THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT PARTICIPATES IN THE 147TH SESSION OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS (IACHR)

Mexico participated today in the public hearings of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in Washington, DC. The hearings are part of the 147th session, during which the human rights situation in Mexico was addressed.

Mexico’s participation in these hearings reflects its full commitment to furthering its human rights efforts, strengthening its dialogue with civil society organizations and continuing to cooperate with the IACHR.

There were two hearings of a general nature, one requested by the Mexican government (Human Rights Priorities and Legislative Harmonization in Mexico) and another on the general human rights situation in Mexico, at which civil society organizations presented some of the challenges they consider to be priorities.

At the first hearing, the Interior Ministry’s Undersecretary for Legal Affairs and Human Rights Lía Limón Garcia announced the main lines of action of the ministry’s work plan. She explained that, despite its complexity, Mexico has sufficient institutional infrastructure to address its human rights challenges. She stressed that her priorities are professionalism, training and strengthening education in this area. In addition, the Mexican government pledged to continue improving the protection and promotion of human rights, and to establish a National Human Rights Program.

At the hearing on the "Exhibition in the media of victims of crime and of persons under the responsibility of the Public Ministry in Mexico," the Attorney General's Office and the Mexico City Attorney General’s Office announced that this issue will be extensively discussed during the next meeting of the National Law Enforcement Conference and the results would be shared with the commission.

During the hearing on the "Situation of Human Rights of the Rarámuri and Tepehuán Indigenous Peoples in the Sierra Tarahumara of Chihuahua, Mexico," Mexico reported on strengthening the consultation processes that enable these indigenous peoples to participate more actively in resolving their problems. This includes the creation of the post of coordinator in the Tarahumara area.

Lastly, as part of Mexico’s regular practice of exchanging information with the commission on alleged human rights violations, the Mexican government participated in two hearings on specific cases, reaffirming its willingness to reach friendly solutions as the best way for the government to acknowledge its obligations to the victims and to comply with reparations for any human rights violations that may have been incurred.

The government delegation said that in recent years it has reached a large number of friendly resolutions, with the full agreement of the commission. These friendly resolutions, in addition to addressing all aspects of reparations dictated by international law and the jurisprudence of the IACHR, have had a positive effect on strengthening the government’s legal and other institutions thereby preventing further violations.

Mexico's participation is also part of the OAS’ ongoing process of strengthening the inter-American human rights system in order to improve the practices and working methods of the commission for addressing human rights cases in the hemisphere.

The Mexican delegation was headed by the Foreign Ministry’s Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights Juan Manuel Gomez Robledo, who was accompanied by the Interior Ministry’s Undersecretary for Legal Affairs and Human Rights Lía Limón Garcia and the Permanent Representative of Mexico to the OAS, Joel Hernández García, in addition to officials from the Ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs and Health. Representatives from the Attorney General's Office, the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples, the Attorney General’s offices in Mexico City and the state of Mexico and the Chihuahua state government also participated.