Mexico’s military and police have committed widespread human rights violations in their efforts to combat violent drug cartels—including killings, torture and disappearances—which have only exacerbated a climate of lawlessness and fear in many parts of the country. These violations persist, and in fact have increased, because the members of security forces who commit them are virtually never held accountable.

Human rights defenders and journalists who document these abuses and cartel violence are targeted for attack by criminal groups and members of security forces alike. Yet Mexico has failed to protect these vulnerable groups and adequately investigate the crimes against them.