translated from Spanish: Budget cut to investigate torture and attacks on journalists in 2022

Despite the growing violence against journalists in Mexico, the increase in the criminal incidence of organized crime cases, and the accumulation of complaints of torture without response, the Draft Budget of Expenditures for the year 2022 foresees cuts in the federal prosecutor’s offices specialized in investigating all these illicit acts.
The official document sent to the Chamber of Deputies proposes for the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) – to which the aforementioned prosecutors’ offices are attached – a total budget for next year of 17 thousand 966 million 54 thousand 777 pesos that, taking into account the factor of inflation, is similar to the one that the prosecutor’s office exercises this year.
However, when reviewing how these resources would be distributed within the prosecutor’s office, setbacks and stagnation are noticed in several areas.

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For example, the Special Prosecutor’s Office for the Attention of Crimes against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE) would have – if approved by Congress – a budget of 14 million 813 thousand 521 pesos, one of the lowest of all the special prosecutor’s offices that the FGR has. And compared to the resources it exercises this year, it is a cut of almost 5 percent of its budget.
It should be noted that this prosecutor’s office is responsible for investigating the killings, disappearances and attacks against activists and journalists that may be related to the exercise of their profession or activism. In addition to the cases that report directly to you, FEADLE can attract any case of this nature that arises in the country.

According to data from the organization Article 19, in the first half of 2021 alone, there were 362 attacks against journalists or media outlets, including three murders and one case of disappearance.
On the other hand, for the Special Prosecutor’s Office in investigation of the crime of Torture of the FGR, 18 million 901 thousand 858 pesos are projected, which is a reduction of four percent in the budget of this prosecutor’s office compared to what it was authorized to exercise this year.
This prosecutor’s office currently faces a significant lag in work and low levels of effectiveness. Political Animal revealed last December, based on official data, that of more than 1,200 complaints under investigation for torture, only three of them had been clarified. This in the first 18 months of the current federal administration.
Meanwhile, the FGR foresees for the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office in Matters of Organized Crime (formerly known as SEIDO) a budget for 2022 that would amount to 520 million 163 thousand 613 pesos. This is 60 million pesos below what was allocated this year and, in real terms, a cut of more than ten percent in the budget of this key prosecutor’s office.
The proposed decrease in the area responsible for investigating organized crime cases contrasts with the increase in the incidence of this crime considered as serious. The Third Report of President López Obrador’s government delivered to Congress last week recognized a 7.5% increase in the files initiated for this crime in the last year.
The investigation of other illicit acts that register an increase such as drug trafficking cases, which in the last year had an evolution of 6.5 percent, also depends on the formerSEIDO.
Contrast in anti-corruption
On the other hand, there are some special prosecutors’ offices whose budget for next year would be similar to the one they currently have. An example is that of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office in Human Rights for which 244 million 949 thousand 357 pesos have been projected, just 4.5% above the one assigned for 2021.
On the other hand, where there is a significant increase is in the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office in The Fight against Corruption (FECC) for which a total budget of 174 million 792 thousand 336 pesos has been proposed, which is equivalent to an increase of almost 37 percent compared to the resources allocated for this year.
According to federal authorities, the increase in the budget in the FECC is due to the need to strengthen the investigative capacities of the Prosecutor’s Office with more agents of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and operational personnel.
The FECC is currently conducting open investigations into high-impact cases that have not yet been resolved. Among others, the folders initiated by the complaints of the Audit and private lawyers about irregular facts and corruption around the projects assigned to the construction companies Odebrecht, Altos Hornos and Fertinal last year stand out.
Tamin this prosecutor’s office, the investigations of several diversions of federal resources operated by public entities and universities under the scheme known as “La Estafa Maestra” are under development; various irregularities surrounding the handling of federal funds; the operation of a money laundering network linked to an official close to former Finance Secretary Luis Videgaray, among others.
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Police and experts… Stuck
For the technical and scientific investigation of crimes, the prosecutors of the FGR rely on two fundamental pillars: the ministerial police and the expert services. The budget sent to Congress foresees, in both cases, resources very similar to those that were approved for 2021.
In the specific case of the Federal Ministerial Police, the project proposes resources for three thousand 99 million 221 thousand 253 pesos for 2022, which are 171 million pesos above what was approved this year. Taking into account the inflation factor, this is only a rise of 2.3 percent.
For the experts of the FGR, a budget of 1 thousand 188 million 605 thousand 510 pesos is foreseen in 2022, which is only four million above what was approved for 2021. And if inflation is taken into account, there is actually a decrease in the General Directorate of Expert Services close to five percent.
Another key area in the investigations of highly complex crimes is the National Center for Planning, Analysis and Information for the Fight against Crime (Cenapi), which is responsible for generating information and intelligence inputs for the different units and prosecutor’s offices of the FGR.
For CENAPI, the draft budget foresees resources of 276 million 452 thousand 671 pesos, very similar to the 267 million guaranteed for 2021, and that taking into account inflation is even a slight reduction.
As for the total number of jobs for all the research and administration bodies within the FGR, a total of 25,872 spaces and payroll are expected for 2022, which are almost 800 more than there are currently. But this will depend on the approval of the requested resources.
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Original source in Spanish

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