UN Committee Warns Mexico Over Forced Disappearances as Government Rejects Article 34 Interpretation

The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances presented its annual report to the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, warning that there are well-founded indications that forced disappearances in Mexico may constitute crimes against humanity and that the practice persists. Committee president Juan Pablo Albán Alencastro said the conclusion was based on information provided by the Mexican state, victims, civil society organizations, and records gathered since 2012.

The committee urged UN member states to take the disappearance crisis seriously and avoid letting it become trapped in political or diplomatic interests. It also expressed concern for victims and their families and called for their demands for truth, justice, and reparation to be heard.

“The organ concluded that there are well-founded indications of the commission of enforced disappearances as crimes against humanity and of the persistence until the present of that practice.”

The body clarified that its determination does not amount to declaring Mexico's international responsibility, nor did it find well-founded indications of a deliberate federal policy to commit or tolerate enforced disappearances through omissions. However, it noted that structural problems persist and require attention.

Mexico formally rejected the committee's interpretation of the scope and application of Article 34 of the international convention on enforced disappearances. Undersecretary for Human Rights, Population and Migration Arturo Medina Padilla stated that Mexico maintains a policy of openness, dialogue, and international cooperation with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Medina Padilla also announced the formation of a group of international experts, together with the UN Human Rights Office, to conduct a scientific review of the National Registry. The government reaffirmed its commitment to the search for missing persons and to international human rights cooperation.