the only party that “can save our beloved Mexico,” said Calderón, president from 2006 to 2012 and an outspoken critic of the current government.

Even though it is not yet formally registered as a political party, the 57-year-old president asserted that ML is already the largest opposition force to the government led by President López Obrador and pledged that it will soon grow to a membership of 300,000 and thus have more members than all other parties, including Morena.

Calderón claimed that the López Obrador administration is panicking because ML is on the verge of being registered as a party. He also said that the “autocratic government” has tried to block its registration.

“From the official machinery [of government] … they launch overwhelming attacks on our movement and our honor,” Calderón said.

The people of Mexico are facing a “government of hate that attacks, insults, puts labels [on others] … [and] stigmatizes. … We know that Mexico is not divided between chairos [armchair leftists] and fifis [elitists]. Mexico is a lot more than that and while the government doesn’t understand it, the job will continue to be too big for them,” he said.

After stressing that ML is not motivated by corporatism or religion, Calderón defended the record of his government, stating that if any federal administration has supported the poor it is his.

The current government “doesn’t listen and sustains a clumsy monologue of foolishness on a daily basis,” he charged.

Zavala said in January 2019 that neither she or Calderón would use México Libre to launch presidential bids but it is unclear whether they will seek elected office in any capacity at either the 2021 midterms or the 2024 election.

Source: El Universal (sp)

In Oaxaca, infant dies after sexual abuse; father is chief suspect

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Cody Copeland

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February 24, 2020

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The abuse took place at a home in Villa de Zaachila.

A 20-month-old baby in Oaxaca died earlier this month from injuries sustained during several instances of sexual abuse, according to authorities.

Reported as having no name as she was still not officially registered with the government, the girl lived in the municipality of Villa de Zaachila, located near Oaxaca City.

Authorities stated that the girl was taken to a local children’s hospital with a severe fever at the beginning of February. She died on February 10 despite doctors’ efforts to save her.

Authorities became aware of the sexual abuse upon seeing the results of the autopsy performed as required by law.

Identified as María, the girl’s mother was not allowed to receive the body of the child, because she had never registered the baby in order to obtain a birth certificate. DNA samples were taken to prove the woman’s parenthood.

The girl’s maternal grandmother, Juana, also solicited a request for the girl’s body and the corpse was turned over to her 11 days later.

Authorities reported that three other children living in the household, and also believed to be victims of sexual and physical abuse, were put into the protective custody of the state DIF family services system.

The Oaxaca state Attorney General’s Office (FGE) reported on February 12 that it arrested the girl’s father as the principal suspect in the case. Identified only as Ernesto, the man also faces charges from an alleged rape carried out in 2017.

A judge placed Ernesto in preventive custody and granted three months for the trial to be carried out.

Sources: El Universal (sp), El Imparcial (sp)

Over 1,000 join Playa del Carmen protest over beach access

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Cody Copeland

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February 24, 2020

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As many as 1,200 people gathered outside a beach club in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, on Sunday to protest the infringement of citizens’ access to the country’s beaches.

The protest was held in response to last week’s arrest of a couple who had refused to buy food and drinks from Mamita’s Beach Club. The club’s management claim its staff called police because the couple was occupying a service route on the beach.

Users on social media organized the picnic/protest after a video of the couple’s arrest went viral. Azeneth Marín can be seen in the video crying and telling officers of the tourist police that they are hurting her.

Attendees of Sunday’s protest occupied the space in front of Mamita’s Beach Club and even used the establishment’s beach chairs and parasols.

“Grab what you want. Today it’s all free,” shouted men who had come to the protest.

Local and foreign residents alike gathered to make the statement that Mexico’s beaches are open to the public and access to them cannot be controlled by private businesses.

“I was born and raised here. My family has also been run off this beach,” said Martha Enríquez, 60, who came from the neighboring town of Puerto Morelos to join the demonstration.

