Mexico's National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) rejected on Saturday, April 4, the conclusions of the UN Committee against Forced Disappearances on the situation in Mexico. It accused the international body of a biased reading lacking historical perspective. The CNDH defended the Mexican state's efforts in searching for missing persons.
The CNDH issued an official bulletin stating that the Committee against Forced Disappearances (CED)'s decision to urgently refer the Mexican case to the UN General Assembly stems from a contradictory interpretation ignoring national context and institutional advances.
The autonomous body criticized the CED for prioritizing stances from NGOs like Centro Prodh over the state's efforts in the past seven years. It argued that national instances should have been exhausted first, per articles 30 and 31 of the international convention.
The CNDH specified that forced disappearances as state policy occurred during the “Dirty War” (1951-1990) and the “war on drugs” (2006-2012). For recent cases, it stressed ordering searches and strengthening institutions. It also highlighted contradictions in the CED report and defended its 14 recommendations on forced disappearances since 2023, covering incidents from 1958 to 2022 in states like Morelos, Sinaloa, Durango, Guerrero, and Puebla.
The Mexican government had previously labeled the CED report “biased” and lacking legal rigor, while Amnesty International welcomed the decision and urged acceptance of international cooperation, noting the crisis impacts over 132,000 families.
