Claudia Sheinbaum, who in October 2024 became the first woman to hold the presidency of Mexico, inherited serious human rights problems, including extreme criminal violence and grave abuses committed by the military.
Her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, presided over a period of democratic backsliding that undermined judicial independence, transparency, and the rule of law. At the same time, 13 million people were lifted out of poverty during his administration.
With the support of both Sheinbaum and López Obrador, Congress passed a judicial reform in September 2024 that could seriously undermine judicial independence. The amendment requires all judges in the country to stand for election, the first of which was held on June 1.
Violence, which increased dramatically after the government declared a “war on drugs” in the mid-2000s, continued at extremely high levels. The official homicide rate in 2024 was over 25 per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the highest in the world.
Official figures released in August indicated that more than 1,800 people had been killed in Sinaloa since a drug kingpin was extradited to the United States and arrested in July 2024, triggering clashes between factions of the Sinaloa cartel.
In May, two advisors to the mayor of Mexico City were murdered. At the time of writing, authorities had arrested two people allegedly involved in the crime, but had not yet identified the person who ordered the killings or the motives behind them.
In September, Paraguayan police arrested the former security secretary of the state of Tabasco and deported him to Mexico on charges of collusion with drug cartels.
In November, the mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán, was assassinated. He had openly denounced criminal groups in the area and pointed out their ties to state politicians.
Authorities estimate that around 70% of the firearms recovered at crime scenes in Mexico came from illegal trafficking from the United States. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by Mexico against some American gun manufacturers.
Prosecutors solve approximately one in ten intentional homicides they investigate, in many cases with evidence that has been altered, falsified, or obtained through threats or torture. Prosecutor’s offices often lack qualified investigators, equipment, basic resources, and adequate protection to carry out their work.
In September 2024, Congress passed a constitutional amendment requiring all state and federal judges, including Supreme Court and Electoral Tribunal justices, to resign and be replaced through popular elections in 2025 and 2027. The amendment also created a new “Judicial Disciplinary Tribunal” with broad powers to sanction or remove judges. The constitutional reform threatens judicial independence in the country and fails to address the main obstacles Mexicans face in accessing justice.
In June, Mexico held popular elections to appoint half of its judiciary, including 881 federal judges and Supreme Court justices. The elections were characterized by low voter turnout and serious concerns about the integrity of the process.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers expressed concern during the process and, after the elections, stated that “the shortcomings observed in this first election jeopardize institutional integrity and public trust in the justice system.”
In November 2024, Congress re-elected Rosario Piedra Ibarra as head of the National Human Rights Commission, a supposedly independent body tasked with protecting human rights. During her first term (2019–2024), she failed to conduct a robust review of the López Obrador administration.
Police officers, prosecutors, and soldiers continued to resort to torture. In June, the Federal Institute of Public Defense, part of the federal judiciary, had documented 3,177 incidents reported as acts of torture, affecting 4,100 victims between 2019 and 2025.
The World Organisation Against Torture, a human rights organization, stated in June that torture remained a “widespread practice” in Mexico.
Source: hrw
