February 17th, 2025: Mexico, USA, Geneva
We close the month of global action for the second anniversary of the enforced disappearance of environmental defenders Ricardo Lagunes Gasca and Antonio Díaz Valencia with a renewed commitment to fight against oblivion and impunity, using all national and international avenues and collaborations to find them, seeking peace and truth. Their families and representatives thank all the expressions of solidarity from civil society organizations, academic institutions, families and friends in Mexico and around the world, as well as from the United States, Luxembourg, the United Nations, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. We ask everyone to continue supporting us and we take this opportunity to tell you how we have experienced this month.
Since January 15, 2025, when we called for a month of global action against impunity, we began our efforts with realism at the forefront, requesting the Delegation in Mexico of the International Committee of the Red Cross to establish a humanitarian channel for search and reception of information to contribute to the efforts of the Independent Mechanism for Humanitarian Recovery for Antonio and Ricardo (MIRHAR), created by the families. We asked the Office of the High Commissioner of the UN in Mexico for its good offices to re-establish the high-level table for the implementation of international decisions that the now Secretary of the Interior Rosa Icela Rodríguez Velázquez so emphatically committed to lead in an executive manner before the families. To this end, we also requested President Claudia Sheinbaum to receive the families.
The humanitarian response is the only possible one in the face of the exacerbated violence generated by the criminal investigation when seeking the truth, against institutions petrified by organized crime and corporate capture. Between February 2023 and October 2023 alone, at least four people who confessed their participation in the disappearance, who pointed out or were pointed to as possibly involved in the disappearances of Ricardo and Antonio, were executed or disappeared. No justice system should require families, representatives, and witnesses to confront criminals that the system cannot or will not pursue, or to give information to institutions that cannot protect their lives. We await the response of the Red Cross, the UN, and President Sheinbaum.
Since we called on you to fight against impunity with us, there have been developments in the criminal investigation, in multilateral diplomacy, and we have witnessed great shows of solidarity, dignifying the work of Ricardo and Antonio, and that is what we wanted to inform you about.
Regarding criminal investigations
It is concerning to observe that in Mexico this case is still not being investigated ex officio as an enforced disappearance of territory defenders in the face of mining development, and that the state's capture by violence and economic interests that foster impunity is not being seriously addressed. So far, the investigation, classified as disappearance by individuals, seems to focus solely on pointing out individuals possibly linked to organized crime, without elucidating the alleged role of state authorities and the Ternium company in the disappearance and its possible cover-up, and placing its serious drive behind the victims.
On February 17, 2025, two years after the arrest warrant was issued against him, a person identified as probably materially responsible for the disappearance was linked to the process for the disappearance of the defenders, having been identified by various sources as the person who would have interviewed and filmed Professor Antonio Díaz Valencia in captivity. The families and their representatives were surprised by his detention on February 7, through a statement from the Attorney General's Office of the State of Colima, despite the fact that the case was attracted by the federation. After a week in which multi-jurisdiction and the evident lack of coordination between authorities caused confusion, re-victimized the families, and filled them with uncertainty, this person was linked to the process for the disappearance of Ricardo and Antonio, without us being able to obtain any additional information about their whereabouts. We are convinced that to get to the truth about the disappearance and its cover-up, the political will and direct attention of President Claudia Sheinbaum to this matter is required, a change in the dynamics of relationship with the victims, that the high-level tables agreed upon within the framework of the current urgent actions be restored, and that the independent expert opinions that allow progress in the search to be admitted.
The violence and danger surrounding the investigation, especially when relevant information is provided to the ministerial authorities, and the rejection of independent experts who could offer technical support, other lines of investigation, and localization theories, have led the families and their representatives to demand a humanitarian response outside the criminal system. An integral search strategy and effective measures to protect families and all people who provide information from violence are urgently needed, to avoid the loss of lives and crucial evidence to get to the truth, as well as to prevent disappearances from happening again.
