"...the international presence is an extremely important contribution to the peaceful negotiation that the Diocese of which I am Bishop and many other people have supported. The presence and interest of the international community, respectful of the will of the Mexican people, play a relevant roll in the peaceful resolution of this and other conflicts."

-- Bishop Samuel Ruiz

7/17/00	Expulsion of US human rights activist overturned by Mexican officials -- In a stunning reversal of a five-year policy to expel politically 'inconvenient' foreigners from southern Mexico, authorities overturned the 2 year expulsion of Tom Hansen, Director of the Mexico Solidarity Network.
5/26/00	Government hinders observers -- After its director was prevented from flying to Mexico City, the international organization Global Exchange denounced that they have not received such treatment from any other country in the world like the one they have received in Mexico. They have been harassed and falsely accused by the authorities in an attempt to hinder their work as electoral observers.
5/9/00	Old Ways Die Hard in Mexican Election Despite the Pledges -- By all accounts, this year's presidential race is the fairest and most open Mexico has ever seen. But pro-government media executives are blocking clean-vote television ads and foreign election observers, who will be traveling to Mexico to monitor the voting, are facing delays in receiving visas.
5/9/00	Little welcome for watchdogs -- With the July 2 presidential vote nearing, foreign 'democracy observers' say Mexico is obstructing entry.
5/6/00	International Observers and the fears of the PRI -- What is the relationship between the recent illegal expulsion from Mexico of Ted Lewis, a U.S. citizen and election observer, and the fact that the chances are mounting of a victory by the opposition? At first glance there seems to be none. But, in analyzing the case, we have come to see that we are facing the onset of a generalized government policy of attempting to block international monitoring of domestic political movements and elections, a policy which has already been actively pursued for years in Chiapas.
5/2/00	IFE approved election observer harassed and denied entry to Mexico -- Immigration officials fail to present cause and forge documents after-the-fact in an attempt to justify an illegal act. (A statement by Global Exchange.)
5/2/00	Rights Concerns Follow Expulsion of Election Monitor -- The expulsion of a US-based human rights official from Mexico is raising concerns that the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party may hinder foreign monitoring of the hotly contested July 2d presidential elections.
4/27/00	Mexico: U.S. Observer Deported -- Ted Lewis, the director for Mexico of the San Francisco human rights group Global Exchange, was detained by immigration agents in Guadalajara and deported. Mr. Lewis was organizing 40 foreign professors to study election conditions before the July 2 presidential balloting. The autonomous Federal Electoral Institute had approved his credentials as an election observer.
4/26/00	Mexican watchdog group allege attempt to restrict vote observers -- Mexican watchdog groups on Wednesday accused the government of obstructing foreign electoral observers in the run-up to the July 2 presidential election, citing a U.S. observer who was deported on arrival in Mexico.
4/26/00	Mexican vote watchdog says observers' entry blocked -- Mexico's independent election body said on Wednesday the government is blocking the entry of foreign election observers, lending new weight to complaints from non-governmental organisations.
1/26/00	Centro Pro calls policy against foreign observers xenophobic -- The criteria the National Institute of Migration (INM), of the Ministry of the Interior, requires of foreigners in order to grant the "International Human Rights Observers FM3" immigration form must not be allowed to stand under any circumstances; given that "the requirements are excessive and bureaucratic," they "constrain observation activity" and leave foreigners in an indefensible position, according to the Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center, which characterized the application of INM policy as "xenophobic and repressive."
1/19/00	Deportation of Kerry Andrew Appel Suspended -- A judge in the Second District [Federal] Court issued a ruling today, temporarily suspending the expulsion order against US citizen Kerry Appel, which was issued by the National Immigration Institute (INM). The judge immediately informed the Mexican immigration authorities of his decision.
1/12/00	The INM violates the rights of foreigners says Global Exchange -- An open letter to Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights, published on January 7, 2000 in La Jornada.
1/7/00	Mexican Officials Seek to Deport 43 Foreigners -- To cries of dismay Thursday from human rights activists, the government has brought deportation proceedings against 43 foreigners, including 34 Americans, who joined New Year's celebrations to mark the sixth anniversary of the Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas. Immigration officials said 12 of the foreigners have been told to leave the country. Hearings are still pending in the remaining 31 cases.
