Lydia Cacho
Encyclopedia
Lydia Cacho Ribeiro is a Mexican
journalist and feminist and human rights
activist
. She is a member of the Red Internacional de Periodistas con Visión de Género.
and then married a military mechanical engineer. Cacho herself met a foreigner and then settled in Cancún
, Quintana Roo
, in 1985. She began working for the cultural section of the newspaper Novedades de Cancún and a decade later wrote articles about the prostitution of Cuba
n and Argentine
girls in the city. In 2003, Cacho wrote articles on the sexual abuse of minors for the newspaper Por Esto including a note on a girl abused by a local hotel owner. ("A bote pronto: Lydia Cacho, periodista", Life & Style, November 2006, #27).
of being involved in a ring of child pornography
and prostitution
, based on official statements from his alleged victims and even a video of him (filmed with hidden camera
). The book mentions important politicians as Emilio Gamboa Patrón and Miguel Ángel Yunes
as involved, and mentioned Kamel Nacif Borge
, a Puebla businessman, of protecting Succar Kuri.
Nacif Borge sued
Cacho for defamation in Puebla
, and a group of policemen of the state illegally arrested her in Quintana Roo and extradited
her from one state to another. She said she didn't know the reason for her arrest since she hadn't received a subpoena
before. She paid a fine and was freed.
On February 14, 2006, several telephone
conversations between Nacif Borge and Mario Marín
, governor of the state of Puebla
, were revealed by the Mexico City daily La Jornada
, creating a media frenzy. In these conversations, before Cacho's arrest, Marín and Nacif Borge discussed putting Cacho in jail as a favour, and having her beaten and abused while in jail to silence her.
On 29 November 2007, the Supreme Court ruled 6 to 4 that Marín had no case to answer in Cacho's arrest, jailing and harassment, after which the United Nations Human Rights Council
advised her to leave the country and offered her political asylum, legal assistance, and access to international courts.
While being held, Cacho was granted the Premio Francisco Ojeda al Valor Periodístico (Francisco Ojeda Award for Journalistic Courage).
By May 2006, Cacho had taken the cause of the unsolved murders in Ciudad Juárez
as a call to action against impunity
of abuse of women in Mexico.
What is an ongoing horror abroad, the chronic discovery of murdered women whose corpses are discovered in repeated patterns of abuse
, rape
, mutilation
and are discarded as offal
in pathetic scenes in the desert and urban surroundings of Ciudad Juárez
. Young women from factories are said to be helpless in their need for public transportation. This is a common pattern for these women's deaths.
Ginetta Sagan Award for Women and Children's Rights and the IWMF (International Women's Media Foundation) Courage in Journalism Award.
In 2008 she received the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize
.
In 2009, Cacho was awarded the Wallenberg Medal from the University of Michigan
for her courageous work as a journalist who fights to bring to public attention the corruption that shields criminals who exploit women and children.
In 2010, Cacho was recipient of PEN
's International Writer of Courage Prize, which goes to writers persecuted for their beliefs.
On September 15 2011 Lydia Cacho recive The International Hrant Dink
Award, presented to people who work for a world free of discrimination, racism and violence, take personal risks for their ideals, use the language of peace and by doing so, inspire and encourage others. The award also helps in giving recognition to such people by making their work visible and making them realize that they are not along in their struggle.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
journalist and feminist and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
activist
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
. She is a member of the Red Internacional de Periodistas con Visión de Género.
Biography
Lydia Cacho Ribeiro was born to a mother of Portuguese and French origin who moved from France to Mexico during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and then married a military mechanical engineer. Cacho herself met a foreigner and then settled in Cancún
Cancún
Cancún is a city of international tourism development certified by the UNWTO . Located on the northeast coast of Quintana Roo in southern Mexico, more than 1,700 km from Mexico City, the Project began operations in 1974 as Integrally Planned Center, a pioneer of FONATUR Cancún is a city of...
, Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
, in 1985. She began working for the cultural section of the newspaper Novedades de Cancún and a decade later wrote articles about the prostitution of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n and Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
girls in the city. In 2003, Cacho wrote articles on the sexual abuse of minors for the newspaper Por Esto including a note on a girl abused by a local hotel owner. ("A bote pronto: Lydia Cacho, periodista", Life & Style, November 2006, #27).
Los Demonios del Edén
Cacho then wrote the book Los Demonios del Edén (Demons of Eden) in which she accuses Jean Succar KuriJean Succar Kuri
Jean Thouma Hannah Succar Kuri is a Lebanese-born Mexican businessman convicted of pederasty in Cancún, Quintana Roo...
of being involved in a ring of child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
and prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, based on official statements from his alleged victims and even a video of him (filmed with hidden camera
Hidden camera
A hidden camera is a still or video camera used to film people without their knowledge. The camera is "hidden" because it is either not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another object...
). The book mentions important politicians as Emilio Gamboa Patrón and Miguel Ángel Yunes
Miguel Ángel Yunes
Miguel Ángel Yunes Linares is a Mexican politician. Holds a degree in law at the Universidad Veracruzana as well as a diploma in Political Analysis at the Universidad Iberoamericana....
as involved, and mentioned Kamel Nacif Borge
Kamel Nacif Borge
Kamel Nacif Borge is a Puebla based Mexican businessman, born at Mexico City, of Lebanese descent, known in Mexico as "El Rey de la Mezclilla" . He is one of the richest men in Mexico and one of the biggest and most famous gamblers in the world...
, a Puebla businessman, of protecting Succar Kuri.
