Ana Katiria Suárez Castro

MEXICO: Lawyer and human rights defender Ana Katiria Suárez Castro targeted by serious threats, online harassment and defamation campaigns

7 February, 2025

Ana Katiria Suárez Castro is a Mexican lawyer working in the human rights and gender justice fields. She has represented women victims of extreme violence and denounced impunity in cases of gender-based violence. Her work on behalf of Maha Schekaiban Tome, Claudia Artis, Almendra Moreno, Aida Abraham, Pia Felix Diaz and Marisol Cervantes has brought her face to face with powerful political and economic figures, resulting in severe persecution of her and her clients.

The Observatory has received reports of multiple attacks on Ana Katiria Suárez Castro in recent months. The documented attacks include direct threats against her life, systematic online harassment, constant surveillance, defamation in the media and exposure of private information. According to the lawyer, these attacks have been perpetrated by people with political and business influence.

The lawyer has been the victim of smear campaigns, wrongly accusing her of heading an alleged extortion ring. Personal details, photographs and details of the cases she is working on have been published in the media and on social networks, jeopardising her safety and that of her clients.

Ms Suárez has been subjected to threats and intimidation in public spaces, including harassment, surveillance of her home and verbal attacks. She has also received threats of legal reprisals through complaints fabricated against her, with the aim of criminalising her work in favour of human rights, particularly women’s rights.

Because of his work, several members of his family, including Arturo de Jesús Peimbert Calvo, María José Suárez Castro, Bárbara Castro Félix, Ramon de Jesús Suárez Mori and Mateo and Valentino Varcelata Suárez, have been threatened.

The Observatory is extremely concerned by these acts of intimidation, which jeopardise the free and independent exercise of the law and effective access to justice for the victims it represents.

The Observatory strongly condemns the attacks against the lawyer Ana Katiria Suárez Castro.

The Observatory calls on:

• The Mexican Ministry of the Interior and the mechanism for the protection of human rights defenders and journalists to maintain and strengthen the protection measures granted to Ana Katiria Suárez Castro in order to guarantee her safety and the free exercise of her profession.
• The United Nations, the European Union and other international organisations to play an active role in monitoring the actions of the Mexican authorities in complying with their national and international obligations to protect human rights defenders.

The Observatory recalls that, in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, in particular principles 16, 17 and 18:

“Governments shall ensure that lawyers (a) are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference; (b) are able to travel and to consult with their clients freely both within their own country and abroad; and (…).” (Principle 16)

 “Where the security of lawyers is threatened as a result of discharging their functions, they shall be adequately safeguarded by the authorities.” (Principle 17)

“Lawyers shall not be identified with their clients or their clients’ causes as a result of discharging their functions.” (Principle 18)