Regarding multilateral diplomacy efforts
We highlight the willingness for joint and high-level work to respond to this case. On January 15, 2025, the Interagency Working Group of the U.S. Department of State to Reduce Violence against Environmental Defenders (IAWG) organized a commemoration vigil, bringing together the Government of Luxembourg, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the United Nations, the Fair Steel Coalition, Global Witness, ICAR. Earthrights International, RFK Human Rights and other international allies. During the event, Deborah Klepp, Senior Advisor on the Environment in the Office of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, stressed that “commemoration is not enough. When we work together, we have power, we can support and accelerate efforts to find them, and working together we have the power to help those who are in a position to carry out a thorough investigation. Working together, we have the power to show that silencing defenders does not work, and to help bring justice for Ricardo and Antonio.” Ricardo Neves, representing the Office of the High Commissioner of the United Nations in Mexico, emphasized that “this case is so emblematic that it has driven innovative cooperation in cases between the universal human rights system [CED] and the inter-American system” and that “much more must be done to ensure concrete results.” For her part, Fiorella Melzi, representing the IACHR, stressed that “the proper functioning of the high-level table of authorities, as well as coordination and communication between state institutions, must be guaranteed.” From Europe, we also achieved solidarity. During the Universal Periodic Review, Luxembourg asked Mexico to investigate and search for Ricardo and Antonio, and the demands to protect land defenders continue to be brought before the European Parliament, in the voice of parliamentarian Catarina Vieira.
This clear multilateral diplomatic will to help find Ricardo and Antonio highlights that all that is missing is for the Mexican State to join the families' efforts to find the truth, in this important forum of multilateral aid.
The complexity of the context and the need for due diligence in business in the search
We work in an extremely difficult context. As documented by Global Witness in its annual report Missing Voices and the Fair Steel Coalition in the report The Real Cost of Steel, the enforced disappearance of human rights defenders in Mexico is a matter of grave concern. Between 2012 and 2023, 203 environmental defenders were killed in Mexico, 36 of them victims of enforced disappearances. Alarmingly, 21 of these disappearances occurred in Michoacán. 70% of the attacks in 2023 were against indigenous people who defended their land from the mining industry, with cases concentrated in the Pacific coastal states: Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco. The chapter In Limbo illustrates the case of Ricardo and Antonio as emblematic of that violence and also of the impunity when business interests surround the context. The disappearances do not stop. In March 2024, the activist and founder of the Popular Council of Chinicuila, José Gabriel Pelayo Zalgado, disappeared, and his whereabouts are unknown.
Astrid Puentes Riaño, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, remembering Ricardo and Antonio on the second anniversary of their disappearance, highlighted “the historical and systemic inequalities that aggravate the dangers for defenders in conflict zones”.
For its part, the IACHR stressed that “throughout the country, the imposition of megaprojects, mining exploitation, and the lack of prior, free, and informed consultation foster environments of conflict and repression. There have even been reports of the complicity of private companies, both national and foreign, with organized crime and local authorities.”
Fernanda Hopenhaym, Chair of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, highlighted the communications sent to the Ternium company, to Mexico, to Luxembourg, and Argentina and the importance that companies “refrain from harming human rights, comply with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, indicating that this case is a clear reminder of the urgent need for accountability and corporate respect for human rights, including the States that could have an influence on the resolution of this case”.
An Absent Company
Unfortunately, despite witnessing the pain of the families facing the ongoing forced absence, the concept of heightened due diligence regarding the disappearance of human rights defenders does not exist in Mexico. The company has not met with the families and their representatives, who demand that it work with them in the search and humanitarian recovery efforts. Instead, it responded with a statement on Facebook, expressing “solidarity with the families” and indicating that it aligned with “the statement issued yesterday by the President of the Communal Property Commission.”
The President, who now holds the position that Antonio Díaz Valencia was aspiring to and who, according to public information, has been an employee of the mine for years, signed a statement that reflects the dominance of economic interests—those of the State, the Company, and the Communal Property Commission President—over the dignity of the defenders and their fight for Indigenous rights. The families did not participate in the commemorative event organized by the Community President. They have requested direct meetings with the company in Luxembourg, and their voices can be found in their own commemorative events, opinion columns, comics, art, and ceremonies, all of which can be seen on their Facebook page. Their positions on the case are represented in official statements issued by their lawyers: Gonzalo Cartas Bonilla, Magdaleno Quintana, Alejandra Gonza, and Thomas Antkowiak.
