Miriam Elizabeth Rodríguez Martínez (5 February 1960 – 10 May 2017) was a Mexican human rights activist. She became one of the many "Missing Child Parents", (a class of victims of organized crime, labeled as such by local news media) after her daughter was abducted and killed. Miriam was shot 12 times by gunmen in front of her house and died on May 10, 2017.
Miriam Rodríguez Martínez | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 February 1960 |
| Died | 10 May 2017 (aged 57) San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico |
| Occupation | Human rights activist |
| Years active | 2014–2017 |
Life
editMiriam Elizabeth Rodríguez Martínez was born on 5 February 1960 in San Fernando in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.[1] Her daughter, Karen Alejandra Salinas Rodríguez, disappeared in 2012.[2] Karen's remains were discovered in 2014.[3] Rodríguez pursued her daughter’s killers for years resulting in 10 of them being captured.[4] Some of the men arrested for her daughter's case escaped prison after their arrest.[2] Along with finding her daughter, she made efforts to help other parents whose children had disappeared, and from it came the Colectivo de Desaparecidos (The Vanished Collective) organization.
Rodríguez was killed on 10 May 2017, the day Mexico celebrates Mother's Day. She was shot 12 times by gunmen who broke into her home, and died on her way to the hospital.[5][2] In solidarity, protesters raised their voices in protest the day she was killed, calling on the Mexican and U.S. governments to ensure the safety of human rights defenders.[6][7]
References
edit- ^ Juárez, Carlos Manuel (11 May 2020). "Tres años sin justicia en el asesinato de Miriam, la madre activista". A dónde van los desaparecidos (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ a b c Villegas, Paulina (12 May 2017). "Gunmen Kill Mexican Activist for Parents of Missing Children". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
- ^ "Obituary: Miriam Rodríguez Martínez died on May 10th". The Economist. 20 May 2017. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
- ^ Ahmed, Azam (2020-12-13). "She Stalked Her Daughter's Killers Across Mexico, One by One". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ Agren, David (12 May 2017). "Mexican woman who uncovered cartel murder of daughter shot dead". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ "Justice for Miriam Rodriguez". 19 May 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ Ahmed, Azam (2020-12-13). "She Stalked Her Daughter's Killers Across Mexico, One by One". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
Further reading
edit- Ahmed, Azam (2023). Fear is Just a Word: A Missing Daughter, a Violent Cartel, and a Mother's Quest for Vengeance. Random House. ISBN 0593448413.