From the Editorial Office
Newspaper La Jornada
Sunday September 4, 2022, p. 4
Condemning the death of the girl Heidi Mariana Pérez Rodríguez, by a gunshot allegedly as a result of the use of lethal force by elements of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), the Office in Mexico of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN-DH) stressed that the case confirms the announced risk involved in military participation in citizen security tasks
.
Equally, the importance of strengthening and implementing civilian controls over the armed forces
and that consolidate their participation in civilian functions that are improper for them weakens democracy and is contrary to international human rights standards
.
Guillermo Fernández-Maldonado, representative in Mexico of the UN-DH, urged the authorities to initiate an independent civil investigation into the death of the minor –on August 31 in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas–, which is prompt and diligent, incorporating international human rights standards, with full respect for the best interests of children, in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child
.
The investigation, he said, “must identify those directly responsible for the death of Heidi Mariana -four years old-, as well as the responsibilities in the chain of command.”
The UN-DH also urged Sedena to comply with taking all necessary measures to cooperate with the civil authorities, promptly deliver the relevant information to clarify the case, ensure that its personnel collaborate, as well as to identify and eradicate any institutional practice that allows, facilitates or does not prevent the repetition of this type of facts.
He insisted that since 1999, the Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed its concern about the threat to the right to life of children caused by the degree of militarization
in the country. Likewise, this office ratified her commitment to accompany Heidi Mariana’s family and recognized the work of the defenders who support her.
