Mexico: Mothers Continue the Search for Their Disappeared Children on Their Day

Photo: Chiapasparalelo

May 10th is Mother’s Day in Mexico and despite the pandemic, women demonstrated to show that they will continue to search for their missing children. For several years, May 10th has been an emblematic date for the mothers of thousands of disappeared in the country to take to the streets demanding justice.

“Nothing to celebrate, for us this date is not a celebration, it is a fight and a protest”, declared Eva Verduzco de la Cruz-mother of a disappeared son.

The call was broad and due to the pandemic it assumed different forms to in the past, including messages on social networks, videos, photographs (the vast majority wearing face masks with messages alluding to the demand for justice and the presentation of the disappeared), caravans, statements, among others.

The Movement for Our Disappeared in Mexico – made up of more than 60 groups of relatives of disappeared people, from 22 Mexican states and three Central American countries – and United Forces for Our Disappeared in Mexico (FUNDEM) urged the government of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that despite the emergency caused by the COVID-19, the effective and immediate search for the 61 thousand disappeared – according to official figures – that exists in Mexico does not stop and the processes for the identification of the more 37 thousand unidentified bodies, many of them found in clandestine graves, are accelerated.

On another note, the Office in Mexico of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) joined the actions of protest and demand for truth, justice and guarantees of non-repetition, so it called on society as a whole to echo this virtual mobilization on social networks, “accompanying those who every day must face obstacles and risks in the search for their loved ones, for justice and for the truth.”

For more information in Spanish:

Madres de desaparecidos usan vías alternas de protesta por Covid-19, La Jornada, 10 de mayo de 2020

A pesar de la pandemia, mujer sale a buscar a hijo desaparecido, Aristegui Noticias,10 de mayo de 2020

Madres de desaparecidos en Colima urgen no parar mecanismos de búsqueda, proceso, 11 de mayo

Ante la ausencia del Estado, madres, hijas y esposas aprenden a rastrear a sus familiares, Desinformemonos, 11 de mayo de 2020

For more information from SIPAZ:

Guerrero: Committee of Mothers and Fathers of 43 Demand the “Search and Investigation Continue” Despite Health Emergency (April 28, 2020)

National/Guerrero: Agreement to Reintroduce Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts in Ayotzinapa Case. Number of Disappeared Increases in the Country (January 14, 2020)

National/International: Caravan of Mothers of Disappeared Migrants 2019 Tours Country (November 24, 2019)

 

National/International: Mexico and IACHR Formalize Reinstallation of IGIE for Ayotzinapa Case

IGIE in previous phase (@Centro PRO DH)

In a statement published on May 7th, the Interior and Foreign Relations Secretariats reported that the Mexican government signed an agreement with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) for the reinstatement of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (IGIE).

The objective in this new stage will be to provide international technical assistance for the advancement of investigations and to assist in the preparation of search plans, care for victims and other relevant aspects in the case of the forced disappearance of 43 students from Rural Normal School of Ayotzinapa in Iguala, Guerrero, in September 2014.

The statement explained that the process “was carried out taking into account the representation of the parents of the students, the Office in Mexico of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as the experts themselves who will form part of the International Group of Independent Experts.”

It specified that this action is part of the commitment established in the “Decree that instructs to establish effective material, legal and human conditions to strengthen the human rights of the relatives of the victims of the Ayotzinapa case to truth and access to justice”, issued by President Lopez Obrador on December 4th, 2018 and which raised, among other points, the possibility of passing agreements that allow the IACHR to cooperate.

