UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk met on Tuesday with families of Mexico's disappeared during his official visit that began on April 17. Türk expressed admiration for their courage in an X post. Interior Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez called a government meeting positive.
Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, shared his impressions on the organization's X account after meeting families of the disappeared. “It is difficult to find words to describe my exchanges today in Mexico with families of the disappeared. It is even harder to comprehend their pain and suffering. Their unyielding courage, strength, and resilience deeply inspire me; their quest for truth and justice must be fulfilled,” he stated.
Interior Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez described her meeting with Türk as “positive,” during which Mexico outlined its human rights system and heard observations from the UN representative. They agreed to maintain ongoing collaboration and discussed discrimination, searches for the disappeared, victim care, migration, and programs under President Claudia Sheinbaum's administration.
Rodríguez reaffirmed Mexico's willingness to coordinate with the UN and other international bodies, not just due to legal obligations but as part of an unwavering policy of respect for human rights. They also covered protest protocols and a new search plan stemming from last July 25's legal reform.
The meetings follow a report from the UN Committee against Enforced Disappearance (CED), noting over 130,000 missing persons in Mexico and suggesting it could constitute a crime against humanity—a view rejected by the government and President Sheinbaum.
