MEXICOOTHER COUNTRIES AND REGIONS MONITOREDKEY FINDINGS
During the past year, reports continued that Mexican authorities in several states pressured followersof minority religions to convert to and/or practice themajority religion of the particular area and participate inaffiliated ceremonies and activities. Religious minorities
who refused were forcibly displaced, arbitrarily detained,
had their properties destroyed, and/or had their utilities
cut off. Mexican state and federal authorities frequently
failed to intervene in these cases, creating a climate ofimpunity. Mexico’s constitutional and legal system protects freedom of religion or belief, but a constitutional
guarantee of autonomy, including in religious beliefs, toindigenous communities is interpreted to favor an area’s

BACKGROUND
Mexico’s population of 122 million is approximately
83 percent Roman Catholic. Religious minority populations include Evangelical Protestants, 5 percent;Pentecostals, 2 percent; Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1 percent; and other religious communities, 9 percent.
Mexico’s indigenous population of 12 million is concentrated in the southern and south-central regionsof the country.
The State Department, religious freedom activists,and human rights organizations report that impunity
for religious freedom and other human rights abuses isa serious problem throughout the country and that theMexican justice system reports low rates of prosecution.

Constitutional Provisions and Legal Protections
The Mexican constitution and legal system guarantee
freedom of religion or belief to all citizens. Article 24of the constitution states, “Everyone is free to embrace
the religion of his choice and practice all ceremonies,
devotions, or observances of his respective faith, either
in places of public worship or at home, provided they
do not constitute an offense punishable by law.” In2011, the Mexican government amended the constitution to elevate international human rights treaties tothe same level as the constitution. The Law on Religious Associations and Public Worship protects therights to hold or to adopt the religious beliefs of one’s
choosing and to practice the acts of worship or rites
according to one’s preference, individually or collectively; prohibits discrimination, coercion, or hostilityRECOMMENDATIONS TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENTThe U.S. government should continue to raise concerns
about the status of freedom of religion or belief withMexican federal and state officials. The State Department
should support Mexican religious freedom and humanrights organizations to document religious freedom violations, as well as train Mexican authorities on internationaland Mexican standards for freedom of religion or belief

religious majority. These religious freedom violations
occur in the context of Mexico’s long history of challenges in balancing religion and state.

because of one’s religious beliefs; and bans mandatory professions of religious beliefs, participation inreligious activities, or support for religious communities. In 2016, Mexico’s Congress of the Union amended
Federal Penal Code article 149 to criminalize religious
discrimination, including the denial of communal
services, displacement, or the deprivation of property
based on religious identity, punishable by imprisonment for one to three years.

[G]overnment officials in some states
use article 2 of the Mexican constitution,
the Law on Uses and Customs,to infringe on the rights of religious
minorities in different municipalities.

However, government officials in some states use
article 2 of the Mexican constitution, the Law on Uses
and Customs, to infringe on the rights of religious
minorities in different municipalities. The Law on Uses
and Customs affirms that Mexico is a “pluri-ethnic”
nation and affords a number of rights to its indigenous
peoples, including the rights to implement their own
social, economic, political, and cultural organizationand to maintain and enrich their language and culture,in accordance with Mexican constitutional law andhuman rights protections. In interpreting and implementing this law, several local state authorities identify

U.S. COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM | ANNUAL REPORT 2017
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it reviews related to the application of the Law on Usesand Customs. It also reports there are currently 35,000
persons displaced because of these violations.
Local government religious affairs offices and ruleof law institutions fail to hold accountable government
officials or members of society who engaged in acts ofviolence, displacement, harassment, or discrimination
Attacks on Religious Minorities
against religious minorities. In the few cases of governThe official application of the Law on Uses and Customs
ment intervention and mediation, officials fail to follow
results in religious freedom violations directed against
up to ensure settlements are implemented.
religious minorities in different municipalities of ChiIn the first half of 2016, there were several reports
apas, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Oaxaca, and Pueblaof religious freedom violations, primarily in Chiapas.
states, where many predominantly indigenous comOn January 4, 2016, authorities destroyed properties
munities reside. In most cases, municipalities interpretof and forcibly expelled nine families belonging to theRoman Catholicism as the majority indigenous culture
Renovation in Christ church in Chiapas. On January
to be protected, and local
29, authorities forcibly
authorities—including
expelled under threat ofsome Catholic leaders—lynching 20 Baptist famiLocal government religious affairs offices
have persecuted thoselies in Jalisco. In February,
and rule of law institutions
who refuse to convert,
a Protestant church in
fail to hold accountable government
pay taxes for Catholic
Chiapas was torched. On
officials or members of society who
events and operations,
April 24, officials cut off
engaged in acts of violence,or participate in Caththe water of five evangeldisplacement, harassment, orolic religious activities.
ical families in Chiapas.
discrimination against religious minorities.
There also are cases inIn May, state officials
which predominantlyforcefully expelled 86
Protestant municipalities
Protestant families andhave engaged in religious freedom violations against
cut off the water and electricity of 15 other ProtestantCatholics and/or other Protestants. In these areas,families in Chiapas. In June, a Protestant family in
religious minorities who do not wish to participate in or
Chiapas who refused to contribute financially to Cathcontribute financially to religious festivals, or who wish
olic festivals was imprisoned and fined, and a son was
to practice a different faith or no faith, have experienced
beaten before they fled.
violence, forced displacement, arbitrary detention,
Criminal Gang Targeting of Catholic Priests
and destruction of personal property and houses ofOrganized criminal gangs, such as Los Zetas andworship. Other retaliatory actions include cutting off
Knights Templar, continue to target Catholic priests andwater and electricity, prohibiting burials in community
other religious leaders with death threats, extortion, andcemeteries, denying children access to schools, barring
intimidation; in some cases, these targets ultimately
participation in political and civic community activity,
are killed. For instance, in one week in September 2016,
and denying employment.
three priests were found dead: Fathers Alejo Nabor
Religious freedom advocacy organizations reportthat countrywide, Mexican state governments have not Jimenez Juarez, Jose Alfredo Suarez de la Cruz, andJose Alfredo Lopez Guillen. Religious leaders are tarresolved approximately 150 cases of religious freedom
geted because they speak out against the gangs and/orviolations; case sizes range from one person to morebecause they refuse to include gang spiritual mythology
than 100 people. According to its 2016 report, theMexican National Human Rights Commission is seeing in their sermons.
an increase in the number of religious freedom cases

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the indigenous community as the majority religious
community in that area, and work to enforce that community’s ceremonies and activities. As a result, the Lawof Uses and Customs’ application in several states has
led to local conflicts, primarily between Roman Catholicleaders and followers of other religions (see below).