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Family of murdered Mexican activist abducted

Amnesty International has urged the Mexican authorities to investigate the whereabouts of three relatives of a murdered human rights activist who were abducted this week.

The abductions follow the killing of activist Josefina Reyes by unidentified gunmen in January 2010. Her brother Rubén Reyes was also shot dead last year.

Their sister Malena Reyes, brother Elías Reyes and Elías' wife Luisa Ornelas were kidnapped by armed men east of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua state, on Monday.

"We are gravely worried that Malena, Elías and Luisa are at risk of suffering the same fate as Ruben and Josefina Reyes, who appears to have been killed for daring to speak out against the explosion of violence in Mexico," said Rupert Knox, Mexico researcher at Amnesty International.

"The authorities must first establish whether the three have been detained and, if not, take urgent steps to find them while providing protection for rest of the family."

The trio were travelling by truck with Sara Salazar, the mother of the Reyes siblings, and Josefina Reyes’ daughter in Guadalupe Distrito Bravos in the Valle de Juárez, when they were stopped by armed men.

The group then drove away with the three, leaving Sara Salazar and the young child at the side of the road.

Sara Salazar has been campaigning for justice for her two murdered children, but an investigation by Mexican authorities into their killings has made no apparent progress.

"The Mexican authorities' investigation into the killings of Josefina and Rubén Reyes should be carried out impartially and promptly, with the results being made public and those responsible being brought to justice."

Josefina had been active in protests against violence in the area being carried out by organized criminals and human rights violations committed by the military.

In August 2009, she participated in a Forum on Militarization and Repression (Foro Contra la Militarización y la Represión) in Ciudad Juárez, to protest at increasing human rights violations being committed by members of the military.

Her brother Rubén was killed on 18 August 2010 while he was on his way to buy food near his home in Guadalupe Distrito Bravos.

Violence linked to organized crime has spiralled in Mexico since 2007.

More than 30,000 drug cartel-related killings, many carried out in Ciudad Juárez, have been reported in the media.

President Felipe Calderón’s administration has attempted to combat the drug cartels by deploying thousands of federal police and more than 50,000 military personnel in the worst affected areas, but this has not reduced the violence and reports of abuses by the military has significantly increased.

Topics: Non-state agents of persecution, Disappeared persons, Abduction, Human rights activists, Human rights,