THE UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON EXTRAJUDICIAL, SUMMARY OR ARBITRARY EXECUTIONS CONCLUDES HIS OFFICIAL VISIT TO MEXICO

•    The Mexican government thanks the Special Rapporteur for his recommendations and reiterates its commitment to cooperating with the international human rights agencies.

The Special Rapporteur visited Mexico from April 22 – May 2, 2013, holding over 100 meetings with representatives from the federal government, including the Secretary of the Navy and senior officials from the Ministries of the Interior, National Defense and Foreign Affairs, the Attorney General’s Office, the National Institute of Women and the National Commission to Prevent and Eradicate Violence Against Women.

He also held meetings with the governors of Chihuahua and Nuevo Leon, senior officials from Guerrero and Mexico City, representatives of the legislature and judiciary, autonomous human rights organizations, civil society organizations and academics.

During Mr. Heyns’ visit, Mexico’s progress in human rights was stressed, especially implementation of the June 2011 Constitutional reform, the enactment and reform of the General Law on Victims and the trial of military cases in civil courts.

During his visits to various states, the Special Rapporteur met with forensic and other experts to learn first-hand about the services provided by the Mexican government to identify the deceased.

The Rapporteur's preliminary recommendations to the Mexican government focus on harmonizing legislation and more protection of human rights; strengthening ministerial and forensic investigations; standardizing protocols for security forces and criminal investigations; and implementing public policies for social reconstruction, particularly aimed at youths.

The Rapporteur commended the Mexican government for its initiative to protect human rights defenders and journalists which began operating in December and replaces an older program. Similarly, Rapporteur Heyns congratulated the Mexican government for its leadership and activism in strengthening the global human rights system, especially the OAS’ Inter-American Human Rights Commission.

The closing session was attended by representatives from the federal and state governments, and by the institutions that participated actively in the visit, all of which reiterated the Mexican government’s commitment to implementing the Special Rapporteur’s recommendations.

The final report on the visit will be presented by Mr. Heyns to the UN Human Rights Council in May 2014.