1/6/00	Mexico Expels 2 U.S. Supporters of Zapatistas Who Visited Chiapas -- Mexico has ordered Kerry Appel, 48, a coffee importer from Colorado who attended a New Years' celebration in a rebel-controlled village in southern Chiapas state, to leave the country immediately. The order, issued on Tuesday, bars Mr. Appel from visiting here for three years.
1/6/00	A US citizen is the first person expelled from Chiapas this year -- Today the National Institute of Immigration (INM) reported that the American Appel Kerry Andrew became the first American to be expelled from Chiapas in the year 2000, having engaged in activities which had not been sanctioned by the Secretary of State, among which was participation in the celebrations of the sixth anniversary of the Ejercito de Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional's uprising.
10/15/99	Unconstitutionality of Expulsion of 12 International Taniperla Observers Upheld -- On March 22, 1999, the Third District Judge on Penal Matters had declared the expulsion unconstitutional; however, the Ministry of Government appealed that ruling before the Third Collegiate Circuit Tribunal on Penal Matters. The latter has just decided to uphold the previous decision, confirming the illegality of the expulsion.
10/05/99	Foreigners Brave Mexican Police to Enter War Zone -- A battered pick-up truck sped through back roads near Mexico's border with Guatemala late last week, carrying a cargo of eight people hidden under a canvas tarpaulin. A surprise police checkpoint uncovered the clandestine travelers, who clambered wearily off the truck, blinded by the powerful torches of the agents who demanded passports and travel permits.
9/20/99	Lost Decision Cancels March Expulsion -- After prolonged ferreting by legal representatives in Mexico City, two American professors expelled from Chiapas, Mexico on March 24 have just learned that the ruling ordering them to leave Mexico, which banned return for two years, was not upheld after administrative review.
9/16/99	The National Immigration Institute Will Respect Hansen's Injunction -- The head of the National Immigration Institute (INM), Alejandro Carrillo Castro, confirmed yesterday that the Mexican government will respect the injunction that a judge awarded to Tom Hansen, from the organization Pastors for Peace, and that we would be able to return to the country as a tourist.
9/15/99	Mexico expulsions may have been illegal -- Nearly 150 foreigners kicked out of Mexico after visiting rebel-controlled territory in Chiapas state last year were probably expelled illegally in light of a court decision, human rights workers said Tuesday.
9/2/99	Immigration Harassing Foreigners Who Visit Chiapas -- The Civil Observation Network--made up of more than 30 organizations--stated that over the last two weeks agents from the National Immigration Institute (INM) "have been going through hotels and inns located in this city, asking for names and personal information from foreign tourists, who are later interrogated."
8/26/99	Questioning the Validity of an Internal Directive -- Global Exchange has filed a complaint in the Mexican courts asking for a ruling on the constitutionality of Mexico's policy pertaining to foreign human rights observers.
8/4/99	Human Rights: The Fire and the Alarm -- The building is burning. The alarm is sounding. Instead of allowing the firefighters to do their work, the property manager, who believes himself to be the building's owner, is trying to turn off the fire alarm. He says: "It's an exaggeration. Nothing is going on, everything is under control." The building is called Mexico. The fire is the human rights situation in the country.
7/19/99	Pescador to Review NGO Complaints -- The Undersecretary for Population and Immigration Services, José Angel Pescador, met last Wednesday with members of the US non-governmental organization Global Exchange, the Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center, and the "All Rights for Everyone" Human Rights Network.
5/18/99	Foreigners of Conscience -- The Mexican Government's Campaign Against International Human Rights Observers In Chiapas -- A new report by Global Exchange, in conjunction with Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center (PRODH) and the Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights (CMDPDH).
6/2/99	Global Exchange Report: The Mexican government continues to harass foreign observers -- Coverage of the new Global Exchange report from the Mexican news weekly Proceso.
12/31/98	Uncomfortable Tourism in Conflict Areas -- We are pleased to pass on the following translation of an interview with Ted Lewis (Global Exchange's Mexico Program Director) by Blanche Petrich, long-time correspondent for La Jornada. PLEASE NOTE that the interview states that three Global Exchange tour participants were expelled from Mexico. This is inaccurate. In fact, the three were only cited by immigration authorities. The two US citizens left the country voluntarily before completing the citation process. The Japanese national remains in Mexico where she lives and works.
