Maria Amparo CASAR

The Mexican sociologist, columnist, activist and writer continued to face judicial harassment in 2025 in relation to the April 2024 publication of her book, Los puntos sobre las íes: El legado de un gobierno que mintió, robó y traicionó (Dots on the I's. The legacy of a government that lied, stole and betrayed’ (Debate, 2024). In the book, Amparo Casar documents and criticises in the lack of transparency in former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's government. Mexico’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office (FGR) advanced criminal proceedings against María Amparo Casar. Following an investigation launched in May 2024 into alleged pension fraud, the case was  brought before a judge in September 2025; however, a scheduled hearing in December was suspended when the investigation was placed on hold. 

María Amparo Casar had been subjected to a smear campaign from then President López Obrador and other state officials in May 2024 (see Case List 2025). PEN International believes the investigation was brought against her in reprisal for her research.  

María Amparo Casar has a PhD in Political Science from the University of Cambridge. She specialises in Mexican politics and comparative politics. She is the author of books including Dinero bajo la mesa (Grijalbo, 2019) (Money under the table), Anatomía de la Corrupción (Mexicanos contra la corrupción, 2023) (Anatomy of Corruption) and El Sistema Político Mexicano (Oxford University Press, 2010) (The Mexican Political System), among others.