Good news for International Women's Day!

The Individuals at Risk team have been working for a few years now on the case of Inés Fernández Ortega and Valentina Rosendo Cantú - two indigenous women who were raped by Mexican soldiers in separate attacks in 2002.

You can read more about the case on line onour website.

We have some great newsd to share with you - especially on International Women's Day!

The Mexican government has now formally taken responsibility for the rape and abuse of both Valentina Rosendo Cantú and Inés Fernández Ortega - two indigenous women who were raped by Mexican soldiers in separate attacks in 2002.

On 6 March 2012, a formal Public Act of Acknowledgement took place for Inés; this follows a separate  Public Act of Acknowledgement for Valentina which happened on 15 December 2011. These acts were one of the steps demanded by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the sentence issued against the Mexican State in 2010.

This really is very important and positive news! And testament to the sustained courage and determination of both women to pursue justice against the odds, as well as to all those who have supported them in this campaign.

But of course, there's always more to be done... Full compliance with the sentence of the Inter-American Court also requires the government to guarantee that those responsible for the violations against the two women are brought to justice, that adequate reparations are offered, and that necessary measures are taken to guarantee that these violations are not repeated. Amnesty will continue to press for full compliance - our web action will be updated shortly to reflect this.

In the meantime, just wanted to share this great news on a very appropriate day to do so! For those of you who understand Spanish, you can read more on this story in Amnesty's public statement here.

If you would like any further information on this case, or on other IAR long term cases, please do get in touch.