12/31/98	Mexican Immigration Service Threatens to Expel Global Exchange Reality Tour Participants -- Global Exchange currently has a Reality Tour visiting Chiapas and has received the following press attention. We thought it was important for subscribers to be aware of the situation and our response to it.
12/28/98	Comments on a Letter by an Official from the Mexican Immigration Service -- Mexican attorney Federico Anaya details the "obtuse arbitrariness" of the immigration authority in its dealings with foreigners.
12/28/98	Press Bulletin From Fray Bartolomé Human Rights Center -- "The Mexican National Army, Public Security and the National Migration Institute displayed a shameful attitude during the commemoration ceremonies for the Acteal massacre."
12/23/98	Homily of Msgr. Samuel Ruiz García and Msgr. Raúl Vera López -- on the first anniversary of the massacre at Acteal.
12/4/98	Human Rights Watch: Defending Human Rights -- From the Mexico section of the 1999 World Report.
11/26/98	Inter-American Court of Human Rights Jurisdiction Approved by Joint Senate Commissions -- Senate commissions have approved the resolution confirming the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (CIDH), while retaining exceptions concerning non-retroactivity and non-interference in cases involving foreigners expelled from Mexico.
11/22/98	Visa Application of Suzanne Rumsey to the Mexican Government -- Summary of Process, Issues and Recommendations. A detailed account of the visa application process undertaken in response to new visa regulations announced for international human rights observers by the Mexican government in February 1998, and implemented in late May 1998.
11/22/98	Report by Jennie Pasquarella on her Detention by Mexican Immigration -- "All of us were then transported to the immigration office in Palenque, despite the fact that one of our group members was a Mexican citizen and another, the Swiss journalist, had an FM3 visa permitting him to work in Mexico as a journalist."
11/22/98	Report by Carleen Pickard on her citation by the Mexican National Migration Institute despite having an FM3 human rights observer visa -- "The fact that I was immediately cited, despite having the correct paperwork and without having done anything wrong, and lied to about procedures by the immigration authorities, is all part of the government campaign to obstruct international human rights observation while maintaining its low intensity war against the indigenous population."
11/17/98	Interview with Luciano, Spokesperson for the Autonomous Municipality of Polhó, July 31, 1998.
11/13/98	Interview with Las Abejas Member, in the Community of Acteal, July 31, 1998.
10/28/98	Interview with Mariclaire Acosta, President of the Mexican Center for Human Rights (Centro Mexicano de Derechos Humanos), 29 July 1998.
10/14/98	Bishop Ruiz Supports International Peace Coalition -- A letter from Bishop Ruiz supporting the work of international observers in general and SIPAZ in particular.
9/14/98	Interview with Marina Patricia Jiménez, Director of the Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Human Rights Centre. Interview with Gonzalo Ituarte Both interviews explore the role of international observers in Mexico.
6/19/98	Writer Slams Mexico for Expelling Chiapas Observers -- Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes on Wednesday slammed the government for its policy of ridding troubled Chiapas state of independent witnesses, drawing parallels with Hitler's Auschwitz and Stalin's gulags.
4/23/98	Zapatista Autonomy Under Attack: Indigenous Leaders and Human Rights Observers Arrested in Taniperalas -- Sixteen people were arrested the weekend of April 11, 1998, in connection with the inauguration of the new Zapatista autonomous municipality, Ricardo Flores Magon. In the early morning of April 11, troops stormed the town of Taniperlas, seat of the new municipality, also detaining 12 international human rights observers who were later deported.
4/12/98	New Round-Up in Chiapas -- Public Security Police, units of the Mexican Army, agents from the National Immigration Institute and units of the Federal Judicial Police carried out a new round-up, in the community of Taniperlas, Municipality of Ocosingo. (From Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Human Rights Center) Travis Loller, international observer from Tennessee, forcibly removed from the immigration office at San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, by Public Security Police. She is later deported from Mexico City to Los Angeles with two other American observers.
4/12/98	11 Foreigners Are Detained in Mexico Raid -- About 500 federal and state police swept through a farming cooperative in Chiapas state at dawn today, after Indian residents there who support the Zapatista rebels declared their indepedence from the state government. (From the NY Times)