For more information in Spanish: 

Gobierno de México y CIDH firman acuerdo para reinstalación del GIEI, a fin de seguir brindando asistencia técnica en el caso Ayotzinapa (comunicado completo, 7 de mayo de 2020)

Firman Segob y SRE acuerdo con CIDH para reinstalación del GIEI (La Jornada, 7 de mayo de 2020)

Firman acuerdo de reinstalación de GIEI en caso Ayotzinapa (Aristegui Noticias, 7 de mayo de 2020)

Formalizan reinstalación del GIEI en el caso Ayotzinapa (Regeneración, 8 de mayo de 2020)

Acuerdan México y CIDH reinstalar el GIEI para el caso Ayotzinapa (El Universal, 7 de mayo de 2020)

For more information from SIPAZ:

National/Guerrero: Agreement to Reintroduce Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts in Ayotzinapa Case. Number of Disappeared Increases in the Country (January 14, 2020)

 

Guerrero: Attorney General Will Investigate Ayotzinapa Case “Almost from Scratch”(September 25, 2019)

 

Guerrero: New Stage in Investigation of Ayotzinapa Case – Creation of Special Investigation Unit with Omar Gomez Trejo as Head (July 8, 2019)

 

National/Chiapas: Federal Legislators Visit Migratory Center in Tapachula

@ChiapasParalelo

On February 10th, 19 federal legislators, including the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Laura Rojas Hernandez, and the president of the Political Coordination Board of the Chamber of Deputies, Mario Delgado Carrillo, visited the Siglo XXI Migratory Center in Tapachula, Chiapas.

Local legislators and representatives of international organizations such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCHR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), also participated in the visit. The group of legislators and representatives of organizations were received by Francisco Garduño Yáñez, commissioner of the National Institute of Migration (INAMI). They also met with local civil society organizations.

In this regard, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Laura Rojas Hernandez said that, “this visit is not a point of arrival, but is a starting point. The supported commissions, I am sure by the Jucopo and the Board of Directors, will be doing analysis work to propose to the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies any legislative reforms that can help to better address the problem.”

The National Migration Institute has invested 336 million pesos for the maintenance and rehabilitation of its spaces, and the immigration station in Tapachula received 179,000 migrants in 2019. However, some of the deputies who visited the immigration station criticized what they saw. Jorge Argüelles, coordinator of the Social Encounter Party, accused the INAMI delegate who received them from not having the capacity to be in that job, and who during their visit, tried to deceive them and hide the reality inside the immigration center.

For his part, the Governor of Chiapas, Rutilio Escandon Cadenas, highlighted the rights of migrants, and the responsibility of the Mexican state when it comes to protecting them: “Mexico has great respect for fundamental rights, our obligation is to attend humanely and rescue them from the hands of criminals and smugglers of undocumented immigrants … We understand them very well, Mexico is a migrant people, but we will not give truce or consideration with criminals, they always infiltrate with the objective of affecting migrants and the population of Chiapas.”

For more information in Spanish:

Diputados federales visitan la Estación Migratoria de Tapachula, Chiapas Noticieros Televisa, 11 de febrero de 2020.

Legisladores visitan Tapachula; Trump, Sembrando Vida y Derechos Humanos Chiapas Paralelo, 10 de febrero de 2020.

For more information from SIPAZ:

National/Chiapas: CNDH Asks INM and COMAR for Precautionary Measures for 78 People Stranded in Tapachula (January 16, 2020)

Chiapas: Civil Organizations Report on Observation Mission in Tapachula (November 24, 2019)

Chiapas: Migration Authorities Stop Migrant Caravan in Tapachula (October 17, 2019)

 

International/National: UNHCHR Calls on Mexican State to Increase Efforts to Effectively Implement General Law on Forced Disappearance of Persons

Photo @ novedadesaca.mx

On January 14th, the Office in Mexico of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) called on the Mexican State in a statement to redouble efforts to advance the effective implementation of the General Law for Matters of Forced Disappearance of Persons, Disappearance committed by Individuals and on the National Persons Search System.

Two years after the entry into force of this law, the UNHCHR announced that “the publication of new official information and public recognition of the problem are advances. Likewise, it has observed progress in the institutional consolidation of the National Search Commission and the formation of the majority of the state commissions.”Two years after the entry into force of this law, the UN-DH announced that “the publication of new official information and public recognition of the problem are progress. Likewise, it has observed progress in the institutional consolidation of the National Search Commission and in the formation of the majority of the state search commissions.”