Solidarity and the Path Forward
Despite the challenges, we also find hope in the solidarity of civil society and academia, which continue to demand truth and justice. Organizations such as the International Corporate Accountability Roundtable and the Fair Steel Coalition have sent letters to President Sheinbaum, former President Trump, and the company Ternium, expressing their concerns about the lack of corporate due diligence in addressing the disappearance of the defenders. Michael Chamberlain of Consultora Solidaria, along with collectives of families of disappeared persons, participated in the First World Congress on Disappearances, bringing the demand for justice for Ricardo and Antonio to an international stage. They urged Mexico to prioritize public policies against disappearances in its government agenda. Additionally, the Master’s Program in Human Rights Defense (MDDH) at the National Autonomous University of Chiapas (UNACH) renamed its postgraduate classroom as the "Ricardo Arturo Lagunes Gasca" Classroom and received a donation of Ricardo’s personal book collection from his family. These books will enrich the library of the Center for Citizenship Construction and Security Studies (CECOCISE), ensuring that his legacy continues to inspire future generations. A memorial mass was also held in Morelia, organized by the Díaz Valencia family.
Alejandra Gonza, Director of Global Rights Advocacy, emphasizes the urgent need to find Ricardo and Antonio and provide a serious response to their families. “When we face extraordinary circumstances—humanitarian crises, forensic crises, and a response of impunity and corruption to violence against defenders—we must act differently.”
Together with Thomas Antkowiak, Director of the International Human Rights Clinic at Seattle University, she advocates for a multilateral diplomatic approach. This requires other governments to demand human rights accountability, monitor the corporate behavior of their companies abroad, and contribute their expertise in search efforts.
The families have proposed and established an Independent Humanitarian Search Mechanism to find Ricardo and Antonio. They have called on the UN, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the Red Cross, and various states to collaborate in this effort. It is time for action. Mexico must join these efforts. A serious search for Ricardo and Antonio will also lead to the identification of other missing persons and reunite them with their families.
How You Can Help
We thank everyone for their expressions of solidarity and ask for continued support in the following demands:
Ensure that President Sheinbaum prioritizes the agenda on disappearances and meets with the searching families, including the families of Ricardo and Antonio.
Establish a humanitarian mechanism that guarantees collaboration among all actors, including the mining company Ternium, to uncover the truth, locate the defenders, and return them to their families immediately.
Appoint a Special Prosecutor for the Disappearance of Defenders and form a humanitarian search team for this case, with the necessary resources and expertise to conduct an independent, thorough, and impartial investigation into the disappearances of Ricardo Lagunes Gasca and Antonio Díaz Valencia.
Collaborate with independent experts working with the families within the Independent Mechanism for the Humanitarian Recovery of Antonio and Ricardo (MIRHAR).
Work with other countries and institutions that can provide the most advanced technical assistance for search operations.
Demand that Ternium uphold corporate due diligence in cases of serious human rights violations by leveraging its influence to aid in the search, engage in constructive dialogue with the families and their representatives, and implement a zero-tolerance policy for violence against defenders.
The road ahead is challenging, and we need your solidarity.
Ways to Support
Donate to the fund for legal and expert witness assistance
Sign the petition #JusticiaParaRicardoYAntonio #HastaEncontrarlos #JusticeForRicardoAndAntonio #UntilWeFindThem
For more information, visit: Global Rights Advocacy website
Ricardo and Antonio! We want them alive!
#AcciónGlobalPorRicardoYAntonio #MesDeAcciónGlobal #2AñosSinRicardoYAntonio #TodosPorRicardoYAntonio
Contact:
Alejandra Gonza, Global Rights Advocacy – agonza@globalrightsadvocacy.org
Thomas Antkowiak, Seattle University International Human Rights Clinic – antkowiak@seattleu.edu
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