Teresa Magueyal

Teresa Magueyal Ramírez[a] (1958 – 2 May 2023), also known as Doña Tere, was a Mexican human rights activist and madre buscadora. Following the disappearance of her son José Luis, she became a member of the collective Una Promesa por Cumplir, composed of the families of missing people in the state of Guanajuato searching for their relatives.

Activism

On 6 April 2020, Magueyal's 31-year-old son, José Luis Apaseo Magueyal, disappeared in Celaya, Guanajuato, while travelling to a shop to purchase food for his family. Following this, Magueyal joined Una Promesa por Cumplir (lit. 'A Promise to be Kept'), a Celaya-based collective comprising 70 families of disappeared people in the Bajío region. The collective conducted its own investigations into disappearances, citing the ineffective response from local authorities.[1][2][3][4] Guanajuato, which contains territory disputed by several cartels, has seen over 3000 people disappear since 2019.[5]

Death

On 2 May 2023, Magueyal was shot dead by two men on a motorbike while riding her bike near her home in San Miguel Octopan, Celaya.[1][2][3][6][4][7][8] She was the sixth member of Una Promesa por Cumplir to be killed since 2021, and the sixth family searcher to be killed in Guanajuato since 2020.[2][3][6] An investigation into her killing was opened by the State Search Commission of Guanajuato.[1][2] One person was arrested in relation to Magueyal's death.[9]

Response

Front Line Defenders expressed its concern at violence against female human rights activists, and criticised Mexican authorities for facilitating a "climate of impunity" for perpetrators, in addition to a lack of protection for human rights activists.[1]

Una Promesa por Cumplir described Magueyal as "such a loved person in the collective". It condemned her killing and called for justice, and stated it would continue her search for her missing son.[3]

The deputy representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Mexico City, Jesús Peña Palacios, called for an end to the killings and for the authorities to provide family searchers with "protection and security".[3][10][6][11]

References

  1. ^ In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Magueyal and the second or maternal family name is Ramírez.
  1. ^ a b c d "Woman human rights defender Teresa Magueyal assassinated". Front Line Defenders. 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 18 June 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Buschschlüter, Vanessa (3 May 2023). "Mexican mother searching for missing son is killed". BBC News. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e Barragán, Almudena (5 May 2023). "Teresa Magueyal's murder and the plight of hundreds of women in Mexico in search of their missing children". El País. Archived from the original on 6 September 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  4. ^ a b "In memory of Mexico's mothers". Global Initiative. Archived from the original on 26 April 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  5. ^ "Americans found quickly, but Mexico's missing remain lost". El País. 8 March 2023. Archived from the original on 8 August 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "Mexico: Rights experts 'outraged' over attacks on women activists". UN News. 30 August 2023. Archived from the original on 4 January 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  7. ^ "Mom of man missing in Mexico is killed, search group says". AP News. 3 May 2023. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  8. ^ Barragán, Almudena (5 May 2023). "El asesinato de Teresa Magueyal y el destino de cientos de mujeres en México que buscan a sus hijos desaparecidos". El País (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 6 August 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  9. ^ "Presidente confirma un detenido por asesinato de la madre buscadora Teresa Magueyal". SinEmbargo (in Spanish). 4 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 January 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  10. ^ "Mexico: UN experts outraged by attacks and killings targeting women human rights defenders". United Nations Human Rights. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ "ONU-DH condena enérgicamente el asesinato de Teresa Magueyal, madre buscadora de Guanajuato". United Nations (in Spanish). 4 May 2023. Archived from the original on 5 August 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.


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