Murder attempt on human rights activist, says report

Armed men opened fire on the house of Alberto Capella Ibarra, a freedom of information advocate who lives in Baja California, Mexico, at 230am on Tuesday morning.

According to Article 19, around 20 gunmen opened fire on the house of the chairman of the Citizen Council on Public Security (Consejo Ciudadano de Seguridad Pública) in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The police took half-an-hour to respond, according to the report, despite the fact that Capella Ibarra’s house is located very close to the local police station.

“Some [20] gunmen fired machine-guns at Mr. Capella’s home, while others, with clubs, tried to knock down the gates and doors,’ according to the report by Article 19.

Capella Ibarra was alone at his house at the time, having moved his family to live elsewhere after receiving several threats urging him to stop his investigations into police corruption and organized crime in Baja California.

The Consejo Ciudadano de Seguridad Pública is a civil public body in charge of monitoring the state and local public security policy. Although he filed an official complaint with the federal authorities, Article 19 said that he made it clear that he trusts neither the state nor the local authorities.

A statement from the organization declared solidarity with Capella Ibarra and said: “The attack …is the latest demonstration that human rights defenders are not safe to work in Mexico. This latest attack was horrendous, terrifying and well organized. Those defending the right to know and the right to speak are facing great risks in Mexico, in the midst of seeming indifference on the part of the authorities.”