The petition was submitted through an open letter addressed to Cem Özdemir, Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, in which the organizations propose to review legal and political alternatives so that, within the limits permitted by law, the resources derived from the criminal process have a direct impact on Mexican people and communities affected by violence related to the use of illegally exported weapons.
The organizations recognize that the court ruling did not establish a direct compensation for Mexican victims and that, therefore, the payment does not automatically generate an obligation to deliver the resources to families. However, they consider that there are possibilities to explore social reparation mechanisms.
Among the proposed alternatives are funding psychosocial and health care for affected communities, documenting and investigating human rights violations, and promoting guarantees of non-repetition and greater accountability in international arms trade. They also called for a dialogue between German authorities and civil organizations in both countries to design transparent and verifiable mechanisms.
If a direct transfer to families is not legally feasible, they propose to use the resources in projects that benefit the affected communities. The signatories include the Prodh Center, the Tlachinollan Mountain Human Rights Center, the German Human Rights Coordination in Mexico and European organizations dedicated to human rights and arms trade control.