However, “it is still necessary to continue promoting legislative harmonization and institutional consolidation. In this regard, there are 23 federated entities to pass their local legislation harmonized with the General Law; 28 do not have a harmonized law of special declaration of absence; seven must still form their prosecutor’s office specializing in crimes of disappearance and three have yet to create their local commission.”

It considered that in relation to a diagnosis that favors the design of better strategies for the attention and eradication of disappearances “it is worrisome that there is still no full collaboration in the matter between the federation and the states. An example of this is that not all state law enforcement agencies have sent updated or complete information on missing persons for their incorporation into the National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons.”

It especially encouraged the state authorities to continue advancing “in the adoption of the programs, registries and databases established in the Law and to continue working to strengthen the search and research efforts, through institutional, budgetary and regulations. ”And to all the authorities involved in consolidating the operation of the Extraordinary Forensic Identification Mechanism.

Finally, it invited the Mexican State to strengthen the spaces for collaboration and technical assistance with specialized international organizations.National Search Commission and in the formation of the majority of the state search commissions. ”

However, “it is still necessary to continue promoting legislative harmonization and institutional consolidation. In this regard, there are 23 federated entities to pass their local legislation harmonized with the General Law; 28 do not have a harmonized law of special declaration of absence; seven must still form their prosecutor’s office specializing in crimes of disappearance and three have yet to create their local commission. ”

It considered that in relation to a diagnosis that favors the design of better strategies for the attention and eradication of disappearances “it is worrisome that there is still no full collaboration in the matter between the federation and the states. An example of this is that not all state law enforcement agencies have sent updated or complete information on missing persons for their incorporation into the National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons.”

It especially encouraged the state authorities to continue advancing “in the adoption of the programs, registries and databases established in the Law and to continue working to strengthen the search and research efforts, through institutional, budgetary and regulations measures”, and to all the authorities involved in consolidating the operation of the Extraordinary Forensic Identification Mechanism.

Finally, it invited the Mexican State to strengthen the spaces for collaboration and technical assistance with specialized international organizations.

For more information in Spanish:

ONU-DH: a dos años de su entrada en vigor, es necesario redoblar esfuerzos en la implementación de la ley sobre desaparición de personas (ONU-DH, 14 de enero de 2020)

ONU-DH presiona para que gobiernos implementen ley sobre desaparición de personas (Proceso, 14 de enero de 2020)

For more information from SIPAZ:

National/Guerrero: Agreement to Reintroduce Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts in Ayotzinapa Case. Number of Disappeared Increases in the Country (January 14, 2020)

Guerrero: Body of Activist Arnulfo Cero Found in Hidden Grave More than One Month after his Disappearance in Tlapa de Comonfort (November 24, 2019)

International/National : Un Human Rights Committee Issues 48 Human Rights Recommendations for Mexico (November 12, 2019)

Nacional: Se lleva a cabo el coloquio “El Estado de la Búsqueda de Desaparecidos en Guerrero. Retos y perspectivas” (November 6, 2019)

National/International: Consultation on Maya Train did not Meet International Standards

@Aristegui Noticias

In a statement published on December 19th, the Office in Mexico of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) said that the indigenous consultation process on the “Maya Train Development Project”, “has not complied with all international standards in the field.”

It reported that it participated as an observer in this process and attended four of the 15 regional information assemblies and eight of the 15 regional consultative assemblies in Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan, Tabasco and Quintana Roo.

“While the Office recognizes the decision of the Government of Mexico to make efforts to respect, protect and guarantee the rights of indigenous peoples, including their right to consultation and consent for the aforementioned project and welcomes the participation of multiple governmental entities in the process, it observed that the call, the protocol and the information presented only referred to the possible benefits of the project and not to the negative impacts that it could cause,” says the statement regarding the limitations of the informed nature of the process.

In other concerns, the UNHCHR noted that although “during the briefings and in the consultative stage, some authorities stated that the guarantee of various economic, social and cultural rights was not conditional on the acceptance of the project”, “as a consequence of the way in which the project was presented and the sessions were developed, the people of the communities expressed their agreement with the project as a means to receive attention to basic needs such as water, health, education, work, housing, healthy environment and culture, a logic that affects the free nature of the query.”

The UN DH also expressed concern about the cultural adequacy of the process, when the methodology of the process was not built and agreed with the communities involved. “This implied that the definition of whom to consult, where to do it and at what time it was established unilaterally by the authorities,” it said.

It deplored the low participation and representation of indigenous women in the process and that “the majority of those who participated were municipal and ejidal authorities, leaving out other groups and people who are part of the communities.”

It also stressed that the purpose of the information and consultative assemblies was to “establish agreements with the communities regarding their participation in the implementation and distribution of benefits, which could imply that the project will be done regardless of the outcome of the consultation.”

For more information in Spanish:

Consulta por Tren Maya no cumple estándares internacionales: ONU (La Jornada, 19 de diciembre de 2019)

Consulta sobre el Tren Maya incumple estándares internacionales: ONU-DH (Proceso, 19 de diciembre de 2019)

Rechaza ONU consulta ciudadana del Tren Maya (El Universal, 19 de diciembre de 2019)

ONU-DH emite observaciones sobre consulta de Tren Maya (Excelsior, 19 de diciembre de 2019)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Nacional: los participantes de la Consulta Indígena aceptaron el proyecto del Tren Maya, autoridades; sigue sin respetarse convenio 169 de la OIT, OSC(17 de diciembre de 2019)

Nacional: Organizaciones civiles, indígenas, y académicos se pronuncian en contra de la consulta por proyecto del Tren Maya. 9 de diciembre de 2019.

Nacional: Inicia proceso de licitación del Tren maya sin consulta previa a pueblos indígenas 4 de mayo de 2019

México: Consulta sobre el Tren Maya y 9 otros proyectos “prioritarios” del próximo gobierno 27 de noviembre de 2018

Nacional: AMLO anuncia consulta para la construcción por el tren maya 10 de noviembre de 2018

International: UNHCHR Expresses Doubts over Independence and Autonomy of National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) after Rosario Piedra Ibarra’s Election

(Twitter @CNDH)

In a statement published on November 20th, the Office in Mexico of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) emphasized the importance of guaranteeing the independence and autonomy of the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH in its Spanish acronym) so that can play an effective role: “[The UNHCHR] recognizes the fundamental role of the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) in the promotion and protection of human rights and its valuable contribution in the construction of a democratic society and a rule of law. For the full exercise of its mandate, the CNDH needs to be fully independent and legitimate. This implies, among other requirements, that the process of designating its head is particularly scrupulous, objective, transparent and accurate, in such a way that any type of questioning that affects the legitimacy of the person to whom it is designated, of the institution is avoided whose head is named and who makes the corresponding election.”

This statement was published after Rosario Piedra Ibarra was elected as the new president of the CNDH, although opposition political parties as well as human rights groups and victims, called for Piedra not to take office, due to incongruities and alleged fraud in the election process.

In response to said statement, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) said that he respects the opinion of the UNHCHR but attributed the opposition to this appointment to the fact that for a long time the CNDH was “serving as a cover.”

For more information in Spanish:

ONU-DH enfatiza la necesidad de asegurar la independencia y autonomía de la Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos (ONU-DH, 20 de noviembre de 2019)

CNDH debe estar dotada de plena independencia y legitimidad: ONU tras polémica por designación de Piedra (Animal Político, 20 de noviembre de 2019)

ONU muestra preocupación por autonomía de la CNDH (El Sol de México, 20 de noviembre de 2019)

AMLO respeta opinión de ONU sobre elección de Rosario Piedra en CNDH (Milenio, 22 de noviembre de 2019)

For more information from SIPAZ:

Nacional: Rosario Ibarra de Piedra rinde protesta como nueva presidente de la CNDH (13 de noviembre de 2019)

Nacional: Activista Rosario Piedra Ibarra electa nueva presidenta de la CNDH (8 de noviembre de 2019)

Nacional: Repondrán proceso de votación para elegir quien quede frente a la CNDH (12 de noviembre de 2019)