“We came today to tell them that these beautiful places also belong to us, to our children and our grandchildren,” she said.

Others spoke of similar incidents that have occurred elsewhere on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, in places like Puerto Aventuras, Akumal and Puerto Morelos.

Mamita’s Beach Club released a public apology after the arrest of Azeneth Marín and her boyfriend on February 16, and was even reported to have provided free fruit and water to Sunday’s partying protesters.

The online condemnation of the actions taken by the club and police prompted an official apology from the municipal government of Solidaridad, in which Playa del Carmen is located. Mayor Laura Beristain Navarrete publicly apologized to the couple last Wednesday.

Article 8 of the Mexican constitution states that access to the country’s beaches cannot be inhibited, restricted, obstructed or controlled by a private or government entity, save for conservation or military purposes.

Sources: El Universal (sp), Sipse (sp)

Of 2,300 crimes against women last year, 94% went unpunished

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MND Staff

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February 24, 2020

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Women protest against gender-based violence.

More than nine in 10 crimes committed against women in 2019 – not including femicides – went unpunished.

Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero told a gathering of female federal deputies on Friday that of 2,327 investigations into serious intentional crimes against women that were carried out last year, only 135 – 5.8% of the total – resulted in the imposition of prison sentences on the perpetrators.

The sentencing rate for femicides – murders of women and girls on account of their gender – was higher but still fewer than one in five perpetrators went to jail. Gertz said that there were 966 investigations into femicide last year and that sentences were imposed in 183, or 19%, of the cases.

Given the low sentencing rates, the attorney general said that law enforcement officials, including police and prosecutor’s office employees, require urgent training in order to conduct more effective investigations. Those who deliberately obstruct justice or are negligent in the carrying out of their duties should face sanctions, Gertz said.

Institutional Revolutionary Party Deputy Mariana Rodríguez Mier y Terán agreed that training for state authorities aimed at improving their investigative practices is essential.

“It’s important to point out that the capacities [of authorities] are different in the different states,” she said.

The attorney general also proposed the establishment of a new legal framework in which punishments for all types of violence against women is set out in the National Criminal Code, according to the lawmakers who met with Gertz, members of a working group tasked with carrying out an analysis of femicide in Mexico.

National Action Party (PAN) Deputy Mariana García Rojas said that an agreement was reached to form a working group made up of officials from the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) and lower house lawmakers whose aim will be to draw up legislation that ensures a uniform penalty for femicide across Mexico’s 31 states and capital city. State prosecutor’s offices, governors and gender and human rights experts will also be consulted, she said.

PAN lawmaker Pilar Ortega Martínez said that establishing a nationwide uniform penalty for femicide is “essential,” while Morena party Deputy Lorena Villavicencio Ayala said that the FGR must send a clear message that it is committed to combating the crime.

“It’s a crime that demoralizes … and we’re falling short [in our response to it]. That’s why we have to standardize the penalty,” Villavicencio said.

Putting an end to errors made by law enforcement officials when filing criminal complaints and carrying out investigations – such as those made following the disappearance of a 7-year-old girl who was murdered earlier this month – is essential to stopping impunity in crimes against women, lawmakers agreed.

They also said that judges and public policy have a role to play in combatting the high levels of impunity. Juan Carlos Romero Hicks, leader of the PAN in the lower house of Congress, said that less “presidential indifference” to violence against women was crucial to combatting it.

Interior Minister Olga Sánchez Cordero admitted Friday that serious action by the government to combat violence against women had “arrived late,” but she said that it is now committed to tackling the problem head on.

Source: El Financiero (sp)

Under AMLO, nearly 2bn pesos cut from women’s programs

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MND Staff

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February 24, 2020

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Childcare programs were among those cut or eliminated.

The federal government slashed this year’s funding for programs that benefit women and girls by almost 2 billion pesos, an analysis of the 2019 and 2020 budgets found.

The newspaper El Universal reported that the administration of President López Obrador cut the funding for, or eliminated entirely, 20 programs that support females.