Nacif Borge sued
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
Cacho for defamation in Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
, and a group of policemen of the state illegally arrested her in Quintana Roo and extradited
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
her from one state to another. She said she didn't know the reason for her arrest since she hadn't received a subpoena
Subpoena
A subpoena is a writ by a government agency, most often a court, that has authority to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of subpoena:...
before. She paid a fine and was freed.
On February 14, 2006, several telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
conversations between Nacif Borge and Mario Marín
Mario Plutarco Marín Torres
Mario Plutarco Marín Torres is a Mexican politician affiliated to the Institutional Revolutionary Party who served as governor of the state of Puebla.-Personal life and education:...
, governor of the state of Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
, were revealed by the Mexico City daily La Jornada
La Jornada
La Jornada is one of Mexico City's leading daily newspapers. It was established in 1984 by Carlos Payán Velver. The current editor is Carmen Lira Saade...
, creating a media frenzy. In these conversations, before Cacho's arrest, Marín and Nacif Borge discussed putting Cacho in jail as a favour, and having her beaten and abused while in jail to silence her.
On 29 November 2007, the Supreme Court ruled 6 to 4 that Marín had no case to answer in Cacho's arrest, jailing and harassment, after which the United Nations Human Rights Council
United Nations Human Rights Council
The United Nations Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations System. The UNHRC is the successor to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights , and is a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly...
advised her to leave the country and offered her political asylum, legal assistance, and access to international courts.
While being held, Cacho was granted the Premio Francisco Ojeda al Valor Periodístico (Francisco Ojeda Award for Journalistic Courage).
By May 2006, Cacho had taken the cause of the unsolved murders in Ciudad Juárez
Female homicides in Ciudad Juárez
The phenomenon of the female homicides in Ciudad Juárez, called in Spanish the feminicidios and las muertas de Juárez , involves the violent deaths of hundreds of women since 1993 in the northern Mexican city of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, a border city across the Rio Grande from the U.S. city of El...
as a call to action against impunity
Impunity
Impunity means "exemption from punishment or loss or escape from fines". In the international law of human rights, it refers to the failure to bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice and, as such, itself constitutes a denial of the victims' right to justice and redress...
of abuse of women in Mexico.
What is an ongoing horror abroad, the chronic discovery of murdered women whose corpses are discovered in repeated patterns of abuse
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
, rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, mutilation
Mutilation
Mutilation or maiming is an act of physical injury that degrades the appearance or function of any living body, usually without causing death.- Usage :...
and are discarded as offal
Offal
Offal , also called, especially in the United States, variety meats or organ meats, refers to the internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, which varies by culture and region, but includes most internal organs other than...
in pathetic scenes in the desert and urban surroundings of Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
. Young women from factories are said to be helpless in their need for public transportation. This is a common pattern for these women's deaths.
Awards and honors
Lydia Cacho received the 2007 Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
Ginetta Sagan Award for Women and Children's Rights and the IWMF (International Women's Media Foundation) Courage in Journalism Award.
In 2008 she received the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize
UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize
The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, created in 1997, honours a person, organization or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, especially when this has been achieved in the face of danger.The...
.
In 2009, Cacho was awarded the Wallenberg Medal from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
for her courageous work as a journalist who fights to bring to public attention the corruption that shields criminals who exploit women and children.
In 2010, Cacho was recipient of PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
's International Writer of Courage Prize, which goes to writers persecuted for their beliefs.
On September 15 2011 Lydia Cacho recive The International Hrant Dink
Hrant Dink
Hrant Dink or Հրանտ Դինք ) was a Turkish citizen of Armenian descent editor, journalist and columnist....
Award, presented to people who work for a world free of discrimination, racism and violence, take personal risks for their ideals, use the language of peace and by doing so, inspire and encourage others. The award also helps in giving recognition to such people by making their work visible and making them realize that they are not along in their struggle.
See also
- Human rights in MexicoHuman rights in MexicoHuman Rights in Mexico have been an issue for years. The problems include torture, police repression, sexual murder, and, more recently, news reporter assassinations.- Sexual murder in Ciudad Juárez :...
- Jean Succar KuriJean Succar KuriJean Thouma Hannah Succar Kuri is a Lebanese-born Mexican businessman convicted of pederasty in Cancún, Quintana Roo...
- Kamel Nacif BorgeKamel Nacif BorgeKamel Nacif Borge is a Puebla based Mexican businessman, born at Mexico City, of Lebanese descent, known in Mexico as "El Rey de la Mezclilla" . He is one of the richest men in Mexico and one of the biggest and most famous gamblers in the world...
- Mario Plutarco Marín TorresMario Plutarco Marín TorresMario Plutarco Marín Torres is a Mexican politician affiliated to the Institutional Revolutionary Party who served as governor of the state of Puebla.-Personal life and education:...
Publications
- Los Demonios del Edén (2005) Paperback: 224 p. Grijalbo Mondadori, ISBN 968-5957-58-4. México.
External links
- Lydia Cacho's Blog
- "Mexico's Most Wanted Journalist," an interview with Lydia Cacho at MotherJones.com, May 1, 2007
- "Defamation Case Raises Issues of Fairness in Mexico" The New York Times February 20, 2006
- Suspected plot to silence Cacho revealed - IFEXInternational Freedom of Expression ExchangeThe International Freedom of Expression eXchange , founded in 1992, is a global network of around 90 non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression....
- Reporters Without Borders' English-language chronology of the case
- International PEN's report on Cacho Ribeiro's December 2005 arrest (English)
- An article on her being held by police in what may be an attempt to stop her from accusing important people in Mexico
- Article from La Jornada with transcriptions of some of Nacif's conversations with his associate Hanna Nakad Bayeh; includes Lydia Cacho's account of how she narrowly avoided a planned sexual assault while in custody
- Interview with Mother Jones, May 2007
- CityMayors story