Amnesty International urged the Mexican Senate on Friday to renew the Citizen Council of the National Search System, which has been vacant since May 2024.
Amnesty International stated that:
the Council’s inability to operate effectively hinders the right of people searching for victims of disappearance to participate in decision-making and overseeing the government’s plans and operations regarding the disappeared crisis faced by the country.
The Citizen Council is a participatory forum created to ensure the voice of victims’ families in policies, and actions related to the search for missing persons in Mexico. Article 60 of the General Law on Forced Disappearance of Persons, Disappearance Committed by Private Individuals and the National Search System for Missing Persons provides that the Citizen Council must be composed of five family members, four experts in human rights or the search for disappeared persons, and four representatives of civil society organizations focused on human rights.
Moreover, Article 62 of the same law outlines functions of the Council, including proposing actions to institutions that make up National System to expand their capabilities, recommending and, where appropriate, supporting technical assistance measures for the search for missing persons, and reporting irregularities to competent authorities and internal control bodies regarding the use of public resources related to the search and investigation of missing and unlocated Persons.
Amnesty International further called on the Senate to immediately proceed with the appointment process for the members of the Council. Additionally, it urged citizens to take action by writing an appeal, either in their own words or using the model letter provided. This follows a statement issued by the former members of the National Citizen Council urging the Senate to fulfill its obligations and carry out the Council’s recruitment process.
A rise in cases of disappearances in Mexico prompted UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet to urge the authorities to implement reforms and ensure justice for the victims and their families. According to the National Registry of Disappeared and Missing Persons, a total of 126,247 individuals were reported as disappeared or missing between December 31, 1952, and March 30, 2025.
Concerns have escalated as, between March 5 and 11, 2025, volunteers discovered mass graves containing hundreds of shoes, clothing items, charred human remains, and three underground ovens. The disappearances are allegedly linked to sexual violence, femicide, recruitment by criminal groups, kidnappings, and human trafficking. Following the discovery, President Sheinbaum announced measures to combat disappearances in Mexico, including the creation of the National Base of Investigation Files of missing persons, the National Bank of Forensic Danta, and the National System of alert, search, and location of persons, as well as strengthening the National Search Commission.