The programs were allocated funding of 2.7 billion pesos in 2019 but were assigned just 835 million pesos – a cut of 1.87 billion pesos (US $97.9 million) or 69% – in the 2020 budget.

Nine of the 20 programs were defunded completely, El Universal said. Among them: an Education Ministry program for inclusive and equitable education, a childcare scheme that benefited mothers who work at the Health Ministry and a federal Attorney General’s Office program that promoted respect for women’s rights.

Among the programs whose funding was cut were a childcare scheme that benefits mothers who work at the Welfare Ministry, an Interior Ministry (Segob) initiative that promotes human rights and gender equality, a Segob scheme that aims to eliminate gender discrimination and a Labor Ministry women’s employment program.

The federal government’s response to women’s needs has come under increased scrutiny since the gruesome deaths earlier this month of a 25-year-old woman who was killed by her partner and the abduction and murder of a 7-year-old girl.

Interior Minister Olga Sánchez Cordero admitted Friday that serious action by the government to combat violence against women had “arrived late,” but she said that it is now committed to tackling the problem head on.

A national women’s strike is planned for March 9, the day after International Women’s Day, to protest against the high levels of gender-based violence. Members of the government, including Sánchez, as well as opposition lawmakers, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, state governors and universities have expressed their support for the strike, which could cost the economy tens of billions of pesos.

Source: El Universal (sp)

Current patients to be treated after women protest lack of funding for cancer

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MND Staff

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February 22, 2020

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Funds for breast cancer treatment have been announced after patients protested in Mexico City on Thursday and Friday to demand that the federal government reinstate funding for the Breast Cancer Foundation (Fucam) to allow it to continue providing free treatment.

The foundation announced Thursday that it had run out of resources with which to provide free medical services because it had not reached a funding agreement with the National Institute of Health for Well-Being (Inasabi), a new government department tasked with providing universal healthcare.

Fucam previously accessed public funds via the Seguro Popular healthcare scheme, which was replaced by a program run by Insabi on January 1.

“The foundation [has been] forced to stop free [breast cancer treatment] because it lacks supplies and medications,” Fucam said in a statement.

But it announced Friday afternoon that an agreement had been reached whereby Insabi will fund those treatments that had been initiated prior to December 31. However, new patients will have to pay user fees based on their economic means.

On Thursday, about 20 Fucam breast cancer patients blocked Tlalpan Avenue near the Valley of México University to demand that the government guarantee free treatment and medicines, and provide funds to the foundation.

The placards they held up sent a clear message to President López Obrador, or AMLO as he is commonly known. “We want to live,” said one, while others read “AMLO, don’t abandon women with cancer” and “abandonment no, agreement, yes.”

Accompanied by family members and friends, another group of breast cancer victims protested outside the National Palace on Friday, chanting “we want to live,” “subsidy for Fucam,” “I’m fighting for my life, I’m fighting for Fucam” and “if you’re listening presidente, Fucam is presente.”

The breast cancer patients also submitted a letter to López Obrador at a citizen’s attention office at the National Palace, Reforma reported.

“We are sick people with scant resources. We have no possibility of paying for private treatment, we will die … if we’re not attended to at Fucam. … We ask you, as the head of state, to remedy our situation,” it read.

The Breast Cancer Foundation said it was providing free treatment, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, to more than 8,500 breast cancer patients of limited means.

Source: Reforma (sp), El Financiero (sp), El Universal (sp)

What not to do if the windshield-washer is on the hood when the light changes

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Alasdair Baverstock

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February 22, 2020

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windshield washers — Just wag your finger if you don't want your windshield washed.

The horns blared all around the driver, the Frenchman, to my left. The light had been green for four seconds, but a kid armed with a bottle of detergent and a flat rubber wiper was still in the middle of soaping up the glass.

“Merde,” he cursed in a Gallic accent, and began to tease the gas pedal. The young snipe didn’t flinch. Taking up a suspended position on the hood of the car, his legs dangling over the now rolling wheel, he methodically wiped away the remaining soap with five flicks before the other passengers, myself and the cameraman, could protest.

“Stop! Are you trying to kill him?” we shouted bilingually. The brakes came on, and the young man jumped off. He glared at the Frenchman but from the passenger side my hand was already brandishing a 20-peso note aloft.

Twenty pesos for the service was a first, probably for everyone involved, but the event had been just as unique.

Having been conveyed at least five meters back to his starting position beneath the traffic lights on the hood of our car, the young man changed his looked of bemusement for one of pleasant surprise at the sight of the blue plastic note, and skipped between us and the honking cars made to wait.

He plucked the note from the hand and as we looked up, sighed collectively at his forgiveness and exchanged a muted laugh, the car behind us blared his horn again. He needn’t have bothered; the light had gone back to red.

After six years in Mexico, it’s easy to become accustomed to the nuance of context and situations. The Frenchman, despite having married a Mexican and living here for three years, doesn’t drive, and has therefore missed out on an entire sub-section of driving culture in this country – the limpiaparabrisas.

The remonstrations weren’t harsh; the kid hadn’t seemed angry, and even if he had wanted to identify us it would have been impossible. The Frenchman had parked on a yellow-painted curb the day before in Querétaro and our license plate had been removed.

I sympathized with him. Driving in Mexico is no easy business, and when it comes to the ins-and-outs, the do’s-and-don’ts of the autopista, stoplights can be perplexing, and the only way to have an idea is through experience.

Should you find yourself facing the rapid advance of a soap-toting chap at a stoplight and you don’t want the service, the universal Mexican gesture is the wagging finger – to and fro – above the steering wheel. That’s to be respected, and you’ll find the majority simply pass you by.

If however, the individual offering the service has caught you off-guard, then the cultural rule here is – tough luck. He’s going to finish the job and expect payment in kind. Their logic is, you’re driving a car, so of course you’re aware of everything in front of you; if you haven’t given the wagging finger it’s because you want your glass washed. Maybe it will make the things going on in front of you more visible. And you can see their point.

I tend to make the most of the consequences of a dozy moment and ask them to do the rear windscreen while they’re at it.

What you certainly shouldn’t do, unless you’re after a squirt of detergent through the gap in your window, is activate your own mechanical wipers, curse at them, or take them on a car-hood hayride back to their starting point.

They’re just trying to make a living, and Mexico can be a hard place for the guys on the other side of the glass.

Alasdair Baverstock is a freelance foreign correspondent and reporter for CGTN who has covered Mexico and Latin America for nearly a decade. You can follow him across social media at @alibaverstock.

Francisco Flores, Tapachula baker

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Alex Harrison-Cripps

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February 22, 2020

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Francisco Flores, baker. — Francisco Flores bakes more than 3,000 products every week.

Thirty-eight years ago, Francisco Flores Robrero began learning the delicate craft of breadmaking. “Cakes are the hardest,” he explained, “and biscuits are the most fun because they come in so many varieties; you can never get bored.”

From a humble family, Francisco had to find work after he finished primary school.

A resourceful man, he found a job in Bodega Aurrera, one of the Walmart brands, where he worked for five years until he persuaded Porfilio Espinosa, an established baker in Tapachula, Chiapas, to be his mentor.

Porfilio passed away more than 20 years ago, but Francisco is still honouring his master by producing more than 3,000 products for the bakery every week. He bakes for five hours per day, six days per week and divides his remaining time between attending to customers and supervising his two apprentices.

Sales have decreased lately. Francisco puts it down to higher local unemployment, although he hopes that things will pick up in June. “It’s usually busier when it’s cooler,’ he explains. Francisco’s definition of “cooler” is 33 C!

