Torture is out of control in Mexico

Kidnapped and tortured. Claudia Medina is one of thousands.

Dear Tracy, One morning, right before dawn, Claudia Medina was kidnapped from her home. A group of Mexican marines - some in uniform - broke into her home and forced her into their truck. After arriving at a local military base, Claudia was tortured with electric shocks, sexually assaulted, beaten, kicked and left tied to a chair in the scorching afternoon sun. Perhaps the most terrifying part about this story is that Claudia is one of countless others who are tortured in Mexico - with impunity. Torture complaints are rarely investigated, and perpetrators are not brought to justice. More than 7,000 people have reported being tortured or otherwise ill-treated in recent years, and there have only been seven torture convictions at the federal level since 1991. Take action on behalf of Claudia and thousands of other torture survivors. Earlier this month, I visited Mexico in support of the launch of Amnesty International's Americas Regional Office in Mexico City. While there, I spoke with activists fighting for justice for torture survivors. They reiterated the point that we must stop torture in Mexico and in countries across the world. More than 30 years after adopting a landmark treaty against torture, governments around the world continue to violate it in practice. Torture is a crisis throughout the world. Tell Mexican authorities: Torture is a crime. The landmark decision in Chicago this month - in which reparations were finally granted for survivors of police torture - sent a message throughout the U.S. that torture comes with repercussions. It's up to us, as activists, to assert this point throughout the world. Torture cannot and will not be tolerated. Not in the United States of America. Not in Mexico. Not anywhere. Let's #StopTorture now. In solidarity, Steven W. Hawkins Executive Director Amnesty International USA