Mexico

When in some countries conscientious objection has been recognised and in others, conscientious objectors continue to be imprisoned, some governments are considering introducing compulsory military service for women covering it up with gender equality and anti-discrimination discourses. This has been the case for countries like México, Colombia, the United States and more recently in South Korea and Switzerland.

A new report published by an international coalition of peace organisations explores the way arms companies in Europe and Israel are fuelling violence in Mexico.

The German arms company Sig Sauer has announced it intends to close its arms factory in Eckernförde by the end of year. The company blamed "locational handicaps" and the German military and police preferring a "few other local producers".

The Pentagon has begun to put pressure on suppliers of components for weapons in Mexico, to reopen factories and restart exports to the US.

The Antimilitarist Network in Latin America and the Caribbean outline how militarisation impacts communities across the region

The Labour Party in Mexico proposed reforming the Military Service Law to introduce compulsory military service for women to "promote gender equality and no discrimination" between men and women in the country.

September 26th marked the fifth anniversary since the disappearance of the 43 students of the rural teacher-training school of Ayotzinapa.

Arms company Heckler & Koch have been found guilty in a German court of illegally supplying arms to Mexico.

Safariland is an American company, founded in California in 1964, specialising in a wide range of products and services for police and security forces. Safariland is made up of a number of different companies and brands, and has estimated revenues of $500 million.

The trial of six ex-employees of German weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch has begun in Germany. The six ex-employees are accused of illegally exporting 4,500 assault rifles and other guns to Mexico, where they ended up in states effected by violence subject to a ban by the German state.

On 26 September 2014, students from the Ayotzinapa college in Guerrero, Mexico were attacked by local police, leaving a toll of six dead. A further 43 students disappeared that night, and have not been seen since.

A team of Mexican journalists, activists and researchers have made a documentary on the role of the Mexican military in the forced disappearance of 43 students from the Mexican town of Ayotzinapa, Iguala in September 2014. The trailer can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQolfFfKWjU and there will be a simultaneous worldwide screening on the 26th July.