There is a deep curiosity behind Francisco’s eyes and a wonderful smile that magically converts his appearance from stern seriousness to wonderful warmth. It was a face that lured me from the other side of a busy street.

Initially cautious about why a reporter would be interested in him, by the end of our conversation he admitted that he was thrilled to have had his first real conversation with a foreigner.

Mexico News Daily

Minister admits being late with measures to address violence against women

By

Cody Copeland

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February 22, 2020

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Sánchez: new measures to combat crimes against women.

Interior Minister Olga Sánchez Cordero admitted Friday that serious action by the government to combat violence against women has “arrived late,” but she said it is now committed to tackling the problem head on.

After a three-hour meeting with officials from several government agencies, Sánchez told reporters that any report of a missing woman or girl will immediately activate search protocols, whether or not a crime is believed to have been committed.

She requested the support of the judicial branch, asking that courts issue measures for the protection of women without the need for a formal report of gender violence.

She also said that the federal government will launch campaigns for the prevention of violence against women in all its forms and consolidate various government programs to protect women and girls.

Sánchez added that the government has identified the municipalities with the highest rates of violence against women in the country. They will be the focus of a comprehensive campaign of preventative measures, victim services and criminal prosecution.

“We’re working every day, coordinating, instructing, monitoring and implementing actions to prevent and attend these types of violence. We recognize that we have arrived late to deliver this message, that there have been limitations, that public policy has not been coordinated on many occasions nor been effective enough to confront this serious problem,” she said.

There have been two high-profile crimes against women in the past two weeks — the gruesome murder of a 25-year-old woman by her partner and the abduction and murder of a 7-year-old girl.

The former Supreme Court justice used Friday’s press conference to assert her dedication to the cause of eradicating gender violence and to implore feminists in the government not to “forget our origins, much less the social demands of gender.”

She added that the administration of President López Obrador is committed to reducing gender inequality and asserted that he is dedicated to the feminist cause.

Her defense of the president follows accusations that López Obrador has not taken the issue seriously. On Thursday morning, he described female protesters at the National Palace as a “feminist collective” that opposes “the moral regeneration we’re promoting.”

“I respect their views but don’t share them,” the president said. “I believe we have to moralize the country, purify public life and strengthen cultural, moral and spiritual values.”

When femicides came up at a press conference earlier this month, López Obrador appeared annoyed that the question interrupted his plans to talk about raffling the presidential plane. “I don’t want femicides to overshadow the lottery.”

Source: El Universal (sp), The Guardian (en)

Annual fair brings traditions and products from across the country

By

Cody Copeland

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February 22, 2020

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Copper goods from Michoacán among products at Mexico City fair.

The Mexico In the Heart of Mexico tourism and culture fair has returned to the zócalo in Mexico City, bringing together dancers, chefs, artisans and tourism representatives from every state in the country.

The visual centerpiece of the fair is the Great Pyramid, a temporary exhibition space housing some of the most iconic archaeological pieces from the museums of the city’s Historic Center.

Visitors can satisfy their grumbling stomachs at the Kitchen Pavilion, which offers traditional dishes from all across the country and tasty delights from some of the most renowned Mexican chefs.

Mexico’s numerous folkloric dance traditions will be on display on the main stage, as well as concerts, art exhibitions and other cultural events.

But visitors won’t want to miss the artisans’ tent that organizers are calling The Serpent of Quetzalcóatl. Over 500 artisans from all corners of Mexico have been invited to the fair to sell their unique folk art and other products.

The stalls are filled with everything from embroidered blouses called huipiles to guitars made in Michoacán to bacanora, an agave distillate from Sonora similar to mezcal and tequila. The list of quality handmade products for sale is virtually endless.

There will also be tourism representatives from each state to provide information on the Magical Towns, festivals, gastronomy and other attractions for tourists in the places they call home.

The fair is already in full swing in the Mexico City zócalo and will run through next week, ending on Sunday, March 1. It is open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. each day and admission is free.

Source: Dónde Ir (sp)