The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that Mexico bears international responsibility for serious human rights violations in connection with the murder of Lilia Alejandra García Andrade, the daughter of human rights defender Norma Andrade, and for the State’s prolonged failure to ensure justice, protection, and effective remedies.
The Court found that Mexican authorities failed to prevent, investigate, and punish gender-based violence in a context of well-documented feminicide in Ciudad Juárez. Despite clear indicators of risk and a pattern of violence against women, the State did not act with due diligence before or after Lilia Alejandra’s disappearance and killing.
Crucially, the Court also held that Mexico failed to protect Norma Andrade herself, despite her status as a prominent human rights defender who faced threats, harassment, and attacks as a direct consequence of her search for justice. The authorities’ response to these risks was deemed inadequate and ineffective.
The judgment emphasized that the investigation into the crime was marked by serious deficiencies, including delays, loss of evidence, lack of a gender perspective, and institutional tolerance of impunity. These failures violated multiple rights under the American Convention on Human Rights, including the rights to life, personal integrity, judicial guarantees, and judicial protection, as well as obligations under the Belém do Pará Convention on preventing and eradicating violence against women.
As reparations, the Court ordered Mexico to:
- Continue and complete an effective investigation with a gender perspective
- Provide reparations to the victims and their family
- Publicly acknowledge responsibility
- Strengthen institutional measures to prevent and address feminicide and protect human rights defenders
The ruling is considered a landmark decision on feminicide and transnational standards of State responsibility, reinforcing that States must act proactively to prevent gender-based violence and protect those who seek justice.
