Condemns López Obrador's accusations against civil organizations

The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, during a morning press conference.Presidency of Mexico HANDOUT / EFE

The recipe was the usual one. First, talk about real cases or investigations on corruption to generate a climate of mistrust. Second, mention organizations and people who have nothing to do with corruption or who are precisely dedicated to fighting it. And third, to point them out publicly for exercising constitutional rights and inconveniencing power. Andrés Manuel López Obrador applied that formula again on Wednesday when trying to intimidate the members of the advisory council of Mexicans against Corruption and Impunity. He showed the photos of the external advisers of the NGO chaired by Amparo Casar to disqualify some of them without arguments. Twelve members of that committee on Friday condemned the president's umpteenth attack.

"We are concerned about the intention and the detrimental effects of this public statement made by López Obrador," lament the signatories of the document, among whom are the former Minister of the Court José Ramón Cossío, the writer and journalist Héctor Aguilar Camín, the political scientist Edna Jaime or the economist Enrique Cárdenas.

The president also showed a photograph from years ago, "so that some of the aforementioned are no longer part of that council."

In any case, the most serious thing is the head of state's attempt to pressure citizens who exercise a constitutional right.

"Being part of civil associations to promote causes of social interest is a right and in many ways a civic duty," says the letter.

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Article 9 of the Constitution establishes that "the right to associate or assemble peacefully for any lawful purpose may not be curtailed."

The organization's collaborators recall that “democracies are constituted in strong social fabrics with which citizens organize and participate.

So the president's expressions contradict his declared democratic vocation ”.

Cossío, who on other occasions suffered public harassment from López Obrador, expresses his concern for three reasons. In the first place, "let it be a civil society association that is attacked." An organization that, recalls, also made complaints that affected the Administrations of Enrique Peña Nieto and Felipe Calderón. Furthermore, the differences in positions between the President of the Republic and citizens who are exercising a right of association should not pose any problem. "Thirdly, the country has an enormous amount of problems for the president to dedicate so much time to a group," continues the lawyer, who emphasizes that the advisory council meetings are far from the image that the president is trying to convey. ."When we meet we are not conspiring or planning anything against López Obrador."

The members of the advisory committee of Mexicans against Corruption also participate in a “voluntary, free, consultative, nonpartisan and temporary” manner. “It is the result of our conviction that fighting corruption is a task that must involve the whole of society. The president's statements in a context in which he denotes -as head of state- specific people constitutes an intimidating act that threatens the exercise of our fundamental freedoms and rights, as well as of the citizens of this country ”, condemn the signers.

López Obrador has spent months targeting the organization and its founder, Claudio X. González, for alleged donations from the United States Government through the international cooperation agency USAID for its acronym in English).

The president even called the businessman a “coup plotter” for promoting a platform that brought together opposition forces.

In reality, the Chief Executive has never hidden his annoyance with this and other recognized civil organizations - such as Article 19, dedicated to defending press freedom - for overseeing the Government.

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