The UN Committee against Enforced Disappearances requested support measures for Mexico to tackle disappearances that could be deemed crimes against humanity. Mexico's Foreign Relations Secretariat rejected the report as biased and for overlooking government progress. The committee points to over 6,200 bodies in clandestine graves as proof of the crisis.
The UN Committee against Enforced Disappearances (CED) urged the UN on Thursday to consider measures supporting Mexico's government in preventing, investigating, and eradicating enforced disappearances. CED President Juan Albán-Alencastro stated, "International law does not require crimes against humanity to occur on a national scale or be orchestrated from high government levels; what matters is the magnitude, pattern of attacks, and targeting of civilians."
The report notes ongoing discoveries of clandestine graves holding over 6,200 bodies and 76,000 human remains, mostly unidentified. The CED regrets that despite 2021 visits and adopted measures, the situation has not substantially improved, with authorities overwhelmed. Many disappearances link to the war on drugs by criminal groups, though some cases suggest public officials' involvement.
The request went to UN Secretary-General António Guterres for the General Assembly, suggesting technical cooperation, financial aid, and support for searches, forensic analysis, and probes into organized crime ties.
Mexico's Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE) dismissed the report as "biased," noting it acknowledges no federal policy for systematic attacks. The current administration does not tolerate disappearances and has advanced reforms, the SRE said. Mexico welcomes international technical cooperation but not on premises misreflecting its reality.
