Defamation and Online Harassment Laws in Mexico

Mexico is a civil law country. Article 1916 of the Federal Civil Code defines moral damage as harm to a person's feelings, honor, reputation, private life or how others regard them. It lists as unlawful acts telling others about a true or false fact that could discredit someone, falsely accusing someone of a crime, filing criminal complaints known to be false, and offending a person's honor or attacking their private life or image. Mexico City has a separate statute protecting private life, honor and one's own image, first published in 2006 and last amended in October 2025.

Sources1Federal Civil Code (Código Civil Federal), Article 19162Mexico City Civil Liability Law for the Protection of the Right to Private Life, Honor and One's Own Image (Ley de Responsabilidad Civil para la Protección del Derecho a la Vida Privada, el Honor y la Propia Imagen de la Ciudad de México), current text as amended October 28, 2025

The Federal Penal Code's remaining articles on defamation and calumny (Articles 350 to 363) were repealed by a decree published April 13, 2007, and now appear as repealed in the current code. When Mexico City adopted its 2006 civil liability law, it also repealed the crimes against honor in its own Penal Code (Articles 214 to 219). Each state has its own penal code, which may treat this conduct differently.

Sources3Federal Penal Code (Código Penal Federal), Articles 350 to 363 (repealed, DOF April 13, 2007)2Mexico City Civil Liability Law for the Protection of the Right to Private Life, Honor and One's Own Image (Ley de Responsabilidad Civil para la Protección del Derecho a la Vida Privada, el Honor y la Propia Imagen de la Ciudad de México), Third Transitional Article4Mexico City Penal Code (Código Penal para el Distrito Federal), Articles 214 to 219 (repealed)

Mexican law does not separate written and spoken defamation. Under Article 1934 of the Federal Civil Code, a claim for damages caused by an unlawful act expires two years after the day the damage was caused. Mexico City's civil liability law also sets a two-year limit, counted from when the allegedly unlawful act took place (Article 38).

Sources1Federal Civil Code, Article 19342Mexico City Civil Liability Law for the Protection of the Right to Private Life, Honor and One's Own Image (Ley de Responsabilidad Civil para la Protección del Derecho a la Vida Privada, el Honor y la Propia Imagen de la Ciudad de México), Article 38

Mexico does not use the common law idea of defamation per se. Under Article 1916 Bis of the Federal Civil Code, a person claiming moral damage must fully prove both that the other party's conduct was unlawful and the harm it directly caused. The judge sets the amount of compensation based on the rights affected, the degree of responsibility, the financial situation of both sides and the other circumstances of the case (Article 1916).

Source1Federal Civil Code, Articles 1916 and 1916 Bis

Under Mexico's Right of Reply Law (2015), a person harmed by inaccurate or false information published or broadcast by a media outlet can send the outlet a written request for a reply or correction within 15 business days after publication. The outlet has three business days to decide; an accepted reply runs the next business day for daily outlets, or in the next edition or broadcast otherwise, with similar prominence. If the outlet refuses or does not comply, the person can ask a federal district judge within five business days. Separately, when a court finds moral damage to someone's honor or reputation, it can order publication of an extract of the judgment at the responsible party's cost, and the remedy must include a correction or reply in the same medium.

Sources5Law Regulating Article 6, First Paragraph, of the Constitution on the Right of Reply (Ley Reglamentaria del Artículo 6o., párrafo primero, en materia del Derecho de Réplica), Articles 3, 10, 11, 14, 15, 21 and 241Federal Civil Code, Article 1916

Under Article 1916 Bis of the Federal Civil Code, a person who exercises the rights of opinion, criticism, expression and information within the limits of Articles 6 and 7 of the Constitution does not owe compensation for moral damage. Unfavorable literary, artistic, historical, scientific or professional criticism is not treated as an attack on honor. Under Article 1916, faithfully reproducing information does not create liability for moral damage, even if the information turns out to be wrong, as long as the source is cited.

Source1Federal Civil Code, Articles 1916 and 1916 Bis

The Federal Penal Code does not have a general stalking or cyberstalking offense. It does punish repeatedly harassing someone for sexual purposes by a person who uses a position of authority at work, school, home or in another relationship of subordination, with a fine, but only when harm results and the victim files a complaint (Article 259 Bis). State penal codes may contain broader offenses.

Source3Federal Penal Code, Article 259 Bis

Article 282 of the Federal Penal Code punishes threatening someone in any way with harm to their person, property, honor or rights, or to those of someone close to them, with three days to one year in prison or a fine. The General Law on Women's Access to a Life Free of Violence defines digital violence as intentional acts through information technology that harm women's intimacy, privacy or dignity, and lets prosecutors and judges immediately order platforms and websites to block or remove related images, audio or video (Articles 20 Quáter and 20 Sexies).

Sources3Federal Penal Code, Article 2826General Law on Women's Access to a Life Free of Violence (Ley General de Acceso de las Mujeres a una Vida Libre de Violencias), Articles 20 Quáter and 20 Sexies

Federal law has no offense named doxxing. Article 211 Bis of the Federal Penal Code punishes revealing, spreading or misusing information or images obtained by intercepting private communications, with six to twelve years in prison. In civil law, attacking a person's private life is one of the unlawful acts that can give rise to compensation for moral damage under Article 1916 of the Federal Civil Code.

Sources3Federal Penal Code, Article 211 Bis1Federal Civil Code, Article 1916

Since 2021, the Federal Penal Code makes it a crime, known as violation of sexual intimacy, to share, distribute or publish intimate sexual images, video or audio of an adult without their consent, or to record or create such material without consent, with three to six years in prison and a fine (Article 199 Octies). The same penalty applies when the material is falsely attributed to an identified person (Article 199 Nonies), and penalties rise by up to half when the offender is a current or former partner, a public servant, or acts for profit (Article 199 Decies).

Source3Federal Penal Code, Articles 199 Octies, 199 Nonies and 199 Decies