Urgent Action: Peace activist's family in danger after killing

Peace and justice campaigner Nepomuceno Moreno Núñez was killed on November 28 in the city of Hermosillo in northwestern Mexico.

He appears to have been killed after seeking justice for his son, who was subjected to possible enforced disappearance. The family of Nepomuceno Moreno Núñez are in danger.

Nepomuceno Moreno Núñez, a leading member of the Mexican peace campaign, the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity (Movimiento por la Paz con Justicia y Dignidad) was shot several times while walking down a central street in Hermosillo, in Sonora state. In October, armed men had visited his home, telling him that he would be killed if he continued to demand justice for his son, Jorge Mario Moreno León, who was abducted in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora state, in July 2010. Local police are believed to have been involved in the abduction.

Nepomuceno Moreno Núñez had joined the Movement to campaign on the case of his son, and other alleged victims of abuses by criminal gangs and security forces in Mexico. He had met with senior government officials, including Mexico's president, Felipe Calderon. In addition to demanding justice for the victims of such abuses, he had called on them to investigate his son's abduction, and to provide protection for his family. No protection has been provided.

Nepomuceno Moreno Núñez had spent four years in prison awaiting trial on criminal charges, before being acquitted in 2009. However, senior state officials have claimed that Nepomuceno Moreno Núñez’s killing was connected to his supposed criminal links. Amnesty International is concerned that the Sonora state authorities are unwilling or unable to carry out a full and impartial investigation into Nepomuceno Moreno Núñez’s killing or effectively guarantee the protection of his family.

Please write immediately in English or Spanish:

• Urging the federal authorities to guarantee and protect Nepomuceno Moreno Núñez’s family in accordance with their wishes;
• Calling for a full, prompt and impartial investigation into the killing of Nepomuceno Moreno Núñez, and into the abduction of his son, Jorge Mariano Moreno León, in July 2010 and for those responsible to be brought to justice;
• Reminding the authorities of their obligation to ensure that human rights defenders can carry out their legitimate work without fear of reprisal, as established in the 1998 UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

Please send appeals to:

President of Mexico
Lic. Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa
Fax: +52 55 5093 5321
Email: felipe.calderon@presidencia.gob.mx
Salutation: Dear President Calderon

Attorney General of the Republic
Marisela Morales Ibáñez
Fax: +52 55 5346 0908 (keep trying and ask for "fax")
Email: mmoralesi@pgr.gob.mx
Salutation: Dear Attorney General

Secretary of Public Safety
Ing. Genaro García Luna
Secretaria de Seguridad Pública
Fax: +52 55 1103 6189 (keep trying)
Email: genaro.garcia@ssp.gob.mx
Salutation: Dear Secretary

Please copy to: Mexican human rights organization: Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social, A.C Email: cencos@cencos.org and Global Exchange: mexico@globalexchange.org.

Thanks to Amnesty International