OUTCOME: On July 1st, the Mexican Senate agreed on the selection process of the members of the National Citizen Council of the National Search System. From July 30th to August 1st, candidates appeared before the Senate to fill the positions considered in the General Law on the Forced Disappearance of Persons, Disappearances Committed by Individuals and the National Search System. On August 15th, the Senate commissions in charge of the selection process will share a list of candidates suitable for the Citizen Council.
NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUESTED. MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO SENT APPEALS.
The Citizen Council of the National Search System has been vacant since May 2024 despite multiple calls from civil society groups for a fully functional institution. The Mexican Senate has not yet launched a public call to renew its members. 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. We call on the Senate to immediately open the call for applications to conform to the National Citizen Council and continue with the appointment of its members.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION BEFORE: MAY 23, 2025
Dear Senator,
I am writing to you to express my concern about the delay in the renewal of the National Citizen Council of the National Search System, a crucial advisory body to countering the concerning situation of disappearances in the country and ensuring the right of the relatives of victims of enforced disappearances to participate in decision-making.
According to the Mexican General Law on the Forced Disappearance of Persons, the National Citizen Council is made up of relatives of victims of disappearances, experts in human rights or in searching disappeared people, and representatives of human rights organizations. It proposes measures to ensure the search for disappeared people, oversees the government’s performance in this respect, and reports any possible irregularities. The Mexican Senate is in charge of appointing the members of the National Citizen Council, after public consultation, guaranteeing the principle of gender parity.
Mexico is facing a long-lasting crisis of disappearances: according to the National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons, to date, at least 124,000 people are missing or unlocated. Despite the importance of the National Citizen Council in addressing this crisis, since May 2024, the Council is not operating because the Mexican Senate has not yet launched a public call to select its members.
Therefore, I urge you to take all necessary steps to appoint the members of the National Citizen Council of the National Search System ensuring the right to search of the relatives of victims of enforced disappearance, including by participating in decision-making.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
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