Mexico Activist for Disappeared Family Members Assassinated

By teleSUR

13 May 17

A group of armed men forcibly entered Miriam Elizabeth Rodriguez's residence on Wednesday night and shot her.

iriam Elizabeth Rodriguez, an activist who represented family members of thousands of disappeared people in Mexico, was assassinated by a group of armed men on Wednesday night. She was a member of the San Fernando Collective of Missing People.

According to a statement by the Community Citizens in Search of the Disappeared in Tamaulipas, a group of armed men entered Rodriguez's residence, located in the municipality of San Fernando, and shot her.

She died while being transported to a nearby hospital.

The assassination occurred just north of Tamaulipas on Mother's Day, a day when countless mothers and family members participate in mass demonstrations to honor and demand the Mexican government find their loved ones.

Guillermo Gutierrez, an activist in Tamaulipas, stated that Elizabeth Rodriguez had previously received threats but was never provided protection by Mexican authorities.

Hence, Gutierrez had requested assistance from the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to help protect human rights activists working in Tamaulipas.

Over the years, Rodriguez had participated in various demonstrations supporting the search for disappeared people. She also supported and provided counseling to family members who lost loved ones.

Last month, she participated in the Caravan Against Fear.

In 2012, Rodriguez's daughter, Karen Alejandra Salinas Rodríguez, was kidnapped. Her body was later discovered by her mother and other family members in a clandestine pit.

Tamaulipas is the Mexican state with the largest number of disappeared people: 5,558 as of January 31, 2017, according to the Executive Secretary of National Public Safety.