In last 2 years, 52 Disappeared People Found of a Total of 1,072 in Nuevo León, Mexico

Photo: Víctor Hugo Valdivia

Proceso:  Luciano Campos Garza

Translated by Mariana Silva

Monterrey, Nuevo León - From June 2011 until today, the state Attorney General’s Office (PGJE) and civil organizations have found 52 people that had been reported missing out of a total of 1,070.

The data was released this past Friday during a meeting between state authorities and representatives from social organizations. Among the representatives were poet and activist Javier Sicilia from the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity; Consuelo Morales, president of Citizens in Support of Human Rights (Cadhac), and victims' relatives.

In a bulletin, Cadhac reported that since June 2011, when the first meeting between the Attorney General's Office and social organizations took place, 52 people have been found. Within that figure, 38 were found alive. The rest were identified through DNA tests.

Moreover, 10 preliminary investigations have been opened and 33 files established, which have resulted in 43 arrests and 4 outstanding warrants, and 39 people brought to trial.

According to Cadhac, they have managed to

“make this tragedy of disappeared persons be recognized as an indispensible part of the public agenda, that the PGR team dedicated to this problem is expanded and modernized, and that cases of forced disappearance are specified within the State Penal Code according to international standards related to human rights."

Furthermore, a group of detectives has been formed as a result of the conversations with state authorities. These experts are going to help find missing people and create a protocol that will have to be activated whenever a missing person report is made.

The next step is to encourage the creation of a State Law for Victims, similar to the current federal law.

Besides all this, Cadhac stated that there are still hundreds of people that have not been found.

“From 2009 until today, Cadhac has reports of over one thousand missing people in the State. Although the frequency has decreased, this is still happening and many times at the hands of the same authorities.”

The head of PGJE, Adrián de la Garza, said that there are 970 open investigations for enforced disappearance. He also stated that open dialogue between families and investigators has helped the investigations.

At the same time, Javier Sicilia urged federal authorities to modernize search methods. There are only 23 forensic anthropologists to analyze human remains, when there would have to be at least 500 throughout the